Arroz a la Cubana is a flavorful ground beef hash traditionally served with rice, saba bananas, and fried eggs. It’s easy to make, budget-friendly, and a hearty meal that’s sure to be a dinner favorite.
It’s debatable whether Arroz a la Cubana did originate from Cuba, as its name implies, but the dish does exist in many Spanish-speaking countries. There are many regional varieties, from the meatless boiled rice with tomato sauce or sofrito, fried eggs, and plantains of Spain, or the more hefty version consisting of white rice, fried hot dog Weiner, fried egg, and fried plantains of Peru.
Filipino arroz cubano
In Philippine cuisine, arroz cubano is composed of four elements: savory minced beef, rice, sunny-side-up eggs, and fried bananas.
- Ground beef– I like to prepare mine with a simple addition of green peas, but feel free to cook it picadillo-style with potatoes, carrots, raisins, and bell peppers.
- Rice– usually steamed rice, but it’s also common to pair the dish with sinangag for breakfast
- Bananas– while fried saba bananas are traditional, some use Dole or cavendish bananas as well. Choose ripe bananas for a sweeter taste but firm to keep them from falling apart.
- Fried eggs– sunny-side-up eggs with soft, runny yolks
If you’re looking for an easy recipe to add to your meal rotation, this hearty feast fits the bill. It’s simple to make and can be quickly put together for busy weeknight dinners.
But don’t let its ease of prep deceive you! This Cuban rice is everything but lacking in flavor. It’s hearty, tasty, and filled with comforting flavors the whole family will love!
How to serve
- Arroz a la Cubana makes a filling meal for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
- To assemble, shape a generous scoop of steamed rice into a dome using a cup. Place rice on a plate, top with a fried egg, and serve with the savory minced beef and slices of fried bananas.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @kawalingpinoy on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
- canola oil
- 1 onion, peeled and minced
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 cup frozen sweet peas, thawed
- salt and pepper to taste
For the Sides
- 8 saba bananas, ripe but firm
- 8 eggs
- 8 cups steamed white rice
Instructions
- In a pan over medium heat, heat about 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add onions and garlic and cook until softened.
- Add ground beef and cook, breaking apart with the back of a spoon, for about 10 to 15 minutes until lightly browned. Drain excess fat.
- Add tomato sauce, soy sauce, water, and sugar. Bring to a boil for about 1 to 2 minutes, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
- Lower heat, cover, and simmer until meat is cooked through and liquid is mostly reduced.
- Add green peas and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes or until heated through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- In a pan over medium heat, heat about 1/4 cup of oil.
- Peel bananas and slice lengthwise. Add bananas and cook, turning once or twice, until golden and lightly crisp. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels.
- In the pan, add eggs and cook sunny side up, with the white part set and the yolks runny.
- Serve the minced beef with steamed rice, fried bananas, and fried eggs.
Notes
Nutrition Information
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
Carolina says
Hi! I just want to know if this cuisine is a side dish or main dish? Because I’m having a hard time to choose between side dish and main dish. That’s why I decided to choose this recipe because it’s easy to cook.
I hope you reply immediately 😃 badly needed 😔
Lalaine Manalo says
It’s a main dish 🙂
Anabelle says
Hi there,
What kind of tomato sauce did you use for this recipe?
Thanks.
Lalaine says
Hi Anabelle,
I used canned tomato sauce, any brand would do 🙂
Julie says
Hi Lalaine,
I want to cook this for my husband ( we just got married last december) but I’m wondering if I can use ground pork. He doesn’t like beef that much..
Lalaine says
Hello Julie
Wishing you happiness and love in your marriage 🙂
Yes, you can substitute pork.
Ana says
Hi there.my grandmother, bless her soul, use to insist we have this dish for Xmas eve dinner. She was raised by her Spanish speaking grandmother and this dish was her tribute to her memory. I did not find anything special about it as a child….as I’d rather have the more special dishes of the holidays. But now, with her gone and me living away from home, perhaps it was time I cook this dish as tribute to her memory too.
Lalaine says
I am glad this recipe for arroz a la cubana can help you keep family traditions alive 🙂
Xavi says
I believe that it would be better without the green peas if you replace it with raisins it would really compliment the flavor.
Lalaine says
HI Xavi
I’ve never added raisins in my arroz a la cubana as I find the sweetness of the saba bananas enough to balance the flavors. Thanks for the tip, I’ll give it a try 🙂
Charlotte says
Hello, I made this tonight. It was so easy and delicious. But, I noticed that the 1/2 tsp sugar that you wrote on the ingredients was not indicated on the directions.
Lalaine says
Hi Charlotte
Thanks for taking the time to let me know. I corrected the recipe. 🙂
gonzo says
Also, I have some experience with Latin cuisines, and I noticed that the ground beef we use for this dish (which i have eaten for most of my life!) is very very close in concept to what Latinos–including Cubans–call ‘picadillo’,which is interesting because, as we know, picadillo in Philippine cookery is a soup with diced potatoes and ground meat. Cuban picadillo is pretty much the same as the beef in our arroz a la Cubana, but with the addition of green olives, and maybe some cumin and oregano. So I guess the name changed when the recipe got to the Philippines centuries ago.
One last anecdote 🙂 : Years ago, I had some ‘arroz a la Cubana’ in Madrid, and was surprised to see that it was just rice, a fried egg, and tomato sauce. That’s it. I was a bit disappointed, but it occurred to me then that the dish was not solely a Filipino one–at least in name.
Lalaine says
Yes, I’ve tried arroz a la cubana with just the tomato sauce, fried egg and rice. I think they call the sauce sofrito. It was delicious with all the garlic and onions but like you, I didn’t find it satisfying as I am big on meat.
Cuban picadillo sounds interesting. I’ll try cooking it this weekend.I love olives especially in sandwiches (tuna salad sandwiches yum!)
Thank you so much for sharing your food adventures. 🙂
gonzo says
Hi, I was poking around the internet looking for Filipino recipes and happily came across your blog. Wonderful recipes, and, unlike other pinoy sites, perfect English grammar too! Just a minor spelling correction on the title of this recipe (I speak Spanish and my wife is South American): it’s ‘Arroz a la Cubana’, with a space between the ‘a’ and the ‘la’. Hope you are able to tolerate grammar nazis without too much grief, lol. In any case, your recipe here sounds just right. I will be making this over the weekend, and will be using your site whenever I cook Filipino food from here on in! Thanks for sharing.
Lalaine says
Hello Gonzo
Thank you, I corrected the a and la.
No, I don’t mind grammar nazis. I need all the help I can get 🙂