Puerto Rican Arroz con Gandules
Arroz con Gandules
Puerto Rican rice with pigeon peas, sofrito, olives, and sazón cooked together until fluffy, savory, and ready for a family table.
Arroz con gandules is one of Puerto Rico's essential rice dishes, often served for holidays and Sunday meals but simple enough for a weeknight pot. The rice cooks directly in a seasoned broth with pigeon peas, so every grain carries the flavor of sofrito, tomato, olives, and spices.
Medium-grain rice gives the dish its familiar tender texture without becoming mushy. Rinsing the rice, measuring the liquid carefully, and letting the pot steam off the heat are the small steps that help it cook evenly from top to bottom.
This version uses canned pigeon peas for convenience and builds flavor with sofrito, sazón, oregano, bay leaf, and a little annatto or olive oil. Serve it beside roast pork, chicken, avocado, or a crisp salad, or let it stand as a satisfying meatless main.
The bottom may form a lightly toasted pegao if your pot holds steady heat. Scrape it gently and serve those golden bits with the rice for the traditional crunchy contrast.
Nutrition (per serving)
Directions
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1
Rinse the rice in a fine-mesh strainer until the water runs mostly clear, then drain it well.
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2
Warm the oil in a heavy 4-quart pot or caldero over medium heat. Add the sofrito and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring often, until it smells fragrant and most of the moisture has cooked off.
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3
Stir in the tomato sauce, olives, capers, sazón, cumin, oregano, bay leaf, salt, and black pepper. Cook for 2 minutes so the seasonings bloom in the oil.
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4
Add the pigeon peas and broth. Bring the mixture to a lively simmer, then taste the liquid; it should be well seasoned but not overly salty.
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5
Stir in the drained rice, spread it into an even layer, and let it simmer uncovered until the liquid drops just below the surface of the rice, about 6 to 8 minutes.
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6
Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot tightly, and cook for 20 minutes without lifting the lid.
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7
Remove the pot from the heat and let it stand, still covered, for 10 minutes so the rice finishes steaming.
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8
Discard the bay leaf, fluff the rice gently from the edges toward the center, and fold in the cilantro before serving.
Ingredients
- Medium-Grain White Rice:2 cups
- Canned Pigeon Peas, drained and rinsed:15 oz
- Sofrito:1/2 cup
- Olive Oil or Annatto Oil:2 tablespoons
- Tomato Sauce:1/2 cup
- Pimento-Stuffed Green Olives, sliced:1/3 cup
- Capers:1 tablespoon
- Sazón with Coriander and Annatto:1 packet
- Ground Cumin:1/2 teaspoon
- Dried Oregano:1/2 teaspoon
- Bay Leaf:1 piece
- Low-Sodium Vegetable or Chicken Broth:2 1/2 cups
- Kosher Salt:3/4 teaspoon
- Black Pepper:1/4 teaspoon
- Fresh Cilantro, chopped:2 tablespoons
Tips & Notes
- Use medium-grain rice if possible; long-grain rice works but gives a drier, less traditional texture.
- If your sazón is salty, start with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and adjust after tasting the broth.
- For a deeper color, cook the sofrito in annatto oil or add a small pinch of ground annatto with the sazón.
- Keep the lid closed during the covered cooking and resting time so the rice steams evenly.
