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4.86 from 7 votes

Mami's Cuban Congri Recipe!

Cuban Congri, black beans cooked with white rice and bacon
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time2 hours 45 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: cuban
Servings: 8
Calories: 446kcal
Author: Cari

Ingredients

  • 14 oz. package of dry black beans
  • 2.5 teaspoon of salt adjust to taste
  • 2 Bay Leaves
  • 6 Slices of thick cut bacon cut into ½ inch pieces
  • 1 Medium sized yellow onion chopped
  • 1 Large green pepper chopped
  • 5 Large cloves of garlic minced
  • ¼ teaspoon of red pepper optional
  • ½ teaspoon of black pepper
  • 1.5 teaspoon of cumin
  • 2 Cups of long grain rice
  • 3 Cups of "black water" water the beans soaked in overnight
  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil
  • ½ tablespoon Sazon completa

Instructions

  • Rinse the beans and place them in a caldero along with 8 cups water, 1 teaspoon of salt and the 2 bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer, partly cover and cook until tender, about 1 to 2 hours.
  • Meanwhile, make your sofrito. Place the onion, garlic and green pepper into your food processor. Pulse until you reach your desired size. I personally hate giant chunks of green pepper and onion in my Congri, so I let the food processor run until they're minced.
  • In a large frying pan add your sliced bacon, onion, garlic and green pepper. cook on medium-high heat until your veggies and bacon are completely cooked through.
  • Drain the beans, reserving 3 cups of the broth or "black water" and being careful to not break apart the beans. Leave the cooked black beans in your caldero.
  • Grab your rice and rinse it. To rinse, place the rice in a large bowl, cover with water and swirl around. The water will get cloudy. Pour out the cloudy water, use a strainer to keep the rice from making a giant mess. Repeat until the water is clear.
  • Add to the caldero the olive oil, rinsed rice, red pepper, black pepper, Sazon completa, cumin, sofrito, "black water" and 1 ½ teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil, stir, then reduce heat to low, cover and cook for about 20 -25 minutes.
  • Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon. Once the rice is tender, you're ready to eat!

Notes

  • Looking for a meatless option to this rice? Omit the bacon and adjust the salt to your preference and viola! Vegan/Vegetarian Congri
  • Don't own a food processor? Chop your onion, garlic and bell pepper as big or as small as your prefer
  • To store your moros rice, place it in an airtight container and refrigerate. The congri will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 446kcal | Carbohydrates: 73g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 116mg | Potassium: 930mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 78IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 88mg | Iron: 3mg