Frijoles Colorados (Cuban red beans) is a smoky, hearty bean dish made with dried red kidney beans, chorizo, ham, sofrito, spices, squash, and potatoes. A true Cuban favorite! Learn how you can bring this dish to life in 3 different ways - on the stovetop after soaking the beans for 6 hours overnight or after quick soaking, in a pressure cooker, or using canned red beans. Serve these authentic Cuban red beans as a main dish or a side dish!
1lbbutternut squashpeeled, seeded, and cubed (or cooking Cuban calabaza)
2mediumRusset potatoespeeled and cubed (or malanga)
Salt to taste
Instructions
Soak the beans. Lay the beans on a clean work surface and remove any stones, etc. Rinse the beans under cold water. In a large saucepan, place the beans with enough water to cover the beans. Soak in the water for 6 hours or up to overnight. Do not drain.
Start the cooking process. After 6 hours or the following day, place the ham hock in the saucepan with 3 additional cups of water. Bring to a boil then reduce to low heat. Simmer for 1 hour. Remove the ham hock and cut the meat off the bone. Set aside.
Make the sofrito. While the beans are simmering, heat the olive oil at medium-high heat in a Dutch oven. Add the bacon and pan fry for 5 minutes. Add onions and green bell peppers. Saute for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Stir in tomato sauce, cooking wine, vinegar, smoked paprika, cumin, bay leaves, and salt. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
Continue cooking the beans. Transfer the beans with the water and the ham pieces into the Dutch oven. Stir, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until the beans have softened.
Finish cooking with the chorizo and veggies. Once the beans have softened, add in the chorizo, squash, and potatoes. Simmer for 20 minutes at medium-low, uncovered, stirring occasionally, or until the veggies have softened. If needed, add more water. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Remove bay leaves. Serve by itself or over white rice. Enjoy!
Notes
Quick soaking the red beans
If you can't soak the beans overnight, you can do the following. Lay the beans on a clean work surface and remove any stones, etc. Rinse the beans under cold water. In a large saucepan, place the beans with enough water to cover the beans. Bring to a boil for 2-3 minutes, uncovered, then remove from the heat, cover, and let it sit for 1 hour.
Using a pressure cooker
The beauty of using a pressure cooker to make frijoles colorados is that you don't have to soak the beans overnight!
Lay the beans on a clean work surface and remove any stones, etc. Rinse the beans under cold water.
Place the beans and ham hock in the pressure cooker with enough water to cover the beans. Follow the manufacturer’s directions for your pressure cooker.
While the beans are cooking, heat the olive oil at medium-high heat in a Dutch oven. Add the bacon and pan fry for 5 minutes. Add onions and green bell peppers. Saute for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Stir in tomato sauce, cooking wine, vinegar, smoked paprika, cumin, bay leaves, and salt. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
Transfer the beans with the water, ham pieces, chorizo, squash, and potatoes to the Dutch oven. Simmer for 20-30 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the veggies have softened and the beans have thickened. If needed, add more water. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Remove bay leaves.
Using canned red kidney beans
Again, no judgment if you want to use canned red kidney beans - I get it! You can still make this delicious Cuban red beans recipe with canned beans.
Cut the ham hock into pieces. In a Dutch oven, heat the olive oil at medium-high heat in a Dutch oven. Add the bacon and pan fry for 5 minutes.
Add onions and green bell peppers. Saute for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Stir in tomato sauce, cooking wine, vinegar, smoked paprika, cumin, bay leaves, and salt (be mindful of how much salt you add since you're using canned red beans). Cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add the 2 cans of red kidney beans (15.5 ounces each) with the liquid (do not drain), 4 cups of water, ham pieces, chorizo, squash, and potatoes to the Dutch oven.
Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 30-40 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the veggies have softened. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Remove bay leaves.