Rice and beans is my life force. And I don't say this lightly. I can easily say that it's one of the first meals that I remember eating when I was very young. What I remember vividly is my mom pouring some beans into the pilón and mashing them up for us to eat until dinner was done. It's something that she still does for me all these years later.

To me, rice and beans is comfort, it's home. It's my favorite part of the meal that I make for someone when I'm introducing them to traditional Puerto Rican cuisine. It's my go-to struggle meal (the meal you make in the middle of the week to hold you over until payday. Y'all know what I'm talking about!). This was the very first thing my mom taught me how to cook. Rice and beans genuinely make me happy.

You can make rice and beans with pretty much any bean you like, but I'm partial to pink, red, or pinto beans. I prefer using dried beans and pressure cooking them the day before I plan on making a pot of beans. I end up with a ton since I pressure cook a bag at a time, but I always portion and freeze the pressure cooked beans so I can have some on hand at any time to stew up. You can definitely use canned beans but I highly suggest using dried beans because the texture is unmatched!

I have a weird aversion to olives (which are traditionally used), so I lean towards capers. And if you're able to find West Indian pumpkin (calabaza), that's an added treat!

You can honestly doctor this up how you like to make it stretch and omit the ham to make it vegetarian or vegan. This recipe is split into two portions: my method for partially cooking an entire bag of beans and then how to make the stewed beans afterwards. Make extra to freeze and whenever you want some beans, add them to a pot with some water or broth of your choice and you're good to go!

Habichuelas Guisadas (Stewed Beans)

Cook time: 30 minutes (using cooked beans)

Serves: 4-6

Bean Preparation

1 1lb bag dried beans (pinto, red, or pink)

1 small smoked ham hock

2 large bay leaves

1 large onion, peeled and cut in half

Water, as needed

Habichuelas Guisadas (Stewed Beans)

Vegetable oil

1/2 cup diced ham

1/4 cup Simple Sofrito

2 tbsp diced pimentos, drained

1 tbsp capers, drained

1 tbsp tomato paste

2 cups pressure cooked beans (or 2 cans, drained)

1 small Yukon gold potato, cubed

1/2 cup calabaza squash, cubed (see note)

2-4 cups water or chicken broth, as needed

Sazón spice blend, to taste

Kosher salt, to taste

Black pepper, to taste

Cooked rice, for serving

Optional: add sliced avocado or a sunny-side egg. If you're feeling fancy, do both!

Note: the pumpkin is also known as calabaza and I tend to find it Asian or Hispanic markets. I buy it in bulk, cut it into large pieces, and freeze them for my beans. If you can't find pumpkin (or don't want to break a whole one down), just use the potato. Either vegetable will thicken the sauce and add a creamy texture.

To pressure cook the beans, pick through (discarding odd ends and pebbles if needed) and add the bag of dry beans to your pressure cooker with the smoked ham hock, onion, bay leaves, and enough water to fill the cooking chamber. Follow manufacturer’s instructions and pressure cook the beans on high for 45 minutes on the natural release function.

Once safe to open the pressure cooker, discard the onion and bay leaves. Save two cups of cooked beans and then portion out the rest in plastic deli containers to cool and freeze for another day. Then, at this point, whenever you want to make these beans again, just use the frozen beans and add everything to the pot to come together.

In a medium to large saucepan and over medium heat, add enough oil to coat the bottom. Then, add the cubed ham. Stir well, until the ham is slightly crisp, about 5-6 minutes. After about 5 minutes, add the sofrito, diced pimentos, capers, and tomato paste. Still well to combine and sauté for about 3-4 minutes. You want to bloom the flavors here.

Then, add the cubed potato and pumpkin. Top with the cooked beans and add the water or chicken broth. Now, this is where you can eyeball it to your preference. For me, I like very liquidy, saucy beans because that sauce is so delicious with the rice when it’s all mixed together. If you want it thicker, use less liquid. Do whatever you like!

This is a very forgiving dish and you can honestly make it to you or your family's liking. You can also scale the recipe back with one can of beans if you're cooking for one and you'll still have leftovers for the next day.

Stew the beans for about 10-15 minutes. Since the beans are already cooked, you just have to make sure the pumpkin and potato are both fork tender. Serve over hot, steamed rice. Traditionally, we have a slice of avocado with our rice and beans with dinner. Fun fact: in Puerto Rico, when you put an egg over your rice and beans, it's called a matrimonio. A marriage, which trust me, is everything.

¡Buen provecho!