Ever wonder what the main staple food of Puerto Rico is? You're looking at it! Red Beans and Rice! It is a very economical, yet satisfying and nutritious dish. It is quick and easy to make ( thirty minutes or less) but yet it can satisfy the most discerning of palates.You can half this recipe to feed just two or triple it and feed twelve! Red Beans and Rice are extremely versatile, they can be used as side dishes for fish, poultry, pork, or beef and work very well. As a main dish, they can be served straight up, (Vegetarian style) and no one will notice the lack of meat! Or, the beans can be tweaked by adding a cup of shredded chicken, diced ham, or sliced chorizo or sliced smoked sausage that has been cooked to the beans. So that gives you four variations ( I'm counting chorizo & smoked sausage as the same variation).

By doubling the soffritto recipe and adding 2/3 off it to the rice and 1/3 to the beans, and adding a Goya flavor pack to the rice, you have Puerto Rican yellow rice with the same bean combinations from above giving you eight different rice and bean combinations!

Ingredients Red Beans & Rice

11/2 cups of white rice

2 16 oz cans of dark red kidney beans

Ingredients for soffritto

1- medium onion chopped

1- Tbs. minced garlic

2- Goya Sazon con culantro y achiote (flavor packs)

4- Tbs. salsa

10- medium green olives (no pitts) sliced

1 -Tbs. capers

1/8 Tsp. salt & 1/4 Tsp. pepper

Directions

Add 3 cups of hot water(hot water speeds up boiling time) to a pot, add 1/2 tables spoon olive oil, place lid and bring to a boil. Remove lid and quickly add 11/2 cups of white rice, replace lid and simmer 20 minutes. After 20 minutes turn off heat let rest 5 more minutes, drain off water holding on lid, before serving.

While the rice is simmering, add two cans of red beans to a pot add1/8 Tsp. salt and 1/8 pepper and one flavor pack to beans, and heat at a little less than medium, with lid on and keep stirring every 3-4 minutes once beans begin to boil place heat on low simmer.

In a pan sauté the chopped medium onion until transparent and soft, add the minced garlic once the garlic begins to cook add the olives and capers. Next add the salsa 1/8 Tsp pepper and the last flavor pack. Once the salsa has cooked to a dark red add all of the soffritto to the beans. When the beans are soft turn off heat and serve after rice is done and rested 5 minutes.

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