READY IN 55 mins

Cubanos Frijoles

Read Reviews (53)

"Originally this came from a Cuban friend, but I've since doctored it quite a bit. This dish is hearty and a meal in itself. By adding more meat, beans, and rice, you can feed a large group of people. You might want to add more spice as well." — William C. Smith

Directions

Place rice and water in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for about 45 minutes, or until rice is tender.
While the rice is cooking, brown the ground beef in a deep skillet or wok. Season with Cajun seasoning. When meat is almost done, add the onion, and cook until the meat is browned and the onion is translucent. Stir in the beans, olives, vinegar, and chipotle powder, if using. Mix well, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes over medium-low heat. Add the cilantro during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Serve hot over or mixed with rice.

Kitchen-Friendly View

PREP 15 mins
COOK 40 mins
READY IN 55 mins

Reviews More Reviews

Most Helpful Positive Review

Jan 02, 2006

I am William C. Smith, and I'd like to reply to the ratings so far. Thank you all for the very nice comments and I'm happy to see that some of you have found alternative methods of preparation. I too have experimented a bit with the ingredients especially trying to find ways to make it less fattening. Ground turkey and ground chicken are great substitutes for ground beef and I've even successfully used chicken meat chopped fresh and from a can. To my Cuban critics let me just say that originally, there were no cajun spices,(I use Tony Chachere's), no chipotle(which isn't necessary at all to the mix; and the chipotle I used is in a powder form), and orginally the olive used was green, stuffed with pimento. I believe my friend used a 1/4 - 1/2 tsp chile powder and red pepper flakes, or some equilivant. You could use any type of hot pepper sauce, but I like to add habanero sauce to mine now; but let me just say that if you do use habanero sauce, in respect to your family/friends that don't like the heat, use only one drop. Habanero sauce is alot like garlic in a recipe, less is better just for flavor, and more is overpowering. This is an easy recipe for sure and I'm glad those of you who've tried it have found as flavorful as I. And yes to the reviewer concerning the name, it should be named Frijoles Cubanos; I was just so excited about listing it online that I got it backwards.

—PEKINGCHUCK

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Most Helpful Critical Review

May 27, 2003

Sorry, but I find this recipe to be only okay. But I was born and raised in Tampa, Florida. My grandfather was Cuban. Our family never ate some of the ingredients you put in this recipe. Please don't name a recipe with ingredients from a wholely different food culture -- like Puerto Rican and Mexican chipolte powder or "Cajun" powder into Cuban food! I think the dish would probably be fine if I hadn't been expecting something I knew I would be pleased to eat.

—CARLLEE

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71 Ratings

May 01, 2006

I thought this was an excellent dish! My husband is from Puerto Rico so we have a bunch of rice dishes here. This was flavorful enough for adults and not too overpowering for kids. I did not use the black olives. I also used a can of "Cuban Style" black beans. Thanks for this keeper! Also I wanted to add that this recipe is 7 points per serving (using lean ground beef) if you follow Weight Watchers! : )

—JAK3G

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May 23, 2003

This is a great recipe & it's fool proof, too!!! I omitted the onions since my hubby can't stomach 'em. Didn't affect the yumminess one bit. Also, my rice turned out gummy - but this wasn't a problem either. Just mixed it right in with the ground beef mixture & you couldn't tell I messed up at all. We added a dollop of sour cream & a bit of cheese to top it off. My husband said we could have it once a week - and he's SUPER picky! I highly recommend this recipe.

—MCDEB

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Jun 08, 2003

It was a good recipe, but I was more impressed with the leftovers. I used the leftovers for filling in oven baked chimichangas (the recipe is from AllRecipes, too) and my family wolfed them down.

—Angelicious

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May 23, 2003

I nice easy recipe that's a winner. I added some extra spices & it turned out perfect. This also works well with green olives instead of black.

—VYVVY

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Dec 31, 2004

Very nice recipe for black beans & rice. I prefer to use ground turkey rather than ground beef. When I server this as a main dish, I will get fajita wraps and make a homemade tomato salsa and guacamole dips. I make this every 2 weeks. It's a very healthy meal or side-dish. My biggest piece of advice here is don't buy the canned black beans. Buy the unsoaked, uncooked black beans and prepare them a day before. No canned beans can top that.

—REBECCA70111

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May 31, 2003

This was easy, tasty and pretty close to a lot of Cuban food I've had. Didn't have any Chipotle powder, so I opened a small can of chipotles in adobo sauce, chopped up 4 of the peppers and added them along with the adobo sauce. Yummy. Thanks for sharing this great recipe!

—Fleur de Lirious

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Nutrition

Calories
570 kcal
28%

Carbohydrates
57.8 g
19%

Cholesterol
72 mg
24%

Fat
26.6 g
41%

Fiber
10.1 g
40%

Protein
24.6 g
49%

Sodium
1014 mg
41%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Cubanos Frijoles

Serving Size: 1/8 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 8
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 570
Calories from Fat: 239

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 26.6g 41 %
Saturated Fat 9.8g 49 %
Cholesterol 72mg 24 %
Sodium 1014mg 41 %
** Potassium 707mg 20 %
Total Carbohydrates 57.8g 19 %
Dietary Fiber 10.1g 40 %
Protein 24.6g 49 %
** Sugars 0.9g
** Vitamin A 3 %
** Vitamin C 7 %
** Calcium 11 %
** Iron 51 %
** Thiamin 38 %
** Niacin 89 %
** Vitamin B6 33 %
** Magnesium 44 %
** Folate 46 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.