Gallo Pinto is a flavorful but simple rice and bean dish traditionally served in Costa Rica alongside eggs, tortillas, and strong coffee at breakfast time. It’s a great way to use up leftover beans and rice and the unique flavors could be enjoyed any time of day!
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Costa Rica is known for their saying “pura vida” which means “pure life.” This saying refers to being in the moment and celebrating the wonderful life you have and the beauty all around. One of the best ways to celebrate life is with good food. and Costa Rican cuisine is full of flavorful recipes.
Even at breakfast, the dishes are full of spices and fresh flavors. That leads us to Gallo Pinto.
Just about every part of the world seems to have a similar dish made with rice and beans (like red beans and rice from Belize or Pigeon Peas and Rice from the Bahamas). That’s probably because there is nothing more filling and comforting than rice and beans. This Costa Rican rice dish serves as a popular breakfast, meant to fill stomachs before a day of working (sometimes in the fields, tending to the coffee the country is known for).
It’s easy to throw this Gallo Pinto Recipe together with pantry staples. The base is just white rice with black beans, and it’s best to use leftover rice that was cooked the night before. Chopped onion and chopped red pepper give some extra flavor.
What really makes this traditional Costa Rican dish special, however, is the special seasoning, Salsa Lizano. Lizano sauce is a golden or tan colored vegetable-based sauce that tastes both salty and sweet with a hint of cumin. If the word “salsa” is throwing you off, there’s no need to worry, this dish is not spicy.
Serve this dish with a fried egg, sour cream, avocado, plantains, tortillas and maybe a spoonful of pico de gallo and you’ve got a breakfast that will keep you satisfied until lunch!
Recipe Origins
Directly translated into English, Gallo Pinto means “Spotted Rooster”. Nobody truly knows why this is, but some speculate that the dish gets its name from its appearance. The rice mixed with the beans gives a “speckled” appearance that some would liken to the feathers of a spotted rooster!
Gallo Pinto is the national dish of Costa Rica; it can be enjoyed as an easy breakfast or as a side dish to be eaten throughout the day. Gallo Pinto is most commonly made using the rice and beans leftover from dinner the night before. In the morning, Costa Ricans will simply throw the ingredients in a pan and serve it alongside eggs for a complete breakfast!
Costa Ricans claim that the origin of Gallo Pinto dates back to the 1930s when a farmer was preparing to host a dinner party. The farmer soon discovered that his dinner party was going to be much larger than expected and realized that the one spotted rooster he had fattened for the event would not be enough to feed all of his guests.
In a hurry, he threw together a large pot of rice and black beans to make the meal feed as many people as possible. Those that did not receive the poultry on their plate instead got a heaping pile of rice and beans, which they joked was their version of the “Gallo Pinto”.
Gallo Pinto is also the national dish of Nicaragua, though in that country it is made with red beans instead of black beans.
Why Make This Recipe?
- “Travel” to Costa Rica: Gallo Pinto is the national dish of Costa Rica, and can be found all around the country! If you’ve ever wanted to visit Costa Rica but don’t have the chance to do so, you can make Gallo Pinto from your kitchen at home! This delicious rice dish will “transport” you to Costa Rica in no time and makes enough to feed the whole family!
- Use up Leftovers: Gallo Pinto in Costa Rica is typically made with leftover beans and cooked rice from dinner the night before! If you’ve had a delicious taco night or made rice bowls recently and aren’t sure what to do with your leftover rice and beans, this hearty dish is the right move for you!
- A Unique Breakfast: I’m not sure about you, but where I grew up, breakfast was typically cereal, toast, or maybe pancakes on a special day! Rice and beans were typically reserved for dinner in my childhood, so it was unique to have rice and beans topped with eggs in this breakfast recipe! It’s a dish I wouldn’t normally have tried, but I am so glad it’s in my breakfast repertoire now!
What Ingredients are In This Recipe?
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.
