Puerto Rican Habichuelas Guisadas (stewed beans)

Habichuelas Guisadas (stewed beans) is THE staple side dish of Puerto Rican cuisine, and can be served with almost anything! Learn how to make an easy vegan version in this #VeganizedPuertoRican. 

Vegan | Gluten-free | Soy-free

White rice and beans is the main dish in almost every Puerto Rican home. Considering its nutritional and protein benefits, beans can be found in many traditional Puerto Rican, Cuban, Jamaican, Haitian and Dominican dishes. Depending on which country you find yourself in, they can be eaten fried, sautéed or stewed, but it plays a very important role as it’s one of the most versatile ingredients.

The Puerto Rican version of beans are stewed (Habichuelas Guisadas) and is served as a side dish traditionally over white rice. The combination is considered a staple and it’s eaten often throughout the week; mostly because, besides being nutritious, it’s extremely affordable. 

Veganizing Habichuelas Guisadas 

Habichuelas Guisadas was one of the first recipes to be veganized in my home. If you’re unfamiliar with the dish, you may be asking yourself “why do beans need to be veganized?”. This is because traditionally our stewed beans include ham or bacon as an excuse to thicken up the sauce. But what really does the work in the stew is pumpkin! Once I was able to prove to my family that the ham in Habichuelas Guisadas was completely unnecessary, my mom and grandma have never cooked beans with ham again. 

The rest of the recipe stays pretty much the same, with the essentials in place; sofrito is key and pink beans are TOP TIER for this dish, but you can choose essentially any other beans that you want. 

Serve over white rice, with your favorite sides. I chose avocado and Jackfruit Chicharrones!

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Puerto Rican Habichuelas Guisadas (stewed beans)

Rating: 5.0/5

( 3 voted )

Serves: 4-6 Prep Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 30 Minutes 30 Minutes Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1-2 tbsp sofrito
• ¼ cup tomato sauce
• 1 small potato, diced
• ½ cup pumpkin, diced
• 1 can (14 oz) pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• ¾  cup water, or vegetable stock
• ½ vegetable stock cube
• 1 packet of sazón seasoning (culantro & achiote)
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1-2 recao (culantro) leaves
• Optional: salt & pepper
• Optional: 1-2 bay leaves

Procedure

• In a medium sized sauce pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and minced garlic, and sauté for 2-3 minutes or until soft.
• Add the sofrito and tomato sauce; sauté until fragrant.
• Add the oregano, bay leaves, recao (culantro), pumpkin and potato. Sauté for another minute.
• Add the vegetable stock, the stock cube, packet of sazón and beans. Stir combining everything and bring the mixture to a boil.
• Once the mixture comes to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• When done, the stew should be creamy. Check for seasoning, and add salt & pepper if needed.
• Serve over white rice, along with your other favorite sides. ENJOY!

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