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Mom’s Authentic Puerto Rican Rice and Beans

A traditional Puerto Rican arroz con habichuelas recipe featuring fluffy rice, seasoned red beans, and aromatic sofrito for a comforting Caribbean meal.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Caribbean, Puerto Rican
Calories: 310
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Rice and Beans
  • 2 cups long grain white rice rinsed
  • 2 cans red kidney beans drained and rinsed
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 tbsp sofrito
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 0.5 onion chopped
  • 0.5 cup tomato sauce
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3 cups water or chicken broth
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 0.5 tsp black pepper
  • 0.25 cup fresh cilantro chopped

Equipment

  • Large pot or Dutch oven
  • Measuring cups
  • Wooden spoon
  • Knife and cutting board

Method
 

  1. Rinse rice under cold water until water runs clear.
  2. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
  3. Cook onion for 3–4 minutes until softened, then add garlic.
  4. Stir in sofrito and cook for 2 minutes.
  5. Add tomato sauce, cumin, oregano, pepper, and bay leaf.
  6. Mix in beans and simmer 2 minutes.
  7. Add rice and broth, stirring well.
  8. Bring mixture to a boil.
  9. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 18–20 minutes.
  10. Remove bay leaf, fluff rice, garnish with cilantro, and serve.

Notes

Use homemade sofrito if available for the most authentic flavor.