- Salsa Lizano: Lizano is a Costa Rican condiment invented in the 1920s and is made with vegetables, spices, pepper, mustard, turmeric, sugar, and cornstarch. It is a very common ingredient in many Costa Rican dishes and it’s the special sauce that makes this meal so delicious! You can order a bottle of salsa Lizano online if you can’t find it in the grocery store. In a pinch, you can substitute Worcestershire sauce.
- Black Beans: I used a can of black beans for this recipe. It is important to make sure that you reserve the juice in the can of black beans as it provides quite a bit of flavor (and color) to the dish! If you want to use leftover black beans, you can do that as well! Alternatively, you can use dried black beans that you soak and boil but this step takes a significant amount of time. If you choose to do this, reserve a bit of the black bean juice as well. If you do not have black beans on hand, pinto beans or red kidney beans would make an OK substitution.
- Bell Peppers: It is customary to only use red bell peppers in Gallo Pinto. While you can use any colors you have on hand, red is the traditional choice.
- White Rice: Any white rice is fine for this recipe but a long grain white rice will be best as it tends to be less sticky. You want your individual grains to separate and not turn mushy. It’s best to use day-old rice that was cooked the night before and has cooled in the refrigerator to prevent it overcooking.
- Onion: A sweet or yellow onion is preferable but a red or white will work just as well.
Tools
- Large Skillet: This is an easy, one-pot recipe. It’s a great dish to cook up to bring a ton of flavor without a ton of dishes.
How to Make This Recipe
Step 1: Cook the Rice (Or Get Leftover Rice)
Use the package instructions to cook the rice. You can also cook your rice in the pressure cooker if you’d like!
I like making this dish with leftover white rice, as it saves quite a bit of time! I would recommend making this dish when you have some white rice left over from the day before.
Step 2: Cook the Vegetables
Drain the beans, but reserve the liquid from the can in a small bowl.
Add the oil to a large pan and heat it over medium high heat.
Add the onion, red pepper, cilantro, and salt and heat until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
Add the Lizano.
Step 3: Add Rice and Seasonings
Add the beans into the pan and stir until heated.
Add the rice, and stir with the beans.
Pour in the reserved bean liquid from the canned beans. Stir until everything is heated through.
Serve with a fried egg for a delicious breakfast. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- If you don’t want to purchase Lizano, you can use Worcestershire sauce and a little cumin as an easily accessible replacement! It’s a reasonable substitution but once you try it with Lizano, you will not regret purchasing the bottle.
- Make this recipe when you have leftover beans and rice from dinner the night before. It is absolutely delicious when topped with a fried egg, and creates a fantastic sauce to coat the beans and rice.
- If you want to make your recipe a little spicier, feel free to add any other types of chili peppers into the pan along with the bell peppers. A good choice to add some heat could be serrano peppers or jalapeño peppers. This is not traditional, but is delicious for those that have a spicier palate.
Recipe FAQs
Directly translated, Gallo Pinto means “Spotted Rooster” in English. Nobody truly knows how the dish got its name. However, some speculate that that dish received its name because of its appearance.
The rice with the beans gives a “speckled” appearance that some would liken to the feathers of a spotted rooster!
In Costa Rica, Gallo Pinto is most commonly made from the rice and beans from dinner the night before. Costa Ricans often throw the ingredients in a pan in the morning, and serve it alongside eggs for a complete breakfast.
Though Costa Ricans most commonly eat this dish for breakfast, they also eat it during other times of day as well. Gallo Pinto can also be enjoyed for lunch or dinner! Feel free to serve it with meat or vegetables for a balanced meal. I might recommend this Rum-Soaked Pork Tenderloin from Belize as a good choice!
If you’re a vegetarian and want to enjoy this famous dish from Costa Rica, you are in luck! This dish is 100% vegetarian (and vegan) friendly!
The main ingredients in this dish are rice, beans, peppers, and seasonings, which means that this can be enjoyed by almost anybody with dietary restrictions (gluten free, dairy free, meat free, etc).
