Five Easy-To-Make Latin Recipes

Five Easy-to-Make Latin Recipes For Your Busy Schedule

Everyone has such a busy schedule these days, whether that’s with school, work, family, and much more. However, that is no excuse to not consume delicious food every day. 

To help you out, here are five easy-to-make latin recipes that are easily doable with your busy schedule.

Tacos

While this seems like an overdone choice, tacos are extremely popular because of both how tasty they are and how easy they are to make. After the basics, you can add all the extra items and ingredients that make your taco yours. 

This recipe will only take about 20 minutes to make.

The ingredients you are going to need for tacos are:

1 lb of ground beef

1 packet of taco seasoning

1 box of crunchy hard shells OR 1 bag of soft flour tortillas

2 cups of shredded lettuce

1 ½ cups of shredded cheddar cheese

Anything else you would want! (salsa, avocado, sour cream)

There are only 2 steps into making the perfect taco:

1. First, cook your ground beef in a skillet and add your seasoning.
2. Then, take your shell/tortilla and add your meat inside along with any toppings you enjoy

One Pot Rice and Beans

This is also a classic latin dish that many are familiar with, but it is relatively easy to make and tastes awesome. This could be a dish on its own or added to something else as well. This dish only requires one pot, making your life much easier! 

This will take about 30 minutes.

The ingredients needed are: 

1 cup of rice

2 cups of pinto or black beans

½ cup of chopped onions

1 clove of garlic

1 chopped green pepper

2 cups of vegetable broth

1 can of diced tomatoes

Here are the steps:

1. Heat some oil in a saucepan and add your onions, peppers, and garlic, occasionally stirring for 2-3 minutes. Add any seasonings you would like (cumin, paprika, oregano)
2. Next, stir in the rice then cook for 2 minutes and add the tomatoes, broth, and beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low cover and simmer until the rice is cooked al dente, which usually takes about 20 minutes.
3. Enjoy!

Mangu

Mangu is a classic Dominican meal that is both a creamy and delicious take on mashed plantains. This is a super easy dish to make for breakfast with the family or as a side dish to add some texture to your meal. 

This will take about 20 minutes to make.

The ingredients are:

3 green plantains

¾ tsp of salt

½ cup of water

2 tbsp of butter

½ cup of red onions

1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar

The steps are very simple:

For the Mangu

1. Peel the plantains and divide each into 2
2. Add the plantains into a pot of boiling water and cover until they are tender
3. Remove the plantains from the water and mash them up until they are smooth with few to no lumps
4. Mix in butter and water and keep mashing till smooth

For the Onions

1. Add onions, vinegar, and salt. 
2. Heat up a tbsp of oil and add onions and stir for 2-3 minutes

Lentil Soup

This soup dish is both nutritious and relatively easy to make. While this takes a little bit longer to make, it is a perfect way to use ingredients you have lying around the house. 

It takes about an hour to make.

The ingredients:

¼ cup olive oil

1 chopped onion

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

4 minced garlic cloves

2 tsp ground cumin

1 large can of diced tomatoes

1 cup of brown or green lentils, rinsed

4 cups of vegetable broth

2 cups of water

Black pepper and salt

1 cup chopped fresh collard greens or kale

1 to 2 tbsp of lemon juice

½ tsp dried thyme

The steps are:

1. Warm olive oil in a pot over medium heat and add the chopped onion and carrots for about 5 minutes
2. Add the garlic, cumin, curry powder, and thyme. Cook until fragrant while stirring constantly, about 30 seconds. Pour in the diced tomatoes and cook for a few more minutes, stirring as needed
3. Pour in the lentils, broth, and water. Add 1 teaspoon salt and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Raise heat and bring the mixture to a boil, then partially cover the pot and reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer for 25 to 30 minutes
4. Transfer 2 cups of the soup to a blender. Fasten the lid and purée the soup until smooth. Then, pour the puréed soup back into the pot. 
5. Add the chopped greens and cook for 5 more minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in 1 tbsp of lemon juice

Paella-Style Pasta

The last recipe is Paella Style Pasta. Paella is an extremely popular dish among Latinos, typically made with rice. This recipe gives all the flavor of Paella but with a twist of pasta. 

It is super simple to cook and only takes about 30 minutes to make.

The ingredients are:

3 tbsp olive oil

1/2 of chopped onion

5 cloves of garlic chopped

1/2 green bell pepper chopped

1/2 red bell pepper chopped

1 tsp sweet smoked Spanish paprika

1 cup tomato sauce 

3 cups vegetable broth

1/2 cup canned lima beans

1/4 tsp saffron threads

2 cups of uncooked penne pasta 

pinch of sea salt and dash of black pepper

handful finely chopped parsley

1 lemon

The steps are:

1. Heat a large frying pan with oil and add your onion, pepper, and garlic and mix for 5 minutes
2. Add in your paprika and tomato sauce. Once your sauce has thickened, add 3 cups of vegetable broth, cooked lima beans, and saffron threads and mix until boiling.
3. Add your pasta and stir for 9 minutes and sprinkle parsley and lemon on top for a nice finishing touch.

All these recipes are super simple to make and will not add any more stress onto the workload you have been carrying. Treat yourself and enjoy one of these simple easy to make latin recipes!

For more latin recipes to try, you can look here.