Puerto Rican Main Dishes

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

Puerto Rican Main Dish Recipes

From mashed plantains piled with garlic and pork to rice studded with pigeon peas, discover the hearty entrées at the heart of Puerto Rican cooking.

Lechón Asado Arroz con Gandules Pastelón Canoas de Plátano +11
15 main dishes, each with a recipe ↓
📖 See the Full Roundup: Puerto Rican Food: The 30 Best Boricua Dishes →
Puerto Rican main dishes lean on plantains, rice, and slow-roasted pork, seasoned with the island's signature sofrito and adobo. These are festive, generous dishes built for family gatherings.
Mofongo
Puerto Rico's Most Iconic Dish

Mofongo

Puerto Rico's most iconic dish, mofongo mashes fried green plantains with garlic and pork cracklings into a dense, savory mound — traditionally served alongside a rich broth or stewed meat.

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More Puerto Rican Main Dishes to Try

Lechón Asado
Lechón Asado
Whole roasted pork, Puerto Rico's holiday centerpiece
Arroz con Gandules
Arroz con Gandules
Rice with pigeon peas, the island staple
Pastelón
Pastelón
Sweet plantain lasagna with seasoned beef
Canoas de Plátano
Canoas de Plátano
Stuffed plantain canoes, sweet & savory
Carne Guisada
Carne Guisada
Puerto Rican beef stew simmered until fork-tender
Puerto Rican pernil roast pork shoulder
Pernil
Slow-roasted pork shoulder rubbed with adobo and garlic, crackling skin and all.
Puerto Rican pollo guisado
Pollo Guisado
Chicken stewed with sofrito, potatoes, olives and tomato sauce, served over rice.
Arroz con pollo rice and chicken
Arroz con Pollo
One-pot yellow rice and chicken with sofrito and sazón.
Puerto Rican rellenos de papa
Rellenos de Papa
Mashed potato balls stuffed with picadillo and fried golden.
Puerto Rican trifongo
Trifongo
Mofongo made with green plantain, sweet plantain and yuca together.
Puerto Rican sancocho stew
Sancocho
Hearty beef and root-vegetable stew with corn, yautía and plantain.
Bacalao salted codfish
Bacalao Guisado
Salt cod stewed with tomato, onion, peppers and olives.
Puerto Rican tripleta sandwich
Tripleta
Steak, pork and ham stacked in one sandwich with papas fritas on top.
Puerto Rican stewed beans
Habichuelas Guisadas
Pink beans stewed with sofrito, pumpkin and ham, ladled over white rice.

A Guide to Puerto Rican Main Dishes

Puerto Rican mains are built on sofrito, pork and plantain. Lechón asado, whole roast pig, is the celebration dish; mofongo, mashed fried plantain with garlic and chicharrón, is the everyday one. Arroz con gandules is both a side and a meal, pastelón is the plantain lasagna, canoas de plátano are ripe plantains stuffed with picadillo, and carne guisada is the beef stew for a weeknight.

Start with the recipes above, then see the full roundup of the 30 best Puerto Rican dishes, or explore all Puerto Rican food and recipes from across Latin America and Spain.

Craving more Puerto Rican comfort food?

Explore our complete roundup, or browse all Puerto Rican food guides and recipes.

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