Puerto Rican Soup & Stew Recipes
Asopao when it rains, sancocho for a crowd, carne guisada over white rice and habichuelas on the side of everything: Puerto Rico’s stews start with a spoonful of sofrito.
+5Boricua cooking is built on sofrito, sazón and a big pot. Asopao, the soupy rice with chicken or pigeon peas, is the island’s comfort food; sancocho is the celebration stew of beef and every root vegetable; carne guisada and pollo guisado are the weeknight braises; and habichuelas guisadas go beside almost every plate of rice. Every recipe below is written for a home kitchen.
Asopao de Pollo
Chicken and rice simmered in a sofrito broth until it lands somewhere between a soup and a stew, finished with olives, capers and cilantro.
Get the RecipeMore Puerto Rican Soups & Stews to Cook
See all 7 →
A Guide to Puerto Rican Soups and Stews
Every pot on the island starts with sofrito, the blend of culantro, ají dulce, onion, garlic and pepper. Asopao de pollo and asopao de gandules are the rice stews cooked when it rains; sancocho is the celebration pot with beef and every root vegetable from the market; mondongo is the tripe soup eaten after a late night. On weeknights the choice is carne guisada or pollo guisado over white rice, with habichuelas guisadas on the side.
Start with the roundup of Puerto Rican soups and stews, then keep going with Puerto Rican main dishes, Puerto Rican sides and the full Puerto Rican food hub.
Craving more Boricua comfort food?
Explore our complete roundup, or browse all Puerto Rican recipes and stories.