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Gallo Pinto (Costa Rican Beans and Rice)

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Traditionally served with breakfast alongside fried or scrambled eggs, Gallo Pinto is a hearty and delicious traditional Costa Rican dish. It’s a cinch to prepare, too!

Gallo Pinto (Costa Rican Beans and Rice)

I’ve always been interested in exploring international cuisine. In addition to my trusty Time-Life Foods of the World cookbook series (which, I know I’ve gushed about before; it’s a vintage collection at this point, but if you have an opportunity to get your hands on a set, I highly recommend!), I’m also lucky to have friends from a variety of cultural heritages.

Most recently, a few of my friends whose families hail from Costa Rica offered to teach me how to prepare some of their favorite traditional dishes, which, in turn, I’m able to share with you (score!). A few weeks ago, I learned to make Gallo Pinto, Costa Rican Rice and Beans. One bite, and it’s safe to say that I have a new favorite rice dish in my recipe collection. I couldn’t put my fork down!

black beans in bowlgallo pinto ingredients

Gallo Pinto means, quite literally, “Spotted Rooster” in Spanish, characterizing the speckled appearance of the dark beans against the white rice.  It’s typically served as a part of a hearty breakfast, alongside fried or scrambled eggs, with accompaniments such as sour cream (“natilla” in Costa Rica, which is thinner than the American variety), a crispy slice of fried white cheese (“queso frito”), plantains, sliced avocado, a corn tortilla, and a strong cup of coffee.

I loved the contrast of the egg’s crispy edges and velvety yolk against the creamy, lightly-spiced rice and beans. Plus, it’s easy to make, especially if you prep the rice and beans ahead of time. (In fact, day-old rice is preferred, as the refrigerated grains are easier to separate and combine with the beans and sauce.) What a way to start the day!

adding the rice to gallo pinto panAdding the cilantro to gallo pinto

While Costa Rican cuisine is full of robust, fresh flavors, the heat level (at least, in the dishes I’ve tasted) tends to be mild. If there’s one thing we’ve established on this blog it’s that I’m a total lightweight when it comes to “hot” spices, so I’m pretty much in love!

The primary seasoning in traditional Gallo Pinto is Salsa Lizano, a vegetable-based condiment used widely throughout Costa Rica. The sauce is thin-textured and easily pourable, with a golden, tan color. Tasted on its own, it’s fairly salty, with a warm, round flavor of cumin and a bit of pepper.

Many recipes suggest using Worcestershire Sauce as an alternative if Salsa Lizano is unavailable.  I can see the parallel, but Worcestershire most definitely lacks the smokiness of Lizano. If making the substitution, I would add a bit of cumin to the rice for a more traditional flavor (more on this in the recipe notes below).

gallo pinto in wooden bowlgallo pinto on plate with fried eggs

I haven’t visited Costa Rica myself (yet!), but from what I’ve heard and read, it is an absolutely gorgeous country. The landscape is diverse (think: incredible beaches, majestic mountains, cloud forests, volcanoes), the culture rich, and, judging by my friends, the people some of the warmest in the world.

The Costa Rican people live by the mantra of “Pura Vida,” meaning “Pure Life.”  It means living peacefully, positively, and in the moment, with happiness and gratitude for the good things in your life.  Pura Vida reflects a profound appreciation for the simple beauty of life itself and the people in it. What a wonderful way to live.

I wish you all “Pura Vida,” including a delicious bowl of Gallo Pinto!

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Gallo Pinto (Costa Rican Beans and Rice)


Course: Breakfast, Side Dish
Cuisine: Costa Rican
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 8 -10 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons light-tasting oil (vegetable, mild olive, canola)
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 small yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 cups cooked black beans, in 3/4 cup reserved cooking liquid*
  • 1/4 cup Salsa Lizano**
  • 3 cups cooked rice, preferably, day-old and refrigerated
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

  1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Sauté chopped bell pepper and onions until peppers are soft and onions are translucent, about 6-8 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant.
  2. Add black beans, reserved cooking liquid, and Salsa Lizano, stirring to combine. Simmer for 5 minutes, until slightly thickened and little bit of the liquid is evaporated. Gently stir in cooked rice and cook until heated through and most of the liquid is absorbed, but not dry, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in chopped cilantro. Season to taste with additional Salsa Lizano (we added about a tablespoon extra).

Recipe Notes

*Low-sodium canned beans in their liquid can be subsititued here if time is of the essence. But, if you do have the time to soak and cook beans from dried, the flavor and texture will be a big reward!

