Dominican Beans (Habichuelas Guisadas)

Stewed beans in a white bowl ready to eat with rice on the side

4.79 from 32 votes

Dominican Beans (Habichuelas Guisadas)

Habichuelas Guisadas (Stewed Beans) is one of the most popular recipes in the Dominican Republic. This stewed Dominican beans side dish is prepared quickly and uses simple ingredients commonly found in the kitchen.

Prep Time5

Cook Time20

Total Time25

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Dominican

Servings: servings

Calories: 178kcal

Author: Vanessa

Equipment

Saucepan

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled
¼ medium onion, in one piece
¼ medium red bell pepper, in one piece
3 leaves culantro
1 tablespoon cilantro, in its stem
½ chicken bouillon tablet
½ teaspoon ground annatto
2 tablespoons tomato sauce
1 tablespoon pitted olives
1 teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 can (15.5 ounces) Red, Pinto, or Roman beans, with its juices
2 ounces Kabocha squash, cubed
2 cups water
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Salt to taste (optional)

Instructions

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.
Press garlic cloves lightly with the flat part of a chef’s knife to break it a bit.
Cook and stir the garlic, onion, bell pepper, culantro, cilantro, chicken bouillon, annatto, tomato sauce, olives, oregano, and black pepper for about 5 minutes, or until the onion begins to soften.
Stir in beans with its juices and water. Bring to a boil and then, add in the squash.
Lower the heat to medium and let simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the liquid reduces to ¾ and begins to thicken a bit.
Remove the garlic, onion, bell pepper, culantro, and cilantro from the pot and discard.
Stir in fresh lime juice and any additional salt to taste, if desired.
Serve as a side dish with white rice and your favorite meat dish.

Notes

To prepare this recipe, I use canned beans for ease and convenience, but you can use dried beans if you’d like. Soak the dry beans overnight. Then, boil the dry beans in water for about 1-2 hours, or until they become tender, before cooking this recipe.
You can use red beans, pinto beans, or Roman beans to make this recipe. Pink beans and even black beans also work well with this recipe.

Nutrition