Cuban Black Beans

A plate of cuban black beans with rice and avocado.

5 from 3 votes

Yield: 8 servings

This smokey Cuban black beans recipe with vino seco and garlic is perfect over white rice for a healthy protein-packed dinner.

Prep Time15

Cook Time2 15

Total Time3

Ingredients

For the Beans:

1 pound dried black beans, rinsed and drained
4-5 cups water
1 white onion, cut into 4 pieces
2 whole garlic cloves
1 teaspoon salt
2 bay leaves

Seasoning:

2 tablespoons oil
½ cup chopped white onion
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 tablespoons vino seco, (dry white wine), or vinegar
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon tomato paste
½ teaspoon oregano
¼ teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon minced garlic, or 2 garlic cloves crushed
½ teaspoon granulated sugar

Optional Toppings:

White onion
Cilantro
Lime wedges

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Instructions

Place the beans, water, 4 large pieces of onion, 2 garlic cloves, salt and bay leaves in a heavy-bottomed pan. (You may wish to soak your beans for an hour or overnight before cooking.)
Simmer over medium heat for 1.5 to 2 hours, or until the beans are tender. (This will go faster if you soak your beans before hand.)
In a small sauté pan, heat the oil and cook the onions and green pepper for 3 minutes, then add them to the beans.
Add the wine, chicken bouillon, salt, tomato paste, oregano, cumin and pepper to the beans and simmer over medium low heat for another 30 minutes.
Add the garlic and brown sugar and simmer for another 15 minutes.

Notes

Vino Seco: You can find it in a Latino supermarket. Feel free to swap it for a dry white wine like Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc. White vinegar or apple cider vinegar work too.

Sugar: I use granulated sugar, however light and dark brown sugar work too. It’s just enough sugar to help cut the acidity and round out the flavors. The beans will not be sweet!

Sort them. Before cooking the beans, spread them out on a baking tray and pick out any rocks, debris, or broken beans. After that, always rinse the beans to get rid of any dirt.

Soak overnight. Places the beans in a bowl and cover them with cold water. Let them soak overnight to speed up the cooking process the next day.

Use canned. For a quick, convenient meal, use 3 cans (15 oz each) of canned beans. Skip the first 6 ingredients in the recipe and only cook the beans for 30 minutes.

Make it smokey. Add a ham hock to your beans as the simmer for great flavor. Or, you can cook 3-4 diced bacon strips until crispy. Use the rendered fat to cook the onions and bell pepper in. You can also add 1/2 cup of Chorizo and cook it until browned, while not traditional in Cuban dishes, chorizo gives great flavor! All of these options will add lots more smokiness to the dish.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 238kcal, Carbohydrates: 38g, Protein: 13g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 0.5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 0.01g, Sodium: 600mg, Potassium: 905mg, Fiber: 9g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 81IU, Vitamin C: 14mg, Calcium: 85mg, Iron: 3mg