Girl Meets Fire

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Traditional Puerto Rican Classics
  • About me
  • Subscribe

subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • Traditional Puerto Rican Classics
  • About me
  • Subscribe

×
Home » Recipes

Main Course

Hearty, flavor-packed meals that bring Puerto Rican cooking to the center of the table. From saucy stews to roasted meats and weeknight-friendly skillet dinners, these recipes make any meal feel special. Try Chuletas Fritas, Instant Pot Pernil, or Biftec Encebollado served with rice.

  • Two plates of eggplant lasagna were served on a table with the casserole near the plates.
    Lasaña de Berenjena, Puerto Rican Eggplant Lasagna
  • Overhead view of Puerto Rican arroz con habichuelas (rice and beans) in glass bowl and two white bowls with avocado slices and peach peonies.
    Arroz con Habichuelas (Puerto Rican Rice with Beans)
  • Overhead view of two bowls of white bean chicken chili served on green plates with bread slices on a cutting board, and flowers arranged on an orange cloth.
    White Bean Chicken Chili
  • Overhead view of a single bowl of plantain soup with a cream swirl, bread slice on the rim, and wooden spoon on a blue napkin.
    Sopa de Plátano (Plantain Soup)
  • A fork full of Pernil with a large serving bowl, avocados, dinner rolls, and small serving bowls with meat on the background.
    Instant Pot Puerto Rican Pernil (Pork Roast)
  • Overhead view of Puerto Rican ropa vieja (shredded beef stew) with white rice, stewed beans, and tomato slices, on a plate.
    Ropa Vieja (Shredded Beef Recipe)
  • Plates of biftec encebollado with onions, avocado, and yuca served family-style.
    Biftec Encebollado (Puerto Rican Steak and Onions)
  • Close-up of a roasted chicken thigh served with guineos en escabeche, cherry tomatoes, and a side of macaroni salad partially visible.
    Puerto Rican Pollo Asado, Oