Name: Gallo Pinto: Costa Rican Rice and Beans
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: yellow onion (diced); 1 red bell pepper (cored, seeded, and diced); 2 cloves garlic (finely chopped); 6 tablespoons chopped cilantro (divided); 2 cups water (divided); 1 cup raw long grain brown rice; 1 15-ounce can pinto or black beans, no-salt-added, drained and rinsed

Jump to Recipe

Gallo Pinto -- Costa Rican Beans and Rice - Healthy, Plant-Based, Oil-Free, Gluten-Free Whole Foods Recipe from Plants-Rule — Gallo Pinto — Costa Rican Beans and Rice – Healthy, Plant-Based, Oil-Free, Gluten-Free Whole Foods Recipe from Plants-Rule

Gallo Pinto, or “spotted rooster,” is the national dish of Costa Rica and Nicaragua. This plant-based rice and beans recipes is so satisfying. Authentic flavor comes from an oil-free sofrito that flavors the rice. A budget-friendly dish that makes a hearty dinner!

Rice and Beans: Plant-Based Classic Pairing

The basics of this dish are the staples of most plant-based diets: Rice and Beans. These humble ingredients are full of vegan protein and nutrition. Cooked together, you get a comforting dish that satisfies. Plus, these ingredients are incredibly budget-friendly. Also, you can keep these items on-hand in your pantry.

Gallo Pinto -- Costa Rican Beans and Rice - Healthy, Plant-Based, Oil-Free, Gluten-Free Whole Foods Recipe from Plants-Rule (3) — Beans and Rice are a classic plant-based pairing. They make a hearty, satisfying meal

Why is it called Gallo Pinto?

Gallo pinto translates to “Spotted Rooster”. The dish gets its name from its appearance. The beans speckle the rice, making it look like a particular variety of rooster called Plymouth Rock or Barred Rock . Traditionally, black beans are used, resembling the black spots. However, I used pinto beans for this recipe. You can use other beans like red kidney or Soldier Beans.

A similar dish appears all over central and south America. In fact, Columbians often make calentado for breakfast, adding leftover bits of chorizo and topping the rice and beans with a fried egg. In Peru, tacu tacu is very similar, often topped with an egg and thin strip of steak.

How do you eat Gallo Pinto?

In Central America, Gallo Pinto is traditionally eaten for breakfast. However, you can make a pot for a hearty dinner. Often served with Salsa Lizano, a flavorful sauce similar to Worcestershire. I recommend serving this dish with Worcestershire, hot sauce, or salsa.

How to make an Oil-Free Gallo Pinto

While this dish is already plant-based, a traditional recipe would often use oil to saute the sofrito. It’s easy to simply ditch the oil. Instead, you saute the onion, bell pepper, and garlic in water. If you’re craving more flavor, you can also vegetable stock. By skipping the oil, you end up with a lighter recipe. Plus, you avoid the empty fat calories from the refined oil.

Are there different ways to make Gallo Pinto?

Yes! There are many different ways to make this dish, depending on what you have on hand…and how much cooking you want to do.

Easy: Using leftover rice and beans
- This is the method often used in Costa Rican homes to make Gallo Pinto for breakfast. Leftover rice and beans are sautéed with onion, bell pepper, and a few seasonings. It can served as it is. Or, some households will top it with plantains or a fried egg.

Medium: Cooking the rice (the method used here)
- The method used in this recipe cooks the rice from scratch. The rice is cooked a flavorful sofrito, which infuses satisfying flavor. Canned beans (or pre-cooked beans) are used to help speed up the recipe. Dinner is on your table in 30 minutes.

Advanced: Cooking both the rice and beans from scratch
- You can cook the beans from scratch using dried beans. You’ll want to cook the beans separately from the rice. This ensures you’re not stuck with crunchy beans and mushy rice. This method is perfect for weekend meal prep, when you might cook off a big batch of beans to freeze or use throughout the week.

Heirloom Red European Soldier Beans - Healthy, Plant-Based Protein — Heirloom Red European Soldier Beans – Healthy, Plant-Based Protein

You’ll love this healthy, plant-based recipe for Gallo Pinto: Costa Rican Rice and Beans! It is:

Hearty and satisfying
Incredibly Versatile
Freezer-friendly
Budget-friendly
One-Pot Dinner
Perfect for Weekend Meal Prep, Pot-Lucks, and Feeding a Crowd

Chef Katie’s Oil-Free Plant-Based Cooking Tips:

Long Grain Brown Rice: Long grain rice is less starchy than short grain rice. It will hold up to a longer cooking time and keep a little bit of texture, essential for this delicious recipe. To remember when to use long grain rice, I use alliteration: Long Grain is “Less” starchy and “Lighter” (aka fluffier).

Carolina Gold Rice: Carolina Gold Rice is an American long-grain rice. It is a heritage grain, it has been milled for centuries in the US. It has a clean, sweet flavor and its texture holds up in many cooking techniques. If you can find it, use it in any recipe calling for long grain rice.

Other Bean Options: You can use most varieties of beans for this recipe. Black beans, pinto beans, and red kidney beans all work. You can even use cannellini or navy beans…your rooster just won’t be quite as “spotted”.

Recipe Inspiration: This recipe was inspired by Maria Gonzales, a street food vendor in Nicaragua. Maria was a part of the Whole Planet Foundation micro-credit program through Whole Foods Market. I worked at Whole Foods Market for 3 years, where I created recipes to promote programs like Whole Planet, Health Starts Here, and One Dime at a Time.