~1370 cal · 36g protein · 278g carbs · 13g fat (estimated, per serving)
🍽️
Speckled red beans and rice with plantains and avocado
🇳🇮 Managua
Gallo pinto — "painted rooster" — is on the Nicaraguan table at breakfast and again at dinner, and the friendly war with Costa Rica over who invented it will outlast us all. Nicaragua’s version uses small red beans and insists the rice fry, not steam.
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🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
Ingredients
Serves 4 —
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4 cups day-old cooked rice, chilled
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2 cups small red beans, cooked, with a little broth
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1 onion, finely diced
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1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced
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3 cloves garlic, minced
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3 tbsp neutral oil
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a handful cilantro, chopped
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for 4 fried sweet plantains + avocado, to serve
Instructions
1
Fry the onion, pepper, and garlic in oil until soft and golden at the edges.
2
Add the beans with a splash of their broth and simmer 3 minutes so they season the pan.
3
Add the cold rice and fry — really fry — over high heat, tossing, 6–8 minutes until speckled and lightly crisped in spots.
4
Season, fold in cilantro, and serve with fried sweet plantains and avocado. At breakfast, add whatever eggs your table likes.
Managua daily-table tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers — know your destination
📍
Managua. Gallo pinto twice a day, and proudly.
🗺️
Nicaragua. The land of lakes, volcanoes, and gallo pinto mornings.
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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 →
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