Textual Chef Textual Chef

Arroz con Gandules

Puerto Rico's national rice dish: long-grain rice simmered with pigeon peas, sofrito, sazon, and olives in a richly seasoned one-pot preparation that is savory and deeply satisfying.

50 minMediumServes 6340 cal/serving

Puerto RicanSideStovetopVeganHalal-friendlyDairy-FreeEgg-FreePork-FreeAlcohol-Free

Cook this free in the appFree. No download, no account. The screen stays awake and each step can run its own timer.

Ingredients

  • 3 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup sofrito (store-bought or homemade)
  • 8 oz tomato sauce
  • 2 packets sazon seasoning (1 packet each)
  • 1 tsp adobo seasoning
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 15 oz canned pigeon peas (gandules), drained
  • 1/2 cup manzanilla olives (with pimentos), halved
  • 3 cups long-grain white rice, rinsed
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 2 bay leaves

Instructions

  1. 1

    Heat 3 tbsp vegetable oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add 1/4 cup sofrito (store-bought or homemade) and cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes until fragrant.

  2. 2

    Stir in 8 oz tomato sauce, 2 packets sazon seasoning (1 packet each), 1 tsp adobo seasoning, and 1/2 tsp dried oregano. Cook 2 minutes, stirring often.

  3. 3

    Add 15 oz drained canned pigeon peas (gandules) and 1/2 cup halved manzanilla olives (with pimentos), stirring to combine with the sauce.

  4. 4

    Add 3 cups rinsed long-grain white rice to the pot and stir to coat. Pour in 4 cups water, add 1 tsp kosher salt and 2 bay leaves, and stir once.

  5. 5

    Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, stir once, reduce heat to low, cover tightly, and cook for 20 minutes without lifting the lid.

  6. 6

    Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Remove bay leaves, fluff with a fork, and serve.

Cook this free in the appCooking it now? The app keeps the screen awake and times each step. Free, nothing to install.

Keep this recipe

Prints the ingredients and method only.

Questions

How much time should I plan for Arroz con Gandules?

As written, 50 minutes: 15 of prep and 35 of cooking. The longest single stretch is step 5 (20 minutes): "Once boiling, stir once, reduce heat to low, cover tightly, and cook for 20 minutes without lifting the lid."

How many calories are in Arroz con Gandules?

One serving (the recipe makes 6) is about 340 calories, with 6 g protein, 56 g carbohydrate and 8 g fat, plus 4 g fiber and 520 mg sodium. The figures are estimates computed from the ingredient list.

How do I store and reheat Arroz con Gandules?

Refrigerate what is left of Arroz con Gandules within two hours and eat it within three days. Reheat gently on the stovetop. The grain firms up as it chills; add a spoonful of water before reheating.

Can I halve or double Arroz con Gandules?

Yes. As written it serves 6. Halved, the oil drops from 3 tbsp to 1.5 tbsp; doubled, it is 6 tbsp. Every line in this entry carries its half and double quantity, and the app's batch dial rewrites them inside each step. When doubling on the stovetop, use your widest pan or work in two batches so the food sears instead of steaming.

Serve it with

Cook this free in the app

Textual Chef is 4,544 plain-text recipes, free to read and free to cook from. No account, no paywall, no ads, no life stories. Open this one in the app and each quantity sits inside the step that uses it, so you read once and cook.

Every recipe is curated or public-domain sourced, written to one template and checked before it publishes. Nothing here is a scraped blog post.

Cook this free in the appNo download needed. It opens in your browser. The kitchen tools (planner, shopping list, pantry, import) are $5.33 a month billed annually; the first 30 days are free.