Blog, Cooking, Latin Cuisine, Puerto Rican

Most Popular Latin-Puerto Rican Foods + Recipes

Posted by Mayra Luz
On December 31, 2023
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This past December, we had the pleasure to work with some amazing content creator friends. We hosted “Unas Navidades con Healthy Rican” on Instagram, and it was a hit. To ring in the new year and celebrate our collaboration, I wanted to introduce to you my friends, and share all the wonderful recipes they’ve created. 

Without further ado we bring you the “Most Popular Latin-Puerto Rican Foods + Recipes”.

Puerto Rican Pasteles

To kick things off, my mom and I made Puerto Rican Pasteles. It was a blast making and filming this with my mom. I am blessed to be able to learn from her and create such amazing recipes. You can find the blog and full recipe on the link below, and check out our video here.

Pasteles step by step recipe here: https://healthyrican.com/how-to-make-puerto-rican-pasteles-step-by-step/

Pavochón

Created by our lovely friend Elena from @curlsnpearlsss.eats

Pavochón is a Puerto Rican style turkey that is seasoned like lechon (roasted pork or pernil). Pavochón is the star of the Thanksgiving dinner table and a favorite at every holiday celebration. Once you try this recipe, you’ll never eat turkey any other way! Check out the instagram video here.

Find the full recipe on Elena's blog here: https://curlsnpearlsss.com/pavochon-puerto-rican-style-turkey/

A plate of vegan jackfruit "Pernil" with chicken-like texture, served with spinach.

Vegan Jackfruit “Pernil”

Because we like to share different ways of cooking, and be inclusive to our plant based audience, we invited Jenny from @veganlicious_nyc. She created a “Pernil” alternative using jackfruit, and by the looks of it, it’s delicious. Check it out here. 
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Prep Time 1 day 25 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour

Ingredients
  

  • 1 can jackfruit (drained and rinsed)
  • Water for boiling
  • 2 tbsp homemade sofrito
  • 1/2 onion thinly sliced
  • olive oil
  • Healthy Rican, Sazon and Adobo to taste
  • 1/2 tsp no chicken bouillon
  • 1 tsp liquid smoke
  • Spinach, brown rice, and gandules for serving

Instructions
 

  • Drain and rinse the jackfruit, then boil it in water for 30-45 minutes to remove the briny flavor. Set aside.
  • In another pan, sauté 2 tablespoons of homemade sofrito, thinly sliced 1/2 small onion, and 2 mashed garlic cloves in olive oil for 2-3 minutes.
  • Add the boiled jackfruit to the pan.
  • Season with Healthy Rican, Sazón, Adobo, and sofrito.
  • Add 1/2 teaspoon of no chicken bouillon and 1 teaspoon of liquid smoke.
  • Toss and simmer for 15-20 minutes, mixing occasionally.
  • Serve the vegan jackfruit “pernil” over a bed of brown rice and gandules, accompanied by a side of spinach.
A woman holds a martini glass with a salad in it, featuring Mollejas En Escabeche, a Puerto Rican holiday delicacy.

Mollejas En Escabeche

Mollejas en escabeche is a must have during Puerto Rican holidays, however can be enjoyed at any time. Also known as “Guineos en escabeche'' especially when made without the gizzards (which is an option if desired). This pickled onion infused dish is delicious and a must try during your next party or family gathering. Find out how she made it here. 
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Cook Time 45 minutes

Ingredients
  

  • 10 pcs green bananas
  • 1 lb gizzard
  • 1 tbsp vinegar
  • 1/2 green bell pepper
  • 1 piece yellow onion
  • 1 tsp Healthy Rican Adobo
  • 1 tsp Healthy Rican Savory Spice
  • 1 jar pimentos
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup vinegar
  • olives optional
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper

Instructions
 

  • Boil green bananas for like 30 minutes with Salt.
  • Boil Gizzards with salt and vinegar for like an hour until fork tender.
  • Chop up the green bananas and gizzards.
  • Combine the oil, vinegar, Healthy Rican seasonings, pimentos, onion, green bell pepper salt and pepper in a saucepan, cook for 5 minutes.
  • Then pour over your gizzards and green bananas, stir and enjoy!
Try this mouthwatering Pastelón de Yuca featuring ground beef, tomato sauce, and a blend of spices.

Pastelón de Yuca

Pastelón is a very popular Latin dish. It can be made with plantains, potatoes, and yuca as you can see here. Our friend Abigail from @abbychuelas.kitchen did a great job creating this dish and we can’t wait for you to try it. Check out the recipe below, and the instagram video here. 
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Cook Time 1 hour

Ingredients
  

  • 2 yuca roots medium size, frozen
  • 1.5 lb ground beef
  • 8 oz tomato sauce
  • handful grape tomatoes diced
  • 1-2 tbsp minced garlic
  • 1/2 yellow onion
  • 1/2 bell pepper diced
  • 3 tbsp Sofrito
  • 1 tsp Adobo
  • 1 tsp Sazon
  • Garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, cumin, salt & pepper
  • 1 pc bay leaf
  • 1 tbsp Achiote oil
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 2-3 tbsp butter add more for greasing
  • 1 bag shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1 bag shredded four cheese Mexican