If you get nervous trying Latin American foods because you are not a fan of spice, you don’t have to be afraid of this recipe. It has spices that add flavor, but not spice. If you like a little more spice, you can add peppers to the dish or just keep some hot sauce handy!
Yes absolutely! We love making this dish ahead of time and serving it as leftovers for breakfast though the whole week. Simply store it in an airtight container and heat up in the microwave when prepared to eat.
It will stay good in the fridge for about 5 days.
Did you like this Gallo Pinto Recipe? If so, make sure to check out these other recipes I picked out just for you:
- Red Beans and Plantains from Burundi
- Instant Pot Cuban Black Beans
- Mango with Sticky Rice from Brunei
- Arroz con Leche
Gallo Pinto
Equipment
- Skillet
- Mixing Bowl(s)
Ingredients
- 1 15 oz black beans, drained, not rinsed
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ medium yellow onion, very finely diced
- ½ red pepper, very finely diced
- 2 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp Lizano, can substitute Worcestershire Sauce if necessary
- 3 cups cooked leftover white rice, (about 1 ½ cups uncooked rice prepared according to package instructions if preparing the day of)
- ¼ cup Reserved black bean juice
Instructions
- Drain 1 can of beans, but reserve the liquid from the can in a small bowl.
- Add 2 tbsp oil to a large pan and heat it over medium high heat.
- Add the ½ onion, ½ red pepper, 2 tbsp cilantro, and ½ tsp salt and heat until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
- Add 2 tbsp Lizano.
- Add the beans into the pan and stir until heated.
- Add the 3 cups rice, and stir with the beans.
- Pour in the reserved bean liquid from the canned beans. Stir until everything is heated through.
- Serve with a fried egg for a delicious breakfast. Enjoy!
Notes
- Salsa Lizano: Lizano is a Costa Rican condiment invented in the 1920s and is made with vegetables, spices, pepper, mustard, turmeric, sugar, and cornstarch. It is a very common ingredient in many Costa Rican dishes and it’s the special sauce that makes this meal so delicious! You can order a bottle of salsa Lizano online if you can’t find it in the grocery store. In a pinch, you can substitute Worcestershire sauce.
- Black Beans: I used a can of black beans for this recipe. It is important to make sure that you reserve the juice in the can of black beans as it provides quite a bit of flavor (and color) to the dish! If you want to use leftover black beans, you can do that as well! Alternatively, you can use dried black beans that you soak and boil but this step takes a significant amount of time. If you choose to do this, reserve a bit of the black bean juice as well. If you do not have black beans on hand, pinto beans or red kidney beans would make an OK substitution.
- Bell Peppers: It is customary to only use red bell peppers in Gallo Pinto. While you can use any colors you have on hand, red is the traditional choice.
- White Rice: Any white rice is fine for this recipe but a long grain white rice will be best as it tends to be less sticky. You want your individual grains to separate and not turn mushy. It’s best to use day-old rice that was cooked the night before and has cooled in the refrigerator to prevent it overcooking.
- Onion: A sweet or yellow onion is preferable but a red or white will work just as well.
- If you don’t want to purchase Lizano, you can use Worcestershire sauce and a little cumin as an easily accessible replacement! It’s a reasonable substitution but once you try it with Lizano, you will not regret purchasing the bottle.
- Make this recipe when you have leftover beans and rice from dinner the night before. It is absolutely delicious when topped with a fried egg, and creates a fantastic sauce to coat the beans and rice.
- If you want to make your recipe a little spicier, feel free to add any other types of chili peppers into the pan along with the bell peppers. A good choice to add some heat could be serrano peppers or jalapeño peppers. This is not traditional, but is delicious for those that have a spicier palate.
Nutrition
William Sieffert says
great recipe
Alexandria Drzazgowski says
So glad you enjoyed it William! Thank you for the review 🙂