A grain bowl inspired by bandeja paisa, with rice, beans, charred peppers and sweet fried plantain.
Bandeja paisa, Colombia's famously enormous mixed platter from the Antioquia region, traditionally piles beans, rice, ground beef, chorizo, egg, avocado and fried plantain onto one plate. This bowl takes the same core flavors -- smoky beans, garlicky rice, sweet plantain, charred pepper -- and scales them into a single portioned meal that's easier to make on a weeknight without cooking five separate components. The beans here are cooked Antioquia-style, simmered with a sofrito until the broth thickens slightly, which gives them a rounder, more savory flavor than plain boiled beans. Charring the peppers directly over a flame or under the broiler adds a smoky note that stands in for some of the richness lost by trimming the platter down to a bowl. Sweet plantain, pan-fried until caramelized at the edges, is non-negotiable -- it's the ingredient that makes this taste unmistakably Colombian rather than generic rice-and-beans. Layered over rice with avocado slices and a fried egg on top, this bowl keeps bandeja paisa's essential contrast of sweet, smoky, starchy and rich in a format built for a single, satisfying plate.
Serves 4
Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion until soft, 5 minutes, then add garlic, tomato and cumin, cooking 2 more minutes.
Add the cooked beans with a splash of water. Simmer 10 minutes, mashing a few beans to thicken the broth slightly.
Broil or char pepper halves over an open flame until blackened in spots, about 8 minutes. Let cool, peel if desired, and slice.
Heat neutral oil in a skillet over medium heat. Fry plantain slices 2 to 3 minutes per side until deep golden and caramelized.
Use plantains that are yellow with black spots -- fully ripe plantains fry sweeter and caramelize better than firm, greener ones.
In the same skillet, fry eggs to your preference, sunny-side up or over easy.
Divide rice among bowls. Top with beans, charred peppers, fried plantain, avocado and a fried egg. Finish with cilantro.
Char the peppers while the beans simmer to save time -- both take about the same 8 to 10 minutes.
Slice plantains on a sharp diagonal for maximum surface area to caramelize.
Mash some of the beans against the pot to thicken the broth without needing cornstarch or flour.
Add crumbled chorizo or chicharron for a closer approximation of the full bandeja paisa platter.
Vegetarian: skip the egg and add extra avocado and a dollop of Colombian aji sauce.
Swap kidney beans for pinto beans, which are also common in Antioquia-style bean pots.
Store components separately in airtight containers in the fridge up to 3 days. Reheat beans and rice gently on the stovetop or microwave; fry the plantain and egg fresh, as they don't reheat well.
Bandeja paisa originates from the Antioquia region of Colombia and is considered one of the country's signature dishes, historically built to fuel farm and mine laborers with a calorie-dense combination of beans, rice, meat and plantain. This bowl trims the traditional five-to-seven-component platter into a single-serving format while keeping its core flavor pillars intact.
Yes -- canned kidney or pinto beans work well; just drain them but keep a little liquid to help thicken the pot the same way dried beans' cooking liquid would.
Char them directly over a gas burner flame, turning with tongs, or cook them in a very hot dry skillet until the skin blisters and blackens in spots.
It's likely not ripe enough -- plantains need to be yellow with significant black spotting to fry up sweet and golden; green or barely-yellow plantains will just fry starchy and pale.
Per serving (420g / 14.8 oz) · 4 servings total
Ask our AI cooking assistant anything about this recipe — substitutions, techniques, scaling.
Chat with AI Chef →Join the conversation
Sign in to leave a comment and save your favourite recipes
Have feedback or need help?
We read every email and reply within 1–2 business days.
© 2026 MyCookingCalendar. All rights reserved.
