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.
More Bean Recipes You’ll Love:
- Puerto Rican Style Beans
- Arroz Congri (Cuban Rice and Black Beans)
- Mexican Pinto Beans with Queso
- Instant Pot Refried Beans
- Arroz Con Gandules
Gandules Guisados
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup sofrito
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 15 ounce can gandules, pigeon peas not drained
- 1/2 tablespoon sazon, or 1 packet Goya or Badia (con achiote)
- 1/2 teaspoon chicken or veggie bouillon, or more to taste (Better Than Bouillon)
- 1/2 cup canned tomato sauce, half 8 oz can
- 1/2 cup water
- cooked, long grain white rice for serving
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a medium skillet and add the sofrito, sauté 3 to 4 minutes, stirring.
- Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, cover and simmer 20 minutes, until the flavors meld and thicken.
- If you want thicker beans, uncover and simmer until thickened to your taste. For soupier beans, add more water.
- Serve over white rice.
This is such a delicious recipe!
Gina, I am puertorrican and your puertorriqueño recipes are excellent and authentic. I love that you are able to add the caloric / nutritional value to each meal. Wishing you many blessings and continued success!
Thank you!! So glad you enjoy them!!
This recipe is delicious! Simple to make and filled with flavor. I made homemade shredded plantain balls and added it to this stew. Tasted like pasteles in a bowl. So fabulous!
Who knew a can of beans, which I normally assume to be a side dish, can be transformed into the star of the meal?
So delicious over cauliflower rice.
Added bonus: Also an Economical, filling meal in these trying times.
I’m making it today (for the third time in 2 weeks) but I’m going to marinate chicken thighs in sofrito and Sazon, and then add the remaining ingredients .
Thank you for another guiltless recipe with amazing flavor that keeps me on track.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Really great recipe and quick for a busy night.
I made this as directed. It was amazing! My new favorite side!
So good! I also used premade sofrito (though next time I may attempt a homemade version). Healthy, easy, tasty…it ticked all the boxes. Served over brown rice and added sauteed shrimp.
Absolutely fantastic. Easy and flavorful, these pigeon peas are an easy side to serve with rice, grilled meat, avocado and lettuce. This will be in our dinner rotation now!
A favorite, so flavorful. I did cook them down a bit and then only had 1.5 cups of beans, next time will not do that as they looked very good really after 20 minutes covered. I used a ready made sofrito this time to save time. I used cauliflower rice for mine and regular rice for my husbands. Served with the Pollo Sabroso. Better then a resturant any day.
Glad you enjoyed it!
These were so good in top of rice. I made it with the grilled Carne Sabroso and we cleaned our plates.
YAY
Delish! With the leftovers, if there are any, I toss in some cubes of potato or yucca for a hearty lunch.
This was so so good! This was my first time using pigeon peas and I liked the texture/flavor, and the sauce is super savory. I used store bought sofrito with culantro. It’ll make a great meal prep with rice, or side dish.
Hi! Is everyone else not able to edit recipes when clicking on the WW Personal Points link? When the program first started, I was able to. Now, I’m only able to track it exactly as it’s made.
I am not sure how that works
I made this whole meal, the stewed beans (I used pink beans) and the chicken and the rice. It was DELICIOUS. Every bit of it!
GREAT!!
Hi! I’ve never heard of pigeon peas before! Does it matter if you use the green or dry kind? Thanks!
For this recipe, any canned bean works
Can’t wait to try this. Love your Pollo Guisado tooo!
As a Dominican girl, one of my favorite! Will definitely try!!