25 Traditional Latinx Dishes You Can Make Yourself

There’s nothing like Latinx food made from scratch at home, but most of us don’t have the luxury of relying on mami or abuelita’s homecooked meals

Photo: Unsplash/@louishansel

Photo: Unsplash/@louishansel

Avatar for V. Alexandra de F. Szoenyi

By  V. Alexandra de F. Szoenyi

There’s nothing like Latinx food made from scratch at home, but most of us don’t have the luxury of relying on mami or abuelita’s homecooked meals. Sure, you could just ask them for recipes, but oftentimes because so many Latina cooks taste as they go without using measurements, it’s not always easy to reproduce their dishes and get them exactly the same. Searching for recipes online could take time too especially if you don’t even know where to start.

To make your life a tad bit easier, we thought we’d help you out by creating a roundup of some of the tastiest yet simplest Latinx recipes — all in one place! These recipes are not only easy to make but can help get you started on making meals that remind you of the food you ate growing up. In this roundup, we feature recipes from a variety of countries, so there is something for almost everyone. Let’s step into the kitchen, demystify the process of making the food our mothers, grandmothers, and past ancestors made, and have fun with it all. It’s a fun way to get in touch with our roots while eating healthier than if we ate out. We also will be saving money, since cooking at home is cheaper (and time-saving if you cook in bulk and eat several meals from one day’s worth of cooking). So, without further ado, here are 25 Latinx recipes you can learn how to make hoy!

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Cuban Chicken Ropa Vieja

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Recipe via Cuban Recipes and Food

Ingredients

2 large chicken breasts, bone in, skin on
1 qt low sodium chicken stock
1 T olive oil
1 green bell pepper, sliced thinly
1 red bell pepper, sliced thinly=
1 small yellow onion, sliced thinly
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 can low sodium tomato sauce
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup dry sherry
1 T white wine vinegar
1 bay leaf

Directions

Place the chicken breasts into a medium pot and pour chicken stock over them. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cook for 20 to 30 minutes, until breasts are completely done. Remove the breasts from the stock and place on a cutting board. Allow to cool until you can comfortably handle the meat with your fingers.

Once the chicken is cooled, remove the skin and bones. With your fingers, shred the chicken along the grain so that you have long, fine slivers of meat. Set these aside.

In a dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat for a full minute. Add the peppers and onions and sauté until tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant for 1 minute. Add the shredded chicken and stir to combine.

Add the tomato sauce, sherry, vinegar, and bay leaf and stir to combine. Cover and cook over low heat for about 20 to 30 minutes to allow flavors to combine. Remove the bay leaf and serve over brown rice.

Enjoy!

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Salvadoran Pupusas Made By Curly And His Abuelita

Recipe via Tasty

Ingredients

for 18 pupusas

CURTIDO

  • ½ head green cabbage, cored and shredded
  • 1 small white onion, sliced
  • 2 medium carrots, grated
  • 4 cups

     boiling water

  • 1 cup

     distilled white vinegar

  • 1 tablespoon

     dried oregano

  • 2 teaspoons

     kosher salt

CHICHARRÓN

  • 1 teaspoon

     vegetable oil

  • 1 lb

     boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch (2-cm) cubes

  • 1 teaspoon

     salt

  • 1 medium tomato, diced
  • ½ green bell pepper, diced
  • 1 small white onion, diced

