So it’s no secret that beans are an iconic staple in Latin American cuisine. In Puerto Rico, red beans also known as Habichuelas Guisadas are king! The recipe below is one I literally grew up on and is so dear to my heart and my stomach lol 🤣
Building the Flavor Base
Like any Puerto Rican recipe of mine, this one starts with sofrito! It’s such bold condiment that’s pureed with fresh herbs and classic veggies – it must be included in every dish (stay tuned for a future post on that recipe 😉)
Besides sofrito, to really build flavor for our habichuelas, we have to add a touch a sweetness with some tomato sauce. To add some savory notes, like most traditional recipes, mine include some ham chunks. Trust me, once you start cooking those ham chunks, they render their fat and well….fat equals flavor!
Next on the flavor building list are my go to seasonings. As a standard, of course I used Sazon with Achiote – it gives so much color and deep flavor. Next for some earthiness, I add ground cumin, ground oregano and a touch of adobo all purpose seasoning.
Hearty Stew
If you’re wondering where the term “guisada/guisado” comes in, it’s a Spanish word to describe the cooking method of stewing meats and veggies in a seasoned broth or liquid. Hence our habichuelas are guisadas because we slowly stew them in a tomato based broth. To give the stew body and some density, Puerto Ricans add veggies or starchy carbs. In this recipe, I added chunks of white potato. If you like a bit more sweetness, you could use chunks of sweet potato or pumpkin.
Once all the ingredients are combined, it’s time to add some chicken stock and let it simmer away. The name of the game is to wait. What you want to achieve are tender habichuelas and veggies that are fully infused with the seasoned broth. You’ll know it’s done when the stew thickens and has a glossy consistency.
Ready to get to cooking? Well, the full recipe is below along with a detailed step-by-step tutorial!
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Habichuelas Guisadas – Puerto Rican Stewed Red Beans
Ingredients
- 1 (16 oz) can of red beans (drained and rinsed)
- 4 ounces of tomato sauce
- 1 large potato (peeled and cubed)
- 1/4 cup of homemade sofrito
- 1/4 cup of cubed ham or salt pork
- 1 cup of chicken broth or water
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground oregano
- 1/2 a packet of sazon with achiote
- 1/2 a tablespoon of adobo
- Fresh cilantro for garnish
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a small pot, heat olive oil to medium heat and add cubed ham along with sofrito.
- Allow the fat from the ham to render and incorporate with the sofrito.
- Next add the tomato sauce. Allow the raw tomato taste to cook out for about 3 minutes.
- Season the tomato base with cumin, sazon and oregano.
- Add the drained habichuelas and mix with the tomato base.
- Top with water or chicken broth and then toss in cubed potatoes.
- Increase the temperature to medium high heat and allow the habichuelas to softly boil.
- Taste the sauce and adjust seasonings to liking. Add salt, pepper or adobo to taste.
- Once the habichuelas are boiling, reduce the heat and allow them to simmer until the potatoes are fork tender.
- Serve on white rice and garnish with cilantro