Stir everything together and bring to a boil, before lowering the heat to a simmer. In a large soup pot combine beans, sofrito, adobo seasoning, salt, bay leaves, oil, and water. Rinse thoroughly and remove any rocks or scraps from the dry beans. If using canned beans: add to the pot with their broth, along with everything else. dried black beans *see note for instructions on how to use canned beans.

Obviously my favorite right now is the Instant Pot, because they’re done in under an hour, which is so good when I’m in a rush/behind on life (read: all the time).Here’s what you need to make these Puerto Rican style black beans: Followed up the stovetop, and finally the crockpot which you can do overnight, or early in the morning before heading out to work. The quickest is definitely in the Instant Pot. I’ve added three different ways to make these. Like I said earlier, it might seem like a lot, but the combination of all these flavors is what makes them shine. All the rest of the ingredients are pretty straight forward. You want these, and for major flavor impact, you don’t want to skip them. You can always order them off Amazon though, or better yet, go on a trip to your local Latin American grocery store to stock up. I most often find them at Fred Meyer (a Kroger and Smiths sister store), not in the Latin-American section, but in the canned vegetables aisle, next to the beans. You can generally find these two in the Latin-American section of your grocery store. I use Goya Adobo Seasoning and Sazón Goya Con Culantro y Achiote. Two of the ingredients I use in my beans might be a little hard to find if you don’t generally cook with Latinx seasonings.

And lastly, I enjoy them Volteados-refried (blended without juices, and then cooked in hot oil until stiff) as part of a staple Guatemalan breakfast. Liquados-blended with the juices for a smooth, lava-like base for my breakfast quesadillas to sit on top. I enjoy them parados-soupy juices drained, mixed in with some really good rice.

I really enjoy beans as black bean soup–straight out of the pot in a deep bowl, with sour cream, queso fresco, and some hot tortillas on hand to scoop up the juices. Usually when I make black beans, I make a big pot so that throughout the week I can remix them into a few different ways (see below for examples). They’ve been curated over the years by what I like: a big umami impact, with a little tart and a hint of spice in there. If I had to narrow it down, I’d say they’re a mixture of Guatemalan and Cuban. These are the beans that my tastebuds crave. These aren’t strictly Guatemalan black beans, either. So here’s the thing: these beans have a lot of ingredients, because they have A LOT of sabor. Most of the time, the people who come to my house didn’t grow up on rice and beans, so I wait till they have a bite and say something like, “I don’t usually like beans, but these are great!” And then I internally sing Another One Bites the Dust 😂 If you’ve been to my house to eat more than once, you’ve probably had them. But then I remember not everyone grew up on really good beans. Black beans are the reason I just kind of roll my eyes when someone says they don’t like beans. They are one of the strongest flavors of home for me.

Sometimes a recipe feels so much like home to me, that it takes me a while to share it, because it doesn’t seem like something novel.

Goya black bean recipes