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5 from 5 votes

Gallo Pinto

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!
Course Breakfast
Cuisine Costa Rican
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 165kcal

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

Copyright The Foreign Fork. For personal use or educational use only.
  • 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

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 165kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 269mg | Potassium: 136mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 325IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 1mg