Instructions
 

  • Cut, peel and remove stems from yuca root (or use a frozen bag of already cut yuca).
  • Add to a large pot of water and salt and boil for about 30 mins or until fork tender. 
  • In a medium pan on medium high heat add Achiote oil and lightly brown your meat. 
  • Add in your seasonings, sofrito, and veggies and sauté for another 5 minutes.
  • Add in your tomato sauce and bring to a simmer.
  • Add in your bay leaf; cover and cook for about 20 mins on low heat.
  • Drain your yucca water then add in butter and milk and mash/blend till smooth with no clumps.
  • Add salt to taste.
  • Grease a 12x8 baking pan with butter and add a nice layer of mashed yucca.
  • Then, add some mozzarella cheese and layer with your meat. 
  • Layer your meat with more cheese then top with more mashed yucca. I wet my hands to help spread the top layer.
  • Lastly, add a layer of the Mexican cheese. Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for about 20-25 mins.
A traditional Puerto Rican dish, Arroz con Gandules, featuring rice and pigeon peas, accompanied by a flavorful sauce.

ARROZ CON GANDULES (Rice with Pigeon Peas)

It’s not “las navidades” in Puerto Rico without our “Arroz con Gandules”. This version is a plant based recipe shared by our friend and fellow Health Coach, Karla from @thelatinahealthcoach. Karla is a Holistic Health Coach that specializes in living a plant based lifestyle. She is the author of the cookbook; Abuela’s Plant Based Kitchen. You can check out her book here and make sure to follow her on social media. 
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Cook Time 25 minutes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups rice rinsed and drained
  • 1 15 oz can gandules (pigeon peas) don't strain, keep the liquid
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 tbsp sofrito If using our Healthy Rican, allow to hydrate in water first.
  • 3 tbsp tomato sauce
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 12 to 15 spanish olives
  • salt to taste
  • 1 tsp Healthy Rican Sazón

Instructions
 

  • Heat the olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the sofrito and tomato sauce and cook for about 2 minutes. 
  • Add the rice to the pot and toast for another 2 minutes or until just beginning to brown. Add gandules (pigeon peas) and the Spanish olives and gently stir until well combined. 
  • Add water + the water from the can of gandules and combine.
  • Season with salt to your liking and bring it to a boil on high, cover, and simmer on low for 20 minutes.
  • Remove from the heat and fluff with a fork. Serve and enjoy!
Spanish rice with longaniza - a delicious one pot meal made with thinly sliced longaniza, bell peppers, onions, garlic, and aromatic seasonings.

Arroz Con Longaniza (Rice and Sausage)

Besides “Arroz con Gandules”, Arroz con Longaniza is a popular choice! Created by the talented Beatriz Santiago from @beatrizcookinnvibez, this dish is a perfect one pot meal to share with friends and family. Make sure to follow Beatriz and check out her video here. 
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Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 packet Longaniza  thinly sliced
  • Aji dulce or cubanelle
  • Green Bell pepper diced
  • Red Bell pepper diced
  • Red onion diced
  • 5-6 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tbsp sofrito
  • 2 tbsp tomato based sofrito
  • 1 tbsp olives
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp oregano leaves
  • 1 packet Sazón (Healthy Rican)
  • Gandules  optional
  • 3 cups Medium Grain Rice washed
  • 3 cups water for rice
  • Salt to taste I used Himalayan salt

Instructions
 

  • Go ahead and start cooking your longaniza on high heat, about 15 minutes until it starts looking golden. As that cooking goes ahead, prep the herbs, the peppers etc. Multi tasks stir occasionally. 
  • Now go ahead add the peppers, onions, garlic, and along with the Sofrito. 
  • As that is infusing, that’s when I wash my rice, until the water is almost clear.
  • Add rice, mix in all the flavors, as the rice is still infusing, now add your water. Along with culantro or cilantro towards the end.
  • Salt to taste. 
  • Bring to boil, stir every minute to prevent rice burning from the bottom. Don’t over-stir.
  • Once the liquid mostly evaporated, reduce heat to low, cover for the whole 30 minutes! Let the steam cook the rice.
  • Open after 30 minutes, fluff it up and it’s ready to serve!

A special thank you to all our collaborators!

That is all for now. Which recipe was your favorite? Which one will you make next? Let us know in the comments if you’ve enjoyed this article. We love hearing from you! 

Don’t forget to follow ALL our creator friends on social media so you don’t miss a thing:

Elena @curlsnpearlsss.eats

Jenny @veganlicious_nyc

Damaris @coo_kingwithmariss

Abigail @abbychuelas.kitchen

Karla @thelatinahealthcoach

Beatriz @beatrizcookinnvibez

Mayra @healthyrican

Newer 7 All-Natural Sazón Seasoning Alternatives +Recipe: Aceite de Achiote
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Older How to make Puerto Rican Pasteles (Step by Step)

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