Asopao de Gandules (Pigeon Pea Stew)
This cozy Puerto Rican style Asopao de Gandules is the ultimate comfort food that warms from within. Made with canned gandules (aka pigeon peas) stewed with onions, peppers, olives, and rice, it’s an incredibly easy dish to throw together with inexpensive ingredients.
Ingredients
Step by Step Instructions
Tip: Feel free to add salchichas (ham or sausages) to this recipe, if desired. Saute with the onions and bell peppers and continue as instructed!
To rice or not to rice?
In testing this recipe several times I’ve found that the less rice, the better. Adding too much rice can soak up too much of the broth, resulting in a sort of porridge-like consistency.
That’s why I recommend using only ½ cup of rice, or skipping the rice completely if you’d like a slightly thinner consistency.
What to eat with your asopao
I love taking soups and stews to the next level with a few simple toppings. Here are my favorites for this gandules stew:
- a squeeze of lime juice
- a drizzle of pique or your favorite hot sauce
- sprigs of fresh cilantro
- some sliced ripe avocado
- and my all time favorite…freshly fried tostones!
Let’s talk gandules
If you’re new to the gandules train… allow me to introduce you to one of my favorite beans! This bean (also often called a pigeon pea) is a staple in Puerto Rican cuisine.
We use them in stews, meat dishes, pasteles, and one of our most popular dishes, arroz con gandules.
They’re super hearty, creamy (creamier than your average black or red bean) and mildly sweet.
They pair super well with ingredients like garlic, onions, and cilantro, which is why they work so well in this gandules stew.
More Puerto Rican Stews & Soups
Buen provecho,
Asopao de Gandules (Pigeon Pea Stew)
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Stew, Soup, Entree, Main Dish
- Method: Stewed
- Cuisine: Puerto Rican, Latin
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This cozy Puerto Rican style Asopao de Gandules is the ultimate comfort food that warms from within. Made with canned gandules (aka pigeon peas) stewed with onions, peppers, olives, and rice, it’s an incredibly easy dish to throw together with inexpensive ingredients.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp achiote oil or olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 1/2 red bell pepper, diced with seeds removed
- 1/3 cup sofrito
- 2 (15 oz) cans of pigeon peas, drained
- 1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
- 1 tsp adobo seasoning
- 1 tsp sazon seasoning
- 2 tsp salt
- 4 cups water
- 1/2 cup pimento olives
- optional: 1/2 cup short to medium grain white rice
- optional toppings: cilantro, lime juice, avocado, pique
Instructions
- Sauté veggies. Warm the oil to a pot over medium heat before adding the onion and bell pepper. Sauté until the onion begins to soften.
- Add gandules and other seasonings. Toss in the sofrito, gandules, and seasonings. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer before adding the tomato sauce and all of the water. Turn the heat up to high and bring the liquid to a boil.
- Add olives and rice and stew. Once the liquid begins to boil, add in the olives and rinsed rice. Give everything a stir before covering the pot and turning the heat down to low.
- Stew until the rice is cooked. Stew everything together covered on low until the rice is fully cooked, about 15-20 minutes. Uncover and stir everything together, adding water if necessary. Season with salt and pepper to taste and enjoy with sliced avocado, tostones, lime juice or pique and fresh cilantro.
Notes
If you choose to skip the rice, use 3 cups of water instead of 4.