Ecuadorian Bean Stew (Menestra de Frejol)
Ecuadorian Bean Stew, aka Menestra de Frejol, is a traditional bean stew dish featuring beans simmered in a flavorful broth with cumin, tomato, onion, green pepper and garlic. Serve with a side of steaming hot rice, pickled red onions and fresh avocado for a healthy, vegetarian meal!
Servings: 4
Calories: 245kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried beans black, canary or pinto beans
- 2 tablespoon oil with a dash of achiote powder if you have it
- ½ red onion diced
- ½ green bell pepper diced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ⅛ teaspoon smoked paprika or a few dashes
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 3 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth or water. See notes below.
Instructions
- If you are using dried beans, soak the dry beans overnight in a container large enough to have 2 inches of water above the layer of dried beans. After they have soaked, drain and set aside.
- In a large stock pot or Dutch oven, heat up the oil (with achiote if you have it) on medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add in the diced onion and green pepper. Let sauté until soft, about 4-5 minutes.
- First, add the salt to the veggies. Then, turn the heat down to medium heat and add in the minced garlic. Stir and cook until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes.
- Next, add in the cumin, oregano, smoked paprika and tomato paste. Stir and let bloom and cook, for about 3 minutes.
- Next, add in the dried and soaked beans, or add in the canned beans along with their juices. See notes for how to make menestra de frejol with canned beans. Then add in the broth.
- Bring the bean stew to a simmer and cover the pot with a lid. Simmer on low heat for 1.5 to 3 hours, depending on the size of your beans. Black beans will take around 1.5 hours, whereas canary beans and pinto beans will take closer to 3 hours. Keep an eye on them and test their tenderness with a fork. Once the beans are tender, take off the heat.
- Serve this Ecuadorian bean stew with a scoop of rice, pickled onions, avocado, and patacones, along with a garnish of fresh cilantro if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
I made my menestra with black beans, and 3 cups of water/broth was good. If you are using a larger bean that will soak up more liquid, such as canary or pinto beans, use 4 cups of liquid.
To make Ecuadorian bean stew with canned beans: You can substitute the dried beans with two cans of beans instead (or half the recipe and use one can), and drastically reduce the liquid. Pour the beans into the pot along with the liquid from the can, then add about ½ cup additional water to the mixture. Let simmer for about 15-20 minutes and season with salt to taste.
The amount of liquid you add is up to you, you can make a saucier menestra with more liquid, or a chunkier menestra with less liquid! Add salt as you desire, depending on how much liquid you add.
1 cup of dried beans will make about 2.5 cups of beans in the end! It is enough for 4 large servings or about 6 smaller servings, depending on what you are serving your beans with.