Cuban Style Red Beans

Cuban style red beans are called frijoles colorados in Spanish. They are typically served with white rice as a side dish or as a standalone thick bean soup. When you think Cuban food, beans are usually on the menu and these are quite popular, second only to the staple black beans.

This thick red bean soup can also be referred to as potaje de frijoles colorados. A Cuban potaje is traditionally made with beans, vegetables, herbs, spices, and an inexpensive cut(s) of meat. For these red beans we use sliced smoked ham shanks. But ham hocks or a leftover meaty ham bone are also good options.

For more Cuban recipes try this potaje de lentejas (lentil soup), these quick Cuban style black beans, and the popular Ajiaco that’s loaded with a variety of meats and vegetables.

Ingredients

• Beans – We use dry small red beans for this recipe.
• Oil – Olive oil, or other oil that is suitable for sautéing.
• Produce – Onions and garlic are used as part of the sofrito. A sofrito is the base for many Cuban dishes, it adds flavor and depth. To learn more, check out this sofrito post.
• Spices – Salt, dried oregano, cumin, and black pepper along with tomato paste season the sofrito.
• Meat – This dish is made with smoked pork. We use sliced ham shanks. Use ham hocks or a meaty ham bone if that’s what you have available.
• Liquid – We use water to make the beans and add chicken base to pump up the flavor.

Prepare the beans for cooking

• Sort through the beans and remove any misshaped or off-color beans and any foreign objects like small stones and twigs.
• Rinse the beans with cold water. Soak them using the quick soak or the overnight method.
• Quick soak – Add the beans and 6 cups of water to a large pot. Bring the water to a boil; cook the beans for 2 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and cover for one hour. Drain and rinse well before cooking them.
• Overnight – Add the beans to a large pot or bowl and cover with 4 cups of cold water. Let the beans soak overnight. Drain and rinse well before using.

Prepare a sofrito

Heat the olive oil in a 10 inch (preferably non-stick) skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for 3 minutes, stir frequently.

Next, Add the garlic, tomato paste, salt, dried oregano, ground cumin, and pepper, stir. Cook for 1-2 minutes stirring constantly. Remove the skillet from the heat.

Instructions

Add the beans, 10 cups of water, ham shanks, the prepared sofrito, and the chicken base to a large pot, stir well to combine.

Set the pot over high heat and bring the water to a boil. Then, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 1 hour. Stir occasionally and keep it at a simmer, raise or lower the heat as needed.

Uncover the beans, remove the smoked ham, and set them on a plate or cutting board to cool.

Cover the beans and continue cooking while you chop the ham.

When the ham is cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bone. Discard the bones and any fatty pieces. Chop the meat into bite sized pieces and return it to the pot.

Continue cooking the beans (covered) for another 15-20 minutes. Try a couple of beans to determine how close to done they are. If the beans are still quite firm, cover the pot and cook for 30 minutes. Then, try them again.

When the beans are soft, uncover the pot to allow the liquid to thicken. This process can take from 35-55 minutes, depending on how much liquid is in the pot and how thick you want them.

The beans will thicken further as they cool so don’t take them too far.

Keep the beans at a simmer. Raise or lower the heat as needed. Stir occasionally at first then stir more often as they thicken to keep the bottom from burning.

Taste the beans and add salt if needed as a reference we added ¼ teaspoon to ours. Serve the Cuban-style red beans with white rice or bread, if desired.

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Check out the Web Story for these Cuban style red beans for a quick visual on making this delicious dish.

Print Recipe

4.60 from 5 votes

Cuban Style Red Beans

Cuban red beans are called frijoles colorados in Spanish. They are typically served with white rice as a side dish or as a standalone thick bean soup.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time2 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Quick soak the beans1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Total Time3 hours hrs 40 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Cuban

Keyword: frijoles colorados, red beans

Servings: 6

Calories: 623kcal

Author: Elizabeth

Ingredients

• 12 ounces Dried Red Beans we used small red beans
• 10 cups of Water plus water for soaking the beans
• 1-1½ pounds Smoked Sliced Ham Shanks or use ham hocks, or a meaty ham bone rinsed to remove excess salt
• 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 Medium Onion finely diced
• 3-4 Garlic Cloves minced
• 2 tablespoon Tomato Paste
• 1 teaspoon Salt plus extra if needed at the end
• ½ teaspoon Dried Oregano
• ½ teaspoon Ground Cumin
• ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
• 1½ tablespoons Chicken Base like Better than Bouillon

Instructions

Prepare the beans for cooking

• Sort through the beans and remove any misshaped or off-color beans and any foreign objects like small stones and twigs.
• Rinse the beans with cold water. Soak them using the quick soak or the overnight method (refer to post above section “prepare the beans for cooking”).

Prepare a sofrito

• Heat the olive oil in a 10 inch (preferably non-stick) skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Next, Add the garlic, tomato paste, salt, dried oregano, ground cumin, and black pepper, stir to combine.
• Cook the sofrito for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove the skillet from the heat.

Make the beans

• Add the beans, 10 cups of water, ham shanks, the prepared sofrito, and the chicken base to a large pot, stir well to combine.
• Set the pot over high heat and bring the water to a boil. Then, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 1 hour. Stir occasionally and keep it at a simmer, raise or lower the heat as needed.
• Uncover the beans, remove the smoked ham, and set them on a plate or cutting board to cool.
• Cover the beans and continue cooking while you chop the ham.
• When the smoked pork is cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bone. Discard the bones and any fatty pieces. Chop the meat into bite sized pieces and return it to the pot.
• Continue cooking the beans (covered) for another 15-20 minutes. Try a couple of beans to determine how close to done they are. If the beans are still quite firm, cover the pot and cook for 30 minutes. Then, try them again.
• When the beans are soft, uncover the pot to allow the liquid to thicken. This process can take from 35-55 minutes, depending on how much liquid is in the pot and how thick you want them.
• Keep the beans at a simmer. Raise or lower the heat as needed. Stir occasionally at first then as they thicken stir more often to keep from burning on the bottom.
• Taste the beans and add salt if needed as a reference we added ¼ teaspoon to ours. Serve with white rice or crusty bread, if desired.

Notes

• The cooking time for the beans will vary depending on their freshness. When cooking beans, follow the recipe cooking times, check the beans by tasting one or two, and then add half an hour at a time until they’re done.
• The beans will thicken as they cook. They will thicken further as they cool so try not to take them too far.
• If they are not thickening as quick as you’d like, remove roughly 1 cup of beans with a strainer and mash them with a fork. Then, add them back to the pot. Stir and continue cooking them until they reach the desired consistency.

Nutrition

Calories: 623kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 45g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 124mg | Sodium: 1040mg | Potassium: 1284mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 87IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 98mg | Iron: 6mg

The nutritional information above is computer generated and is only an estimate. There is no guarantee that it is accurate.This data is provided as a courtesy for informational purposes only.