To cook beans from dry: Place 1 pound sorted, rinsed black beans in a large bowl and add enough cool water to cover by 1-2 inches. Soak overnight, 8-12 hours. Drain beans, transfer to a large pot or Dutch oven and cover with fresh, cool water by 1-2 inches. Add 1-2 bay leaves, a handful of cilantro, and a few garlic cloves, if desired. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low to maintain a gentle simmer, and cook until beans are tender throughout. This will take 1-2 hours, depending on size and age of beans. Add a few pinches of salt to the water when beans are just starting to get tender (adding salt too soon will add to the cooking time). Cool and store beans in their cooking liquid, discarding any aromatics you've added.

**Salsa Lizano is essential to this dish. It's available in some Latin markets, much to my pleasant surprise, in the International aisle at my local grocery store, and can be ordered online. If you're absolutely unable to locate Salsa Lizano, you can make this recipe with Worcestershire Sauce, but the flavor will not be traditional. If using Worcestershire Sauce, add ground cumin to the rice to bring some of the smokiness of the Lizano to the dish (start with 1/2 teaspoon and increase, to taste, from there).

Have you made this recipe? Take a picture and tag @stripedspatula and #stripedspatula on Instagram for a chance to be featured in my newsletter!
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Comments

  6. I fell in love with Costa Rica on my first visit there in 2005 and have been there many times since then. Gallo Pinto is one of my favorite dishes and now I’m so glad you shared the recipe so I can make it at home and pretend I’m back living the Pura Vida life until I can get back to Costa Rica. I hope you get there soon too. It truly is a beautiful country.

    Reply

  7. That entire pan looks like my kind of comfort food. You have some gorgeous photography here and I want to dive right into the pan and eat! :) Thanks again for trying to comment on my post. :) ~ Ramona

    Reply

  9. I’m intrigue by Salsa Lisano and keen to try it. In the West Indies we have a traditional rice and peas dish too, and I look forward to trying this as it looks delicious.

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      • Ohh it’s so delicious! I couldn’t resist bringing several bottles of it home when I visited in 2009. Such a wonderful place! I sure did not want to leave.

        Reply

  14. So today I made the Gallo Pinto exact to this recipe and it is what you get here in Costa Rica. Now I can offer it to my guests. Thank you

    Reply

  15. This is a great recipe and tastes exactly how it’s served in Costa Rica. But you must have the Lizano sauce-there is no substitute!

    Reply

  16. I am from Nicaragua and I always thought Gallo pinto was just a dish from Nicaragua. Learned something new today. This is delish.

    Reply

  17. I used your advice and I substituted the salsa lizano with Worcestershire and cumin and the result was awesome!! Now, I have never had the original costa rican dish but the rice that I made with the substitution was very tasty and very easy to make. I cooked fresh rice along with the rest of the ingredients and used chicken stock for the liquid; came out very tasty. Thank you

    Reply

    • Hi Katie,
      Thanks for visiting! I’ve only made Gallo Pinto fresh, but I do know that rice and cooked beans are both freezable on their own. I’m not sure if freezing the whole dish, cooked with the sauce, will change the texture when it’s defrosted and reheated. If you do try freezing it, I’d love to hear how it turns out!

      Reply

  19. I’ve lived in Costa Rica for about 9 years and this is my favourite dish. Have never tried to make it before, but this is as good as you can get anywhere here! Thank you, it’s really authentic.

    If only you had a recipe for arroz con pollo… That’s my next experiment, as this one was so successful.

    Reply

  20. Gallo pinto was my last breakfast before I left Costa Rica last week and my host said that it was the Salsa Lizano that made the taste AND the color! I, too, have seen recipes that substitute Worcestershire for the Lizano but I can’t imagine doing that! We’ve had Lizano in our house since my wife visited CR 10 or more years ago, and we especially like it on eggs. I’m very happy that now I have another use for it! Thank you for the recipe — I’ll be trying it out very soon. …

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  22. Just got back from Costa Rica last week and we were craving Gallo Pinto. We made this recipe this evening however we used the fast no-soak black bean recipe found on http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2014/09/the-lazy-cooks-black-beans-easy-recipe.html. This recipe came out amazing and wouldn’t be the same without the Salsa Lizano. Highly recommended and satisfied our craving! Now if only we could get the Costa Rican sunsets back we would be in paradise!

    Reply

  23. My husbands from costa rica and he makes a wonderful rice.
    1/2head of garic,onion,bell,peppers,celery,cilantro, chop ,saute, all together for 3min.add 2c. rice.salt.then cook. You can add as much veggies As you want except for garlic.
    This rice is wonderful alone or add beef sausage while rice cooks and its even better.
    Try this…youll love it.

    Reply

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