Vegetarian Puerto Rican Habichuelas Guisadas

You don’t need expensive ingredients to make a truly fantastic meal, and this recipe shows it. This vegetarian Puerto Rican habichuelas guisadas recipe is wonderfully frugal but tastes like a million bucks. It’s my go-to for a hearty and budget-friendly family dinner.

This Puerto Rican dish is one of my favorite recipes! I ate this growing up all the time as my mom and grandma used to make it often. It’s such a frugal and filling meal, and it’s amazingly delicious, so I keep it on constant rotation in my own kitchen.

Many traditional guisadas recipes contain pork or ham, but in my family, we always make it meatless. I promise, it’s super flavorful even without meat, but feel free to throw in your favorite protein.

🧅 Ingredients

Let’s take a look at the ingredients in this droolworthy dish.

✅Onions – Use sweet onions for the best flavor. Chop them roughly, and they will make them taste even better.

✅Potatoes – Russet potatoes will keep you full. They are a great addition to the already irresistible meal.

✅Beans – We prefer to use kidney beans, but swap them for another variety you have on hand to save some money. Black beans would be a good option.

✅Green peppers

✅Canned tomato sauce

✅Fresh garlic

✅Adobo

✅Truvia – Just a tiny pinch of sweetener helps balance the acidity from the tomato sauce and rounds out all the savory flavors – it’s a little trick I use, but feel free to adjust or omit based on your taste!

✅Salt & pepper – Keep in mind that adobo seasoning also contains salt, so add it first and do a taste test before adding salt and pepper.

✅Olive oil

🍲 Instructions

👉Step 1: Add olive oil to a pan over medium heat. After it is heated, add the onion, green peppers, and potatoes. Lightly sprinkle with salt. Cook for 8 minutes, stirring frequently. Add in minced garlic. Sauté for another two minutes.

👉Step 2: Add kidney beans (with liquid) and tomato sauce. After you’ve poured in the tomato sauce, fill the can with water twice and add the water to the pot.

👉Step 3: Stir in adobo and Truvia. Start with ½ tbsp of Adobo and add a bit more if desired. It’s really up to your personal preference, but be careful not to over-season. Season with salt and pepper if desired.

👉Step 4: Turn heat onto medium-low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.

📌 Expert Tips

🔸Pump up the heat by adding some extra Adobo! It’s got plenty of spice to it.

🔸Cook it low and slow so it can really bring all the flavors together properly.

🔸Don’t forget to cover it as it’s cooking. This allows the low heat to really simmer, and it’s going to taste even better.

🔸You don’t need to drain the juice from the can of beans like you normally would for other recipes. Add the liquid too. It enhances the recipe.

🔸If you like your stew a bit thicker, gently mash a few of the cooked potatoes and beans against the side of the pot with your spoon during the last 5 minutes of simmering. This releases their starches and thickens the sauce naturally!

❓ Recipe FAQs

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