The dish Habichuelas guisadas is commonly served at Cinco de Mayo parties, a favorite among festivities.
You can make habichuela guisada in the microwave, but it’s a lot easier to just toss all of these ingredients into your slow cooker and let them cook for hours.
What are Habichuelas Guisadas?
The original dish consists of fried green plantains (which are also known as habanero peppers) and black beans cooked with garlic, onion, and spices.
The dish is traditionally made on Cinco de Mayo, which means “fifth day,” because it was originally prepared by the Spanish settlers when they arrived in Mexico.
While habichuelas guisadas can be found all over Latin America, they’re especially popular in Puerto Rico and other parts of the Caribbean.
In fact, some people even claim that they originated from Puerto Rico.
They’re usually served as a side dish, but the traditional way to eat them is with rice and beans.
However, there’s no reason why you can’t serve this delicious dish as a main course.
It’s very filling and will help you avoid overeating.
If you’re interested in making this dish, check out our list of the best recipes for making habichuelas guisadas.
But before you do that, read through the entire article so you know what to expect!
What is the cook time for habichuelas guisadas?
The total cook time for habichuela guisadas in the slow cooker is about six hours on high heat.
This includes the cooking time for the beans, which takes about three hours, as well as the cooking time for the meat mixture, which takes a little over two hours.
So if you’re making this dish for a crowd, plan accordingly!
What are the best side dishes?
You might be surprised to learn that there isn’t really a single “best” side dish.
The truth is that every culture has its own favorite side dish, and just as often, the side dish is different from what we’re used to eating back home.
Here are some of our favorites, though.
Curried lentils with cauliflower rice
Spicy bean dip
Caramelized pears
Goulash
Coconut rice
How many servings does habichuelas guisadas make?
This dish is traditionally made with pork shoulder (also known as Boston butt) but you can also use beef.
The meat should be cut into large pieces that will fit into the slow cooker.
If you have leftover meat after cooking, you can add it back in later on when reheating the stew.
The vegetables used in the recipe include onion, green bell pepper, tomatoes, garlic, cumin, oregano, bay leaf, and salt.
Habichuelas guisadas can take up to six hours to fully cook depending on how big your slow cooker is.
The best way to tell if they’re done is by poking a knife in and seeing if it comes out clean.
If you don’t want to spend the time making this stew, you can buy pre-made versions of it.
For example, Trader Joe’s sells a frozen version of habichuelas guisadas that is available year round.
It has a shelf life of three years.
You can also find canned habichuelas guisadas online.
These tend to be more expensive than their frozen counterparts, so they aren’t ideal if you need to feed a crowd.
However, they do offer convenience and a quick fix option for those who want to avoid spending too much time in the kitchen.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup diced country ham or bacon omit if vegetarian
- 1/4 cup Puerto Rican sofrito
- 1/4 cup tomato sauce
- 1½ tsp sazón con achiote y culantro
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 2 cups low sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 2 cans pink beans (habichuelas rosadas), undrained 15 oz. cans
- 1/3 cup diced potato, pumpkin and/or baby carrots
- 8 pimento stuffed olives
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped for garnish
- Adobo seasoning or salt, to taste
Directions
- In a medium sized sauce pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped ham and saute for 2-3 minutes, until it starts to caramelize.
- Add the sofrito and Sazon seasoning. Saute for 2 minutes, until fragrant.
- Add the tomato sauce, oregano, bay leaves, and cumin. Saute for 1 minute.
- Add the chicken stock, beans (with their liquid), chopped potato, pumpkin or carrot, olives, and chopped cilantro. Cover and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Once the mixture comes to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Allow the flavors to meld, the beans to become really tender, and the pumpkin/carrots to cook. The mixture should be very creamy and not soupy.
- Check for seasoning, and add Adobo or salt if needed.
- Serve over white or yellow rice, with an extra sprinkle of cilantro, if desired.
What are some tips for making habichuelas guisadas?
Habichuelas guisadas are made with pork shoulder meat cut up into cubes that have been sautéed in a mixture of onions, peppers, garlic, bay leaves, oregano, cumin, salt, and black pepper.
When the meat is cooked through, it’s added to boiling water along with chopped tomatoes, corn, and beans.
These ingredients are simmered together until they reach a thick consistency, then they’re spooned over rice and eaten as a hearty stew.
You can also add sliced jalapenos to give it more heat, or a little bit of chili powder if you want to spice it up a bit.
It’s important to brown the cubed pork before adding it to the pot so that the flavor will be able to develop while the dish cooks.
The original recipe calls for “lard” (not sure what that means) and a lot of bacon grease, but modern recipes omit both of those things.
Instead, you can substitute olive oil, vegetable oil, or even butter depending on how much fat you prefer.
If you don’t want to use oil, you can always skip this step altogether and just mix everything together in a bowl.
What are some popular variations of habichuelas guisadas?
Habichuelas guisadas are a traditional dish from Puerto Rico that is usually made with beef.
But there are many different recipes out there that use different types of meat as well as vegetables such as black beans, potatoes, and corn.
Habichuelas guisadas are often served with rice and beans.
In addition to the usual meat variation, there are also vegetarian versions of this dish.
Some people add extra veggies like green peppers and onions.
Some even use tofu instead of meat!
How to Include Habichuelas Guisadas in Your Diet
This recipe is similar to traditional habichuelas con puerros, which are made from cubed pork that has been marinated with onions, garlic, and spices.
The difference between habichuela guisada and its cousin is that habichuela guisada is cooked with green plantains instead of potatoes.
They’re also typically seasoned with cilantro, salt, and pepper.
The dish itself isn’t as easy to make as it may seem.
It requires a lot of chopping and peeling, and then it takes time to simmer down.
But once you’ve got everything chopped up and ready to go, you’ll be rewarded with a delicious meal that’s sure to please even the pickiest eaters.
Habichuelas Guisadas Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup diced country ham
- 1/4 cup tomato sauce
- 1½ tsp sazón con achiote y culantro
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 2 cans pink beans habichuelas rosadas, undrained 15 oz. cans
- 1/3 cup diced potato pumpkin and/or baby carrots
- 8 pimento stuffed olives
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro chopped for garnish
- salt to taste
Instructions
- In a medium sized sauce pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped ham and saute for 2-3 minutes, until it starts to caramelize.
- Add the sofrito and Sazon seasoning. Saute for 2 minutes, until fragrant.
- Add the tomato sauce, oregano, bay leaves, and cumin. Saute for 1 minute.
- Add the chicken stock, beans (with their liquid), chopped potato, pumpkin or carrot, olives, and chopped cilantro. Cover and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Once the mixture comes to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Allow the flavors to meld, the beans to become really tender, and the pumpkin/carrots to cook. The mixture should be very creamy and not soupy.
- Check for seasoning, and add Adobo or salt if needed.
- Serve over white or yellow rice, with an extra sprinkle of cilantro, if desired.
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I have a true passion for cooking and experimenting with new ingredients, and I have been creating and perfecting recipes for friends and family for years.
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