Flavorful Peruvian Beans Recipe: Savory Easter Delight

One of my favorite comfort foods is beans. There is really no better feeling than enjoying a bowl of creamy, thick, and hearty beans. This Peruvian bean recipe makes a flavorful, warm, and aromatic dish in 2 hours.

Admittedly, my Peruvian bean recipe comes with a long list of ingredients, but don’t let it scare you away. You already have most of those in your pantry, and when it comes to the others, it’s worth a trip to the grocery store.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Substitutions
• Variations
• Dietary Restrictions
• Equipment
• Storage
• Pro Tips
• Flavorful Peruvian Beans Recipe: Savory Easter Delight
• Comments

Ingredients

• Peruvian beans — 1 cup, dried
• Bacon — 6 slices
• Onion — 1 cup, sliced
• Garlic — 3 cloves, minced
• Bell pepper — 1 whole, diced
• Ground cumin — 2 tsp.
• Tomato paste — 1 tbsp.
• Chicken broth — 2 cups
• Oregano leaves — 2 tsp.
• Water — 1 cup
• Salt — ½ tsp.
• Black pepper — ½ tsp.
• Red wine vinegar — 1 tbsp.
• Honey — 1 tbsp.
• Harina de camote — ¼ cup
• Aji panca paste — 3 tbsp.

Instructions

1. Fill a large pot with water and add the beans.

2. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and let it simmer for 1 ½ hours.

3.  Fry the bacon in a skillet and drain using paper towels.

4. Using the same skillet, combine the onion, cumin, bell pepper, garlic, tomato paste, and aji panca paste.

5. Once the onion is tender and translucent, add the beans, chicken broth, and oregano. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

6. Prepare the slurry by combining harina de camote with water.

7. Add the slurry to the mix and coat the beans until thick.

8. Lastly, add salt, black pepper, honey, vinegar, and bacon.

9. Simmer for 5 minutes before serving.

Substitutions

• Tomato paste — After countless tries, one thing has become clear. This recipe works best with tomato paste. That said, you shouldn’t dismiss tomato sauce and tomato puree as well. You can substitute those in a 3/1 ratio.

• Chicken broth — Chicken broth works great, but let’s be honest, sometimes, nothing is better than vegetable broth. It will also provide your dish with filling vegetables and a hearty flavor.

• Red wine vinegar — My Peruvian beans recipe calls for red wine vinegar, but you could also get away with using balsamic vinegar or rice vinegar.

Variations

• Too sweet? — If you suspect my recipe might be too sweet for you, don’t hesitate to omit the honey. You could use brown sugar instead, as well.

• Garnish — As great as this recipe is, it simply won’t be complete without garnishing. My favorite ingredients for this are lime wedges and cilantro, but feel free to go with whatever you like.

Dietary Restrictions

• Vegan — This recipe can easily be made vegan. I’d swap chicken broth with vegetable broth, which is not only vegan but it’s also a delicious, filling, and hearty alternative. You should also skip butter and use olive oil.

• Non-alcoholic — This recipe boasts a long list of ingredients, but red wine vinegar might raise some questions. If you prefer cooking without alcohol, red wine vinegar shouldn’t worry you. The alcohol is fermented without little to no remains left, but if that’d be a concern for you, simply opt for balsamic vinegar.

Equipment

• Measuring cups and spoons

• Frying pan

• Large pot

• Paper towels

Storage

• Transfer the leftovers to an airtight container and store them in your fridge. Once refrigerated, the leftover beans will last for up to a week.

• If you’d rather freeze the leftovers, transfer them to freezer bags and label them with the date. Once frozen, the leftover beans will last for up to 6 weeks.

Pro Tips

• The beans — While this one’s up to you, I prefer soaking the beans before cooking. This will increase the cooking time, but it’s definitely worth it.

• Use a pressure cooker — My Peruvian beans recipe could be made traditionally, but things would be faster and easier if you opt for cooking with an instant pot.