Recipe: Vegan Habichuelas Guisadas

If there’s a Puerto Rican dish that feels like a warm hug, it’s definitely habichuelas guisadas. Habichuelas guisadas, stewed beans are one ofy favorite comfort foods. The scent of the sofrito tangled with the beans and pumpkin takes over the house to create this warm scent. Whenever I visit my mom, I always ask her to prepare arroz con pollo and habichuelas guisadas. It’s such a simple yet comforting dish. I use canned beans to make it an easy, weeknight dish.

Preparing Vegan Habichuelas Guisadas

I love that you can prepare vegan habichuelas guisadas, and they still pack tons of flavor. The traditional way to prepare them includes ham hock or pork belly. However, I don’t miss the ham flavor in my vegan habichuelas guisadas at all. I add a bit more of sofrito, a whole onion, and finely chopped recao (culantro) so the flavors can truly come out. Recao can be challenging to find in mainland USA. If you don’t have a Latin supermarket in your area, check out Asian supermarkets, specifically Vietnamese ones, as they also use recao in many of their soups.

My mom always adds a piece of calabaza (pumpkin) or butternut squash, which makes the stewed beans heartier. The cubed potato adds that starchy thickness to the broth. Don’t be afraid to play around with other root vegetables with your beans.

What to Pair Your Habichuelas Guisadas With

Habichuelas guisadas are a very versatile side dish. When you go to Puerto Rico, habichuelas guisadas are usually served on the side with a small bowl so you can add them to the rice as you see fit. You can have a simple vegan meal with white rice, habichuelas guisadas, and tostones. I also love to serve it as a side with arroz con pollo or if you want to stay in the vegan Puerto Rican food theme, try it with arroz con vegetales (yellow rice and vegetables).

Recipe: Vegan Habichuelas Guisadas

Print Recipe

Vegan Habichuelas guisadas (stewed beans) are a very versatile side dish. Made with potato, pumpkin and beans, it’s hearty and vitamin packed. 

• Author: DiningTraveler
• Prep Time: 5
• Cook Time: 30 Minutes
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 6 1x
• Category: Sides
• Cuisine: Puerto Rican
• Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

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2 tbsp Olive Oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

One small potato, cut into cubes

1 Cup of chopped pumpkin or butternut squash, cubed

1/2 cup of sofrito

1/4 cup of tomato sauce

1/2 cup of olives (optional)

1 tbsp of achiote oil

1 tsp of adobo

1 tsp of black pepper

1 tsp of sazon

1 tbsp of finely chopped fresh culantro 

2 bay leaves

Two 16oz cans of red or pinto beans 

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Instructions

1. In a saucepan, add around 2 tbsp of olive oil. 
2. Once the oil is hot, add the finely chopped onion and cook until soft and translucent (Around 3 minutes)
3. Add the potato and pumpkin and let them cook for a few minutes. This step allows for the flavor to come out before adding the rest of the ingredients. 
4. Add the rest of the ingredients, except the beans. Allow them to cook for five minutes.
5. Add the beans and add 1/2 to 3/4 cups of water until you have a light broth. 
6. Cover and let them cook in medium-low heat for 20 minutes or until the potatoes, pumpkin, and beans are softened.