Quick and easy recipe for gandules using canned pigeon peas simmered in a tomato-based sauce. An inexpensive, flavorful Latin side dish!

Gandules Guisados (Stewed Pigeon Peas)

I made this recipe on Instagram and everyone asked me for the recipe, so here it is! We love rice and beans in my house. I make them so many ways, especially since I’m Colombian, my husband’s Puerto Rican, I have family in DR. My family is a melting pot, and our different ethnic cuisines inspire a lot of my recipes, which are often a fusion of all these cultures. Gandules, known as stewed pigeon peas in English, are delicious over rice with these grilled chicken thighs, aka Pollo Sabroso. I always have canned gandules in my pantry, if you do too you can also try my Arroz Con Gandules or Slow Cooker Pork and Gandules Stew.

Gandules Guisados Ingredients

• Sofrito: Sofrito is a sauce made of finely diced vegetables and aromatics used in many Latin cuisines. You can buy premade sofrito from the grocery store but I highly recommend making it from scratch and freezing it using this sofrito recipe.
• Gandules: Canned pigeon peas cut the cooking time in half since they’re already cooked. Just open the can and add them to the skillet – no need to rinse or drain them. You can also use red or pink beans in their place.
• Sazon: Sazon is a popular Latin seasoning made of coriander, salt, black pepper, cumin, achiote, garlic powder, and oregano. You can buy it at the supermarket or make homemade sazon.
• Bouillon: I use Better than Bouillon’s chicken base for extra flavor.
• Liquid: Canned tomato sauce and water make up the sauce in these stewed peas.

How to Make Gandules Guisados

There’s minimal prep and not much hands-on cooking time in this stewed pigeon peas recipe, which makes it pretty easy to pull together when you’re in a hurry.

1. Heat the olive oil in a skillet and sauté the sofrito for a few minutes.
2. Add the gandules, sazon, bouillon, tomato sauce, and water, and bring to a boil.
3. Cover the skillet and simmer for 20 minutes until the sauce thickens. If you want thicker beans, uncover the skillet and simmer until thickened, and for soupier beans, add more water.

What to Serve with Gandules Guisados

Serve these gandules over rice as a meatless meal or as a side with chicken thighs, chicken skewers, pork, or steak. I also serve it with avocado or a simple side salad.

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