PUPUSA DOUGH

  • 4 cups

     masa harina

  • 2 teaspoons

     salt

  • 3 cups

     cold water

FILLING

  • 1 cup

     grated mozzarella cheese

  • 1 cup

     refried bean, cooked

  • 1 tablespoon

     vegetable oil, for frying

Preparation

  1. Make the curtido: In a large bowl, combine the cabbage, onion, and carrots. Pour the boiling water over the vegetables and toss. Let sit for 10 minutes, then drain.
  2. In a liquid measuring cup or small bowl, combine the vinegar, oregano, and salt. Pour over the slaw and toss to coat. Once thoroughly mixed, transfer the curtido any leftover liquid in the bowl to an airtight jar or container.
  3. Chill for at least 20 minutes in the refrigerator, or chill overnight for best results.
  4. Make the chicharrón: Heat the vegetable oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the pork shoulder and salt. Cook for 15 minutes without disturbing. If the pork is browning too quickly, reduce the heat to medium. Turn the pork over and let cook on the other side for 10 minutes more, or until crispy and golden brown.
  5. Transfer the pork to a food processor and add the tomato, green bell pepper, and onion. Pulse until thick a paste forms. The mixture should not be watery. Set aside.
  6. Make the pupusa dough: In a large bowl, whisk together the masa harina and salt, then add the water. Use your hands to mix until the dough comes together with a clay-like texture.
  7. Fill a small bowl with water and a bit of oil and set near your work station. You’ll wet your fingers with the mixture as you work to keep the dough from sticking to your hands.
  8. Take a golf ball-sized portion of dough and roll into a ball, then flatten into an even round.
  9. Fill the dough round with ½ tablespoon chicharrón paste, 1 teaspoon refried beans, and 1 teaspoon mozzarella cheese. Fold the dough over the filling until it’s completely sealed. Then, pat out the ball between your hands until flat. If the pupusa cracks, patch it with a bit of dough and a little oil. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
  10. Heat a large pan or griddle over medium heat. Brush with vegetable oil, then place 2-3 pupusas on the pan and cook for 2-4 minutes, or until the bottoms are golden brown. Flip and cook on the other side for 2-4 minutes more, until golden brown and warmed through. Repeat with the remaining pupusas.
  11. Serve the pupusas with curtido.
  12. Enjoy!

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Nicaraguan Gallo Pinto

Recipe via Serious Eats

Note:

  • Rice should be prepared 1 day in advance for gallo pinto.
  • Goya sells “Central American Beans,” which are the small, red kidney beans that are standard issue in Nicaragua. If you can’t find them, use small black beans.
  • This recipe makes more beans than necessary for the gallo pinto, but leftovers may be reserved for other use.
  • Gallo pinto is served either soft or crisp—cook according to preference.

Ingredients

  • For the beans
  • 1 (16-ounce) bag dried small red or black beans
  • Salt
  • 7 garlic cloves, peeled
  • For the rice
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil, divided
  • 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup), divided
  • 1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice
  • 3 cups water or low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1/2 green bell pepper, cored and seeded

Directions

For the beans: Spread beans out in a rimmed baking sheet. Pick out any debris and broken beans. Transfer beans to colander and rinse under cold running water. Place rinsed beans in a large pot and cover with cold water; water should cover beans about 3 inches. Let soak for 30 minutes.

Bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer beans for 30 minutes. Turn off heat, cover beans, and let rest 1 hour. Bring beans back up to boil over high heat. Add 2 teaspoons salt and garlic, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until beans are tender for 30 to 60 minutes.

If storing the beans, cool completely, transfer beans and some of the cooking liquid to quart-sized zipper-lock bags. When ready to use, thaw out in refrigerator and heat on the stovetop in saucepan or microwave.

For the rice: Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add 2/3 of onion and cook, stirring, until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add rice and cook, stirring, until grains are shiny and evenly coated with oil, 2 to 3 minutes. Add water or broth and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, increase heat to high, and bring to a boil. Place bell pepper on top of rice.

Boil rice without stirring until most of the liquid has evaporated and you can see small bubbles bursting on the surface of the rice. Immediately reduce the heat to the lowest setting, cover, and cook (do not stir, do not remove lid) for 15 minutes. Remove and discard bell pepper. Fluff rice with chopsticks or fork, then let cool and refrigerate for 1 day.

