Cuban
Vegan
Gluten freeCuban red bean potaje (vegetarian)
Red bean and pumpkin stew
Potaje de frijoles colorados: Cuban red kidney bean stew with calabaza, potato and sofrito, made without pork
Potaje de frijoles colorados is everyday Cuban home cooking, eaten in Havana, Camagüey and Santiago alike as the midday meal over white rice, often with a simple avocado salad. Red kidney beans cook until soft and are thickened with calabaza and potato, then flavoured with a sofrito of onion, pepper, garlic, cumin and oregano. It is usually made with pork or chorizo; this is the vegetarian and vegan version, with smoked paprika and a spoonful of vinegar-pickled pepper brine giving the same savoury depth. A bowl gives about 25 g of protein from the beans. Soak the beans for 12 hours first (not counted below), and boil them hard for 10 minutes before simmering, as raw kidney beans contain a toxin. The most common mistake is salting at the start, which keeps the skins tough. Chef's tip: a teaspoon of sugar in the sofrito is a Cuban touch that rounds out the tomato and beans.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 115 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Serves
- 4
- Per serving
- 580 kcal
Ingredients
- 16 oz dried red kidney beanssoaked in cold water for 12 hours
- 9 ¼ cups water
- 2 potatoesabout 350 g, peeled and cut into 3 cm chunks
- 12 ½ oz pumpkinCuban calabaza or butternut squash, peeled and cut into 3 cm chunks
- 2 tsp salt
For the sofrito
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onionfinely chopped
- 1 green pepperfinely chopped
- 4 garlic clovescrushed
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
To serve
- 1 ⅓ lb cooked white rice (optional)
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Drain 16 oz dried red kidney beans and put them in a large pot with 9 ¼ cups water. Bring to the boil and boil hard for 10 minutes; this destroys the natural toxin in kidney beans, so don't skip it.
15 minStep 2: Add 2 bay leaves, lower the heat and simmer, partly covered, for 60–70 minutes, until the beans are tender and creamy inside. Keep them covered with liquid, topping up with hot water if needed.
65 minStep 4: Meanwhile, heat 4 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and cook 1 onion and 1 green pepper for 8–10 minutes until soft. Stir in 4 garlic cloves, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp dried oregano, 2 tsp smoked paprika, 2 tbsp tomato paste and 1 tsp sugar and cook for 2 minutes, until the paste darkens. Add 1 tbsp white wine vinegar and a ladle of bean broth and scrape the pan.
12 minStep 5: Stir the sofrito into the pot with 2 tsp salt and simmer for 15–20 minutes, squashing some pumpkin and potato into the broth, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
18 minStep 6: Remove the bay leaves, taste for salt and rest for 10 minutes. Serve over 1 ⅓ lb cooked white rice.
10 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 580 kcal
- Protein
- 25 g
- Carbs
- 84 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fibre
- 24 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does cuban red bean potaje (vegetarian) take?
- About 135 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 115 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of bay leaves?
- Leave it out, or a pinch of dried thyme (it's a background flavour).
- What can I use instead of potatoes?
- Sweet potato, same weight (sweeter, cooks a little faster).
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