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With deep roots in Puerto Rico, this Arroz Mamposteao is a soulful Puerto Rican fried rice made with leftover rice and stewed beans. Fresh onions and peppers are cooked in pork fat then tossed with fried plantain, garlic, beans and rice. It’s the perfect dish to make when you have a container of leftover rice in the fridge!

A plate of Arroz Mamposteao.

It’s time to give that leftover rice in your fridge a major glow up.

Arroz Mamposteao gives a whole new meaning to fried rice, with classic Caribbean flavors used at every stage of the cooking process.

A plate of Arroz Mamposteao.

Ingredients

Bowls of oil, onion, peppers, beans and more.
Find the full ingredient list with exact quantities in the recipe card below.

Step by Step

Brown plantains frying in oil.
Fry the maduro in hot oil until golden brown before transferring to a paper towel lined plate.
Bacon frying in a wok.
In a different pan, crisp up the pork and render out the fat.
Vegetables frying in a wok.
Add the diced veggies to the pan and cook in the rendered fat before adding in the garlic, sofrito and fried plantain.
Rice, beans and vegetables frying in a wok.
Toss in the leftover rice and beans, plus the sazon for color and flavor. Toss everything to combine and fry in the pan until the rice starts to crisp up. Serve with cilantro sprinkled over top!
Arroz mamposteao frying in a wok.

The Key to Perfecting Puerto Rican Fried Rice

The key to a good Arroz Mamposteao is using leftover rice. Just like any good fried rice, the dry, firm nature of it works perfectly for soaking up all of the new flavors and getting nice and crispy when pan fried.

You can use homemade rice that chilled in the fridge overnight or leftover takeout rice. I love making this dish when I have leftover takeout or if I made a big batch of my habichuelas guisadas and white rice the day before.

A plate of Arroz Mamposteao.

More Rice & Beans

Puerto Rican Style Stewed Black Beans (Habichuelas Negras)

Arroz Con Habichuelas (Rice with Pinto Beans)

30 Minute Arroz con Salchichas (Yellow Rice with Sausage)

30-Minute Black Bean Soup (Sweet & Smokey)
A plate of Arroz Mamposteao.

Buen Provecho,

Salima written in cursive
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A plate of Arroz Mamposteao.

Authentic Arroz Mamposteao (Puerto Rican Fried Rice)

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  • Author: Salima Benkhalti
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 3–4 servings 1x
  • Category: Main Dish, Entree, Dinner, Lunch
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Puerto Rican, Latin, Caribbean, American
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Description

With deep roots in Puerto Rico, this Arroz Mamposteao is a soulful Puerto Rican fried rice made with leftover rice and stewed beans. Fresh onions and peppers are cooked in pork fat then tossed with fried plantain, garlic, beans and rice. It’s the perfect dish to make when you have a container of leftover rice in the fridge!

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 cup oil for frying
  • 1 brown plantain, cut into bite sized pieces
  • 1/2 cup ham or 4 pieces bacon, diced*
  • 1/2 red onion
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 1 green bell pepper
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp sofrito
  • 3 cups leftover habichuelas guisadas
  • 3 cups leftover cooked white rice
  • 1 tsp sazon
  • For garnish: 2 tsp cilantro, minced

Instructions

  1. Fry the plantain: Heat the oil in a pan to around 350°F before adding in the diced plantain and frying until golden brown.
  2. Cook the pork: In a clean frying pan add the diced ham or pork. Cook until crispy, leaving all of the rendered fat in the pan.
  3. Cook the veggies: Add the diced onion and peppers to the pan with the pork and fat, cooking until the onions become translucent. Add in the garlic and sofrito and cook until fragrant. Add in the fried plantains.
  4. Add the beans and rice: Toss in the leftover beans, rice, and sazon. Stir to coat the rice with the beans and all of the other ingredients. Fry until the rice and beans are hot, before serving topped with cilantro.

Notes

*Substitute the ham or bacon for any leftover protein (steak, chicharrones, pernil, etc.) or skip it entirely to keep this dish meat free.

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