For the gallopinto: Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add remaining onion and cook, stirring, until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add rice and 2 cups beans to skillet and cook, stirring, until rice is evenly coated. Continue to cook, stirring, to allow flavors to meld and mixture to become slightly crisp, about 10 minutes. Cover and cook over low heat an additional 10 minutes. (See note.)

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Mexican Tacos Dorados

Recipe via America’s Test Kitchen

INGREDIENTS

vegetable oil

chili powder

paprika

ground cumin

garlic powder

tomato paste

cheddar cheese,

corn tortillas

Hot sauce 

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

Arrange the tacos so they face the same direction in the skillet to make them easy to fit and flip. To ensure crispy tacos, cook the tortillas until they are deeply browned. To garnish, open each taco like a book and load it with your preferred toppings; close it to eat.

INSTRUCTIONS

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Combine water and baking soda in large bowl. Add beef and mix until thoroughly combined. Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 4 to 6 minutes. Add chili powder, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, and 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in tomato paste and cook until paste is rust-colored 1 to 2 minutes. Add beef mixture and cook, using a wooden spoon to break meat into pieces no larger than ¼ inch, until beef is no longer pink 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer beef mixture to bowl; stir in cheddar until cheese has melted and the mixture is homogeneous. Wipe skillet clean with paper towels.

Thoroughly brush both sides of tortillas with 2 tablespoons oil. Arrange tortillas, overlapping, on a rimmed baking sheet in 2 rows (6 tortillas each). Bake until tortillas are warm and pliable, about 5 minutes. Remove tortillas from oven and reduce oven temperature to 200 degrees.

Place 2 tablespoons filling on 1 side of 1 tortilla. Fold and press to close tortilla (edges will be open, but tortilla will remain folded). Repeat with remaining tortillas and remaining filling. (At this point, filled tortillas can be covered and refrigerated for up to 12 hours.)

Set wire rack in a second rimmed baking sheet and line rack with a double layer of paper towels. Heat remaining ¼ cup oil in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Arrange 6 tacos in a skillet with open sides facing away from you. Cook, adjusting the heat so oil actively sizzles and bubbles appear around edges of tacos, until tacos are crispy and deeply browned on 1 side, 2 to 3 minutes. Using tongs and thin spatula, carefully flip tacos. Cook until deeply browned on the second side, 2 to 3 minutes, adjusting heat as necessary.

Remove skillet from heat and transfer tacos to prepared wire rack. Blot tops of tacos with a double layer of paper towels. Place sheet with fried tacos in the oven to keep warm. Return skillet to medium-high heat and cook remaining tacos. Serve tacos immediately, passing extra cheddar, lettuce, tomato, sour cream, jalapeños, and hot sauce separately.

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Platano Maduro Frito

Recipe via Fine Cooking

Ingredients:

  • Vegetable or canola oil
  • 4 very ripe, dark-brown plantains (2 lb.), ends removed, peeled, and sliced 1/2 inch thick on a sharp diagonal

Preparation:

  • Fill a 12-inch heavy-duty skillet with 1/4 inch of oil (about 1-1/2 cups) and heat over medium heat until the tip of a plantain slice dipped in the oil sizzles vigorously.
  • Working in batches of about 12, slide the plantain slices in one at a time, making sure they’re not touching. Fry, flipping once with tongs or a fork, until golden-brown on both sides, 4 to 6 minutes total. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate. Repeat with the remaining plantains, reheating the oil as needed between batches. Serve hot.

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Peruvian Lomo Saltado

Recipe via Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the bag of French fries according to package directions.

While the French fries are cooking, heat the oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Season the sliced meat with salt and pepper to taste. Fry the meat until just cooked, and the juices begin to release. Remove the meat from the frying pan, then cook the onions, with additional oil if needed, until they are transparent. Stir in the tomato and aji amarillo; cook until the tomato softens. Pour in the vinegar and soy sauce, add the French fries, cover, and cook until the beef is done about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with chopped parsley to serve.

