Habichuelas Guisadas (Puerto Rican Stewed Beans)

Is this technically a chowder, because it contains potatoes? The Internet told me once that a chowder is a soup with potatoes. The Internet lies.

So, no, it’s not a chowder. It’s just delicious.

Habichuelas Guisadas

Puerto Rican Stewed Beans
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time2 hours
Total Time2 hours 30 minutes
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Puerto Rican
Keyword: Dry Beans
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 399kcal

Equipment

  • Pressure cooker
  • Dutch oven

Ingredients

Beans

  • 1 lb dry beans red, pink or pinto beans
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 medium shallot
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp coriander seeds
  • 1 tsp peppercorns
  • 1 stalk celery

Stew

  • 1 cup sofrito
  • 2 large carrots diced
  • 1 large red bell pepper diced
  • 2-4 tomatoes depending on size
  • 2 tbsp sazón
  • 1 lb red potatoes or other waxy potatoes, diced into large chunks
  • 10 large green olives

Serving

Instructions

  • First, the beans. Rinse and soak the beans in 1% salinity water for at least 6 hours. Add the beans and their soaking water to a large pot. To a spice bag, add 2 peeled garlic cloves, 1 shallot, 2 bay leaves, some coriander seeds, peppercorns, and a roughly chopped stalk of celery. Bring to a hearty boil for 10 minutes, and then cook for 30 minutes, maybe less depending on how fresh the beans are. When the beans are done (they can be just-cooked), drain but save the cooking liquid.
  • Meanwhile, prepare the ingredients. Make the sofrito (if you do not already have some on-hand). Dice the carrots, bell pepper and tomatoes. Peel the potatoes and cut into fairly good-sized chunks. Drain the olives.
  • In a large Dutch oven, heat a few tbsp of oil over medium heat. Add the sofrito, the carrots, bell pepper, tomatoes and 2 tbsp sazon. Cook for a few minutes to activate everything and start to soften the hard parts. Add the beans, potatoes and 1-2 cups of the bean water. If under-seasoned (besides salt), you can add some concentrated broth, bullion cubes, tomato paste, or more sazón. Make sure there is enough liquid for this to stew for a bit.
  • Cook for an hour, removing the cover part of the way through to let the broth thicken.

Notes

For six servings, including the rice

Nutrition

Calories: 399kcal | Carbohydrates: 74g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Sodium: 401mg | Potassium: 1647mg | Fiber: 23g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 5301IU | Vitamin C: 58mg | Calcium: 151mg | Iron: 6mg
Nutrition Facts
Habichuelas Guisadas
Amount Per Serving
Calories 399 Calories from Fat 36
% Daily Value*
Fat 4g6%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Trans Fat 0.2g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 1g
Sodium 401mg17%
Potassium 1647mg47%
Carbohydrates 74g25%
Fiber 23g96%
Sugar 5g6%
Protein 21g42%
Vitamin A 5301IU106%
Vitamin C 58mg70%
Calcium 151mg15%
Iron 6mg33%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.