Recipe

Rice with Butifarra Sausage and Lima Beans

Name: Rice with Butifarra Sausage and Lima Beans
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 80 min
Ingredients: 300 g long-grain white rice; 400 g fresh pork butifarra; 200 g frozen lima beans; 1 medium onion (about 150 g), finely chopped; ½ red bell pepper (about 80 g), cut into small cubes; 2 garlic cloves, crushed or chopped; 150 g crushed tomato; 60 g roasted sweet bell pepper, drained and in strips; 80 ml dry white wine; 650 ml mild chicken broth, hot (or water); 1 tablespoon oil (only if needed); ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper; Salt to taste (start with ½ teaspoon)

Cuban stovetop rice with fresh pork butifarra, lima beans, sofrito and dry wine: separate grains, juicy and well-seasoned.

CiberCubaNovember 7, 2026

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Preparation20 min
Cooking50 min
Total time1 h 20 min
Servings4 servings
DifficultyMedium

This version is based on Arroz con butifarras y habas limas, one of the preparations collected by Nitza Villapol and Martha Martínez in Cocina al minuto (1956). The metric quantities, measured fat, legume identification and the method followed are our adaptation for today's kitchen.

It is a traditional stovetop rice: sofrito, a splash of dry wine and the meat cooking alongside the grain so the rice absorbs its flavor. The result is dry but juicy rice, with separate grains, neither soupy nor creamy.

Lima beans are what in English are called lima beans: a flat-grained legume, pale green or cream. They are not common fava beans (fava), which have a different skin, flavor and cooking time. It is perfect for a Sunday lunch, with a tomato and avocado salad on the side.

Method

Prepare everything before turning on the heat: chop the onion, cut the red bell pepper into small cubes, crush the garlic and cut the roasted sweet bell pepper into strips. Cut the raw butifarra into pieces about 2 cm long. Rinse the rice until the water runs almost clear and let it drain well. Heat the broth in a separate saucepan.
Check the lima bean package. If it indicates between 15 and 20 minutes of cooking time, leave them frozen to add with the rice. If it indicates more time, boil them in salted water for the difference in minutes and drain them.
Place a thick-bottomed pot 26-28 cm in diameter, with a lid, over medium heat. Add the butifarra pieces without oil and brown them for 6-8 minutes, moving them from time to time. If they stick because they do not release fat, add the tablespoon of oil. Caution: inside they are still raw; remove them to a clean plate and reserve with their juices.
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Remove excess fat and leave only about 2 tablespoons in the pot. Lower to medium-low heat and sauté the onion and red bell pepper for 6-7 minutes, until soft and the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more, without burning it.
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Add the crushed tomato and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring, until it thickens and darkens a little.
Pour in the dry white wine and let it boil for 2-3 minutes, scraping the bottom, until it reduces by half and stops smelling of alcohol.
Add the drained rice and the lima beans. Stir for 1-2 minutes so all grains are coated with sofrito.
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Pour in the 650 ml of hot broth, add the pepper and return the butifarra with its juices, sinking the pieces into the rice. Add the planned salt moderately, taking into account that from the broth and the sausage. Increase the heat until it boils vigorously. Reserve the taste test and final salt adjustment for after the meat is completely cooked.
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When boiling across the entire surface, lower to minimum, cover well and cook for 18-20 minutes without uncovering or stirring.
Uncover and check: the rice must be tender, with no liquid at the bottom, and the butifarra must reach 71 °C (160 °F) in the center, measured with a kitchen thermometer. If the grain is still hard, add 2-3 tablespoons of hot broth, cover and cook for another 3-5 minutes. If the meat has not yet reached that temperature, prolong the cooking, adding a little hot broth if needed. Once the butifarra is cooked, taste and adjust the salt. Distribute the roasted sweet bell pepper strips on top.
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Turn off the heat, cover again and let rest for 10 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork and serve immediately.

Tips and variations

About the lima beans. The main route is frozen lima beans. Check the package cooking time: if it is 15 to 20 minutes, add them frozen along with the rice; if it is longer, boil them in salted water for the difference in minutes and drain them. If you use canned lima beans (about 200 g drained), rinse them, drain them very well and do not put them with the rice: distribute them on top when uncovering the pot and let them heat during the resting time, as they are already cooked and would disintegrate. Common fava beans (fava) are not an equivalent substitute; if you use them, the dish changes in texture and flavor and you will have to adjust their cooking separately.

About the butifarra. Use fresh and raw pork butifarra. If you cannot find it, a fresh pork sausage with mild spices (raw, not cured) works similarly, although the flavor will vary according to its seasoning and salt. Do not use dry or cured sausages (like hard chorizo or salchichón): they do not release the same fat, they harden and over-salt the rice. The meat must reach 71 °C (160 °F) in the center, checked with a kitchen thermometer. The interior color and that of the juices do not allow confirming safe cooking by themselves.

About the liquid. For 300 g of long-grain rice in a wide 26-28 cm pot with a lid, 650 ml of broth gives separate and tender grains counting the moisture from the tomato. Have an extra 100 ml of hot broth on hand in case your heat evaporates more. This point is for normal white long-grain rice; do not apply it to parboiled, steamed or round-grain rice, which need other proportions and times.

Salt. Butifarra and broth already provide salt. Add little at the beginning and taste to adjust only when the meat is completely cooked.

Storage. Cool quickly and store in the refrigerator in a closed container for up to 2 days. Reheat with a tablespoon of water, covered, until well hot inside.