Arroz Con Habichuelas

5 from 4 votes

Puerto Rican-style yellow rice with pink beans and Spanish olives. Made with a vegetable base called "sofrito." It's a great vegan-option side dish that is typically paired with a stew or protein. Vegan, gluten-free.

Cook Time30

Total Time30

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: Latin American, Puerto Rican

Servings:

Calories: 293kcal

Author: Aly Michell

Ingredients

¼ cup vegetabable oil
2 cups long grain rice
½ cup sofrito
4 ounces tomato sauce
1 teaspoon adobo seasoning
2 teaspoon sazon
15.5 ounces canned pink or red small beans (or 1 cup cooked beans)
2 cups water
½ cup Spanish green olives

Instructions

Rinse the rice several times to remove excess starch and any debris. Continue rinsing until the water runs mostly clear, then drain thoroughly.
Heat the oil in a caldero or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the rice. Toast the rice, stirring frequently, for 2–3 minutes, until the grains are lightly coated in oil and begin to smell slightly nutty.
In a small bowl, whisk together the sofrito, tomato sauce, adobo seasoning, and sazon. Pour the mixture into the pot and stir well to evenly coat the rice. Cook for another 2 minutes.
Add the drained beans and olives to the rice and stir to combine. Pour in the 2 cups of water.
Leave the pot uncovered and bring the rice to a boil over medium heat. Cook until most of the liquid has evaporated and the rice is visible on the surface, with small steam holes forming.
Gently mix the rice by folding it from the sides toward the center. Reduce the heat to low and cover the pot with a lid.
Cook for an additional 20 minutes, or until the rice is tender and fully cooked through.

Notes

This recipe works best in a caldero or heavy-bottomed Dutch oven. Please note, thin pots or aluminum may scorch the rice during the low-heat cooking phase.
Long or medium-grain white rice is recommended. Basmati can be used, but it tends to be less sticky than traditional long-grain rice, so the texture may differ slightly. Adjust water slightly if using a different rice variety.
This recipe is on the lower-salt side. Feel free to adjust adobo, sazon, or add a pinch of salt to taste. Sazon brands vary widely in sodium and MSG content, so flavor intensity may differ.
Use Spanish green olives, pitted. You can leave them whole or slice them depending on your preference. Whole olives give bursts of flavor, while sliced olives distribute more evenly.
This recipe is on the less-salt side. Feel free to add more sazon, adobo, or a pinch of salt if that's what you prefer. Also note, I used sazon with sodium/msg.

Nutrition