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Arroz Con Leche For Beginners

Photo: ISABEL EATS

Ingredients

  • 1 cup long-grain rice
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 1/2 cups water
  • 4 cups milk (I used 2% milk, but you can also use whole milk for an even thicker consistency. However, I don’t recommend using skim milk.)
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • optional toppings: ground cinnamon, chopped nuts, a spoonful of cajeta

INSTRUCTIONS

  • In a medium or large pot over high heat, add rice, cinnamon sticks, salt, and water. Mix together and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover and reduce heat to simmer. Cook for 15 minutes until most of the water has evaporated.
    Add the milk, give it a stir, cover and cook for another 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
    Add the sugar, give it another stir, cover and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
    Remove the lid, raise the heat to medium-high and cook for another 5 minutes or until the rice pudding has reached a thick consistency.
    Remove from heat and let the rice cool for 15 minutes. This will help the pudding thicken even more. Serve warm or refrigerate for 2 hours and serve cold.
    Garnish with cinnamon, chopped nuts, a spoonful of cajeta or any other toppings you like.

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    Colombian Arroz con Pollo

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BtV9bpaH2o0/

    Recipe via My Colombian Recipes

    Ingredients
    (4 Servings)

    Chicken and Stock
    2 whole chicken breast, bone in and skin removed
    1 scallion
    ½ white onion
    2 garlic cloves
    ½ tablespoon ground cumin
    ½ tablespoon sazon Goya with azafran
    1 bay leaf
    Salt and Pepper
    Rice
    2 tablespoons olive oil
    ¼ cup chopped onion
    1 garlic clove, minced
    ¼ cup chopped red bell pepper
    ¼ cup chopped green pepper
    1 cup long- grain white rice
    1 tablespoon tomato paste
    1 chicken bouillon tablet
    2 ½ cups chicken stock
    ½ tablespoon sazon goya with azafran
    ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
    ½ cup frozen peas
    ½ cup frozen diced carrots
    ½ cup frozen diced green beans

    Directions

    Place the chicken breast, 5 cups water and the remaining ingredients for the stock in a medium pot. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes. Turn the heat off and let the chicken rest in the pot for about 15 minutes covered. Let it cool, shred and set aside. Strain stock and measure 2 ½ cups and set aside.

    In a medium pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, green peppers, garlic, and red bell pepper. Cook until the onions are translucent, about 4 to 5 minutes.

    Add the rice, tomato paste, chicken bouillon, and sazon goya. Stir until the rice is well coated about 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes. Add the peas, carrots and green beans and cook for an additional 7 minutes, add the shredded chicken and cilantro, mix well with a fork, cover and cook for 5 minutes more.

    Serve and Enjoy!

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    Slow Cooker Honduran Bean Soup

    Photo: Photo by Suellen Pineda, RDN, CDN/Hispanic Kitchen

    Recipe via Hispanic Kitchen

    • 1POUND CENTRAL AMERICAN BEANS DRY (AVOID CANNED FOR THIS PARTICULAR RECIPE)
    • 2BAY LEAVES
    • 3CLOVES GARLIC PEELED AND WHOLE
    • 6LEAVES CULANTRO (RECAITO)
    • 1TEASPOON GROUND CUMIN
    • 1SMALL ONION PEELED AND CUT IN HALF
    • 1/2GREEN BELL PEPPER
    • SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE
      1. Clean beans to remove any debris from harvesting.
      2. Rinse under cold running water.
      3. Place beans inside a pressure cooker, cover with enough water, add garlic, bay leaves, and culantro leaves. (Check your pressure cooker manufacturer’s information), cook until tender. Release pressure and put back on the stovetop on medium heat.
      4. Season with salt, pepper, and cumin.
      5. While beans are cooking, peel and boil the green bananas. Another option is to peel the bananas and cook them with the beans only after you have released the pressure.
      6. At this point, you can add the shelled eggs directly to the simmering soup, for about 15-20 minutes. You can also add the whole eggs in the soup, and peel them before serving. Just make sure eggs are at room temperature, otherwise, they will crack open.
      7. Enjoy with your favorite toppings.

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      Ecuadorian Fritada de Chancho

      Recipe via Laylita’s Recipes

      Ingredients

      • 3-4 lbs of pork (1-2 lb of baby back pork ribs and 2 lbs of boneless ribs or loin or any combination of these, cut in medium size squares)
      • 1 tsp of cumin
      • 10 garlic gloves (5 whole and 5 minced)
      • 1 white onion (chopped in large pieces)
      • 1 shallot (chopped in large pieces)
      • 3 cups of water
      • 1 cup of orange juice
      • Salt to taste
      Side dishes:

      Instructions

      1. Season the pork with the cumin, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Let it rest in the refrigerator for a couple of hours if you have time.
      2. In a large wok or a sauté pan add the meat, the chopped onion and shallot, the whole garlic cloves and the 3 cups of water.
      3. Cook on medium heat until the water is almost gone.
      4. Add the orange juice and let it reduce
      5. The meat will begin to brown, stir frequently to avoid burning, cook until all the pieces are evenly browned.
      6. Add the boiled yuca, mote or hominy and plantains to the same pan or you can also arrange the fritada and the sides on a large serving platter.
      7. Serve the fritada with the sides including the yuca, hominy, plantains, curtidoor marinated onion lime cilantro tomato salad), avocado slices and aji criollo (hot sauce).

      An alternative for those who don’t eat pork:

      Recipe for Chicken fritada {Fritada de gallina}

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      Peruvian Ceviche

      Photo: Marcus Nilsson/Bon Appétit

      Recipe by Gast N Acurio Of La Mar In Lima Peru, via Bon Appétit

      INGREDIENTS

      Leche de Tigre

      • 2/3 cup fresh lime juice
        2 garlic cloves, smashed
        1 tablespoon (packed) chopped fresh cilantro leaves
        1/2 ají limo or habanero chile, seeded, halved lengthwise
        1/2 small red onion, chopped
        1/2 cup bottled clam juice (optional)
        Kosher salt

        Ceviche

        • 1 small sweet potato (about 8 ounces)
          1 ear of corn, husked
          1/2 ají limo or habanero chile, seeded, halved lengthwise
          1 pound fluke, flounder, or sole, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
          1 small red onion, quartered and thinly sliced, divided
          Kosher salt
          Cilantro leaves

          RECIPE PREPARATION

          Leche de Tigre

          • Set a fine-mesh sieve over a small bowl. Purée first 4 ingredients and 4 large ice cubes in a blender until smooth. Add onion; pulse 3–4 times. Strain liquid into a medium bowl. Stir in clam juice, if desired; season with salt. Cover and chill.

            Ceviche

            • Pour water into a large pot fitted with a steamer basket to a depth of 1 inch; bring to a boil. Add sweet potato, cover, and cook until just fork-tender, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a plate; let cool.

              Meanwhile, add more water to the same pot, if needed, to measure 1 inch; bring to a boil. Add an ear of corn to pot and steam until crisp-tender, 2–3 minutes. Transfer to a plate; let cool completely.

              Halve potato lengthwise. Using a small melon baller, scoop out potato balls and place them in a small bowl; set aside. Cut kernels from the cob. Reserve 1/3 cup kernels (save extra kernels for another use).

              Rub a large bowl with cut sides of chile; discard. Place fluke, 2/3 of onion, leche de tigre, and 4 large ice cubes in a bowl; stir well. Let marinate for 2 minutes; remove ice. Fold in potato and corn; season with salt.

              Using a slotted spoon, divide ceviche into small bowls or onto plates. Drizzle ceviche with leche de tigre from a bowl; garnish with remaining onion and cilantro.

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              Honduran Baleadas

              Recipe via Allrecipes.com

              Ingredients

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