Porotos Granados (pumpkin and cranberry bean stew), Chile

by Susana Quezada
(Villaricca, Chile)

Chilean Porotos Granados: A Gluten Free Diet Recipe for
Pumpkin and Cranberry Bean Stew

Porotos granados is a traditional summer thru autumn dish in Chile, when the cranberry beans are available fresh. It is yummy and really healthy. And gluten free!

Variations of the recipe have been around since before the Spanish arrived. Not too surprising since pumpkin, beans, corn and tomatoes, the basic ingredients, all originated in South America. Cranberry beans are the traditional beans used, but you can substitute others.

In Chile, Porotos granados are always made with fresh beans (not dried). You can use whole kernel corn, or put raw kernels through a blender and then add them. (That would be called porotos granados con mazamorra.)

Porotos granados are usually served with a side dish of tomatoes, sliced onion and cilantro with a dressing of olive oil and lemon juice. And also with a side of fresh hot yellow peppers.

I hope you enjoy it!

Susana

Chilean Porotos Granados Recipe:
4 to 6 servings

2 T Olive Oil
1 Onion, chopped
2 to 3 cloves Garlic, minced
1 T Paprika
1 t Oregano (optional)
1/2 tsp Cumin (optional)

1 cup Tomatoes, chopped

3 cups stock or water
1 to 1 1/2 pounds Pumpkin, peeled and diced
*Editor's note: in Chile, pumpkin is actually what we think of as squash in the US.
2 cups Cranberry beans*
Salt and pepper

1 cup Corn kernels, decobbed
1/2 cup Fresh Basil, chopped

Saute onions until translucent. Stir in the garlic and paprika, (and oregano and cumin if desired, but I don't like how they conflict with the fresh basil) and sauté for another 1-2 minutes.

Add tomatoes and cook another 3-4 minutes. Then add the pumpkin and beans, the salt and pepper to taste, and sauté a little longer.

Pour in the stock and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes, or until the pumpkin is soft.

Stir in the corn and basil. Simmer another 5 minutes, adjust the seasonings and serve.

*Cranberry beans are cheap and abundant from spring until autumn in Chile. You should be able to find them seasonally in other places, but for some strange reason they are very expensive where I live part-time in California.

Please let us know if you've tried Porotos Granados and how you liked it. – Click here to read or post comments.

Hi Susana,

We tried your porotos granados recipe and loved it. Especially with fresh squash, tomatoes, and corn. We had to use dried beans, though, and it was still delicious. It must be fantastic with fresh beans...

We also used chicken stock, but the because we used a dense winter squash (butter cup)—it was really hearty. So we agreed it would still be really good made with vegetable stock, or even water.

Thanks so much for submitting the recipe!

Pat