The soda-counter plate that "marries" rice, black beans, sweet plantains, salad, and a griddled protein.

Where does Casado come from?

Casado is a Costa Rican dish from San José, Costa Rica.

Can Casado be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?

Yes. This Casado recipe includes ingredient substitutions to make it vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, or egg-free — including several of those at once, such as gluten-free and dairy-free together.

How long does Casado take to make?

About 60 minutes total (20 minutes prep, 40 minutes cooking), serving 3.

Casado — a San José, Costa Rica recipe

Name: Casado
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 3 servings
Cuisine: Costa Rican
Ingredients: 3 cups white rice, cooked; 2 cups black beans, cooked, with broth; 2 very ripe plantains, sliced; 3 chicken breasts (the day’s protein); 1 lime; 3 cloves garlic; 1 tsp cumin (the marinade); 2 cups cabbage; 1 tomato; a handful cilantro (the salad); 2 tbsp Salsa Lizano (or Worcestershire-style sauce); 4 tbsp neutral oil

North America → 🇨🇷 Costa Rica → San José

Casado

Costa Rican · easy · serves 3

prep 20 min · cook 40 min

~1733 cal · 78g protein · 286g carbs · 30g fat (estimated, per serving)

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Casado plate: rice, black beans, fried plantains, salad, and chicken

🇨🇷 San José

Every Costa Rican soda serves the casado — "married man" — the everyday plate whose portions never divorce: rice, beans, maduros, salad, and the day’s protein. It’s the country’s pura vida engine, lunch and identity at once.

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Make it yours

Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.

🥕 Vegetarian

🌱 Vegan

🌾 Gluten-Free

🥛 Dairy-Free

🥜 Nut-Free

🥚 Egg-Free

Ingredients

Serves 3 —

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3 cups white rice, cooked

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2 cups black beans, cooked, with broth

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2 very ripe plantains, sliced

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3 chicken breasts (the day’s protein)

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1 lime

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3 cloves garlic

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1 tsp cumin (the marinade)

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2 cups cabbage

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1 tomato

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a handful cilantro (the salad)

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2 tbsp Salsa Lizano (or Worcestershire-style sauce)

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4 tbsp neutral oil

Instructions

1

Marinate the chicken (or tofu) in lime, garlic, cumin, and Lizano, 20 minutes; griddle until charred and cooked through.

2

Warm the beans with a splash of Lizano; keep them brothy.

3

Fry the plantain slices slow until caramel-sweet.

4

Toss the cabbage, tomato, and cilantro with lime and salt.

5

Plate everything in its own territory — rice, beans, maduros, salad, protein. The marriage works because nothing touches until you decide.

San José soda tradition.

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🌏 While it simmers — know your destination

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San José. Soda kitchens serving the casado — the "married man’s lunch."

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Costa Rica. Pura vida on a plate, twice a day.

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North America. A collision of Indigenous, colonial, and immigrant tables.

The story behind this dish is up top — worth a read while the pot works.

👩‍🍳

Richard Moore & Kelsey Tucker

Recipes cooked, tested, and researched by the creators of Spin the Globe. How we build our recipes →