These creamy Dominican beans, seasoned with garlic, onions, Cubanelle pepper and Adobo spices, cooked in the Instant Pot or pressure cooker, are the perfect vegetarian side dish or the meatless main course.
Dominican beans
You are looking for a treat! When my cousins visited me from the Dominican Republic a few weeks ago, they showed me how to make these delicious Dominican beans from scratch with dry red kidney beans. In the DR, these beans are served daily in most households. These beans contain no meat, so they are great for vegetarians. Of course, if you want to serve them alongside pork chops, steak, or pollo sabroso, that's great too! For some other Latin-inspired bean recipes, try my Mexican pinto beans, Cuban-style black beans, and Puerto Rican-style beans.
How are Dominican beans served?
Rice with steamed red beans or habichuelas guisadas is one of the most common meals at a Dominican table. They are usually served over white rice with concón (the crispy rice at the bottom of the pot). These beans are creamy and thick, they should coat and stick to the rice. They shouldn't be watery or resemble chilled meican beans.
How do you make Dominican beans from scratch?
These Dominican beans can be made in a pressure cooker or instant pot. I've included instructions for both of them.
What sets these Dominican beans apart from Colombian and Brazilian beans is that they are creamy and almost like a sauce that sticks to rice. The trick to making them creamy is to save the water you soak the beans in overnight and boil the beans in the same water.
While the beans are cooking in the pressure cooker, sauté the garlic, cubanelle pepper, red onion, coriander and spices. There is no need to cut the pepper, onion or coriander into fine pieces as you will remove them at the end of the cooking process. If you can't find a Cubanelle, use an Anaheim pepper instead.
Once the beans are cooked, take about 25% of the beans and liquid and blend them in the blender. Then return to the saucepan with the flavors and simmer the beans until thick. Remove the coriander, onion and pepper and enjoy. I can't wait for you to try them!
What to serve with Dominican beans
Serve the red beans over rice and enjoy as a meatless main course or side dish. Tostones, sliced avocado, or lettuce are great accompaniments if you're making these as a main course. Since my cousin is Colombian and his wife is Dominican, they cook with a mixture of flavors. My cousin grilled some steaks with beans and rice and doused everything with Colombian aji, a flavorful green hot sauce that you can see here. It adds flavor and brightness to the whole dish, but you can use a few dashes of hot sauce instead.
More Bean Recipes You'll Love:
Dominican beans
Cooking time: 1 hours fifteen min
Soaking time: 8th hours
Total time: 9 hours fifteen min
These creamy Dominican beans, seasoned with garlic, onions, Cubanelle pepper and Adobo spices, cooked in the instant pot or pressure cooker, are the perfect vegetarian side dish or the meatless main course.
- 1 lb dried red kidney beans
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 6th Cloves crushed garlic
- 1 tablespoon Tomato paste
- 1/4 Bunch of coriander sprigs
- 1 Red onion, cut into 8 pieces
- 1 Cubanelle pepper, cut into 4 pieces
- 2 Chicken stock cubes, I use Maggi (or veggies for vegetarians)
- 1 1/2 teaspoon Adobo spice
- kosher salt, or to taste
- white rice, for serving (not counted in macros)
-
Place the beans in the pressure cooker or instant pot and cover them with water so that they are 2 inches above them (10 cups).
-
Soak overnight, but do not drain.
-
The next day, cover the pressure cooker (or instant pot) over medium heat and seal it when the pot is under pressure for 20 minutes. Natural release.
-
While the pressure is releasing, in a large pan, heat the oil over medium-low heat and add the garlic, tomato paste, coriander, red onion, pepper, stock cube and sauté, stirring, for about 10 minutes.
-
When the steam subsides, open the pressure cooker, take out 25% of the beans and liquid, and place them in the blender. Puree well and return to the pot.
-
Add Adobo spice and salt (approx. 1 teaspoon) or season to taste.
-
Add the sauteed vegetables to the beans and bring to a boil over medium heat. (Use the 'Fry' button in the Instant Pot.)
-
Cook, uncovered, over medium-low heat until texture becomes creamy and the liquid is reduced, stirring frequently, for about 30 minutes.
-
Remove the coriander, pepper and onion and serve over rice. Makes 9 cups.
Portion: 3/ 4 cup, Calories: 158kcal, Carbohydrates: 25.5G, Protein: 8.5G, Fat: 2.5G, Saturated fatty acids: 0.5G, Sodium: 617.5mg, Fiber: 5.5G, Sugar: 1.5G
Blue Smart Points: 1
Green Smart Points: 4th
Purple Smart Points: 1
Keywords: Dominican Beans, Habichuelas Rojas, Instant Beans, Pressure Cooker Red Beans, Red Beans
sent September 10, 2020 by Gina
