Habichuelas Guisadas
By Illyanna MaisonetPublished on September 27, 2025
Time
2¼ hours
Yield
Makes 6 cups
Ingredients
Sofrito
2 plum tomatoes, cored and chopped coarse1 small onion, chopped coarse5 garlic cloves, chopped coarse1 small green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped coarse20 sprigs fresh cilantro, chopped coarse (1 cup)6 sprigs fresh culantro, chopped coarseBeans
8 ounces (1¼ cups) dried pink beans, picked over and rinsed1½ teaspoons table salt 1 onion, halved4 garlic cloves, peeled1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce 1 cup butternut squash, cut into ½-inch piecesBefore You Begin
Culantro can be found in the produce section of most Latin markets, as well as many Asian markets. If it’s unavailable, use additional cilantro. We used Rancho Gordo’s King City Pink Beans for this recipe, though other brands may be used. If pink beans are unavailable, use small red beans. Serve with our Arroz Blanco or other white rice.
Instructions
- Pulse 2 coarsely chopped plum tomatoes in food processor until coarsely ground, 5 to 7 pulses. Add 1 coarsely chopped small onion and 5 coarsely chopped garlic cloves and pulse until mixture is coarsely ground, 8 to 10 pulses. Add 1 coarsely chopped small green bell pepper, 1 cup coarsely chopped cilantro sprigs, and 6 sprigs coarsely chopped culantro and pulse until finely chopped, 15 to 20 pulses. (You should have 2 cups of sofrito.) Reserve ½ cup for beans and save remaining for future use. (Sofrito can be refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 3 months.)
- Combine 1¼ cups dried pink beans, rinsed, and 1½ teaspoons table salt in large Dutch oven and add enough water to cover beans by 2 inches. Bring to boil over high heat. Add 1 onion, halved; 4 peeled garlic cloves; and ¼ cup sofrito. Reduce heat and simmer vigorously, covered, for 1 hour.
- Add 1 can tomato sauce and continue to simmer vigorously, uncovered, until beans are very tender and water level is about 1 inch above beans, 20 to 40 minutes. (Keep an eye on water level and add more if necessary to maintain depth of 1 inch.) Discard onion.
- Stir in 1 cup butternut squash, cut into ½-inch pieces and simmer for 10 minutes. Add remaining ¼ cup sofrito and continue to cook until squash is fork-tender, but not falling apart, 5 to 10 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
for the sofrito
for the beans
Time
2¼ hoursYield
Makes 6 cupsIngredients
Sofrito
Beans
Ingredients
Sofrito
Beans
Ingredients
Sofrito
Beans
Why This Recipe Works
Habichuelas guisadas (Puerto Rican garlicky, tomatoey stewed beans) are flavorful, easy to throw together, belly-warming, and tailor-made for soaking up rice. Our first step was to make a sofrito, the cuisine’s ubiquitous flavor foundation, by blitzing tomato, onion, garlic, green bell pepper, cilantro, and culantro into a coarse paste. We then simmered a portion of that paste, along with more garlic and onion, with dried pink beans for about an hour. Only at that point did we add the tomato sauce, since its acid can prevent the beans from softening, followed by chunks of butternut squash, and finally a second dose of sofrito for savory vibrancy.
Want more? Read the whole storyBefore You Begin
Culantro can be found in the produce section of most Latin markets, as well as many Asian markets. If it’s unavailable, use additional cilantro. We used Rancho Gordo’s King City Pink Beans for this recipe, though other brands may be used. If pink beans are unavailable, use small red beans. Serve with our Arroz Blanco or other white rice.
Instructions
- Pulse 2 coarsely chopped plum tomatoes in food processor until coarsely ground, 5 to 7 pulses. Add 1 coarsely chopped small onion and 5 coarsely chopped garlic cloves and pulse until mixture is coarsely ground, 8 to 10 pulses. Add 1 coarsely chopped small green bell pepper, 1 cup coarsely chopped cilantro sprigs, and 6 sprigs coarsely chopped culantro and pulse until finely chopped, 15 to 20 pulses. (You should have 2 cups of sofrito.) Reserve ½ cup for beans and save remaining for future use. (Sofrito can be refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 3 months.)
- Combine 1¼ cups dried pink beans, rinsed, and 1½ teaspoons table salt in large Dutch oven and add enough water to cover beans by 2 inches. Bring to boil over high heat. Add 1 onion, halved; 4 peeled garlic cloves; and ¼ cup sofrito. Reduce heat and simmer vigorously, covered, for 1 hour.
- Add 1 can tomato sauce and continue to simmer vigorously, uncovered, until beans are very tender and water level is about 1 inch above beans, 20 to 40 minutes. (Keep an eye on water level and add more if necessary to maintain depth of 1 inch.) Discard onion.
- Stir in 1 cup butternut squash, cut into ½-inch pieces and simmer for 10 minutes. Add remaining ¼ cup sofrito and continue to cook until squash is fork-tender, but not falling apart, 5 to 10 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
for the sofrito
for the beans
Gift This Recipe
Enjoyed this dish? Let others know by sharing it as a gift recipe.
Appears In
Keep Exploring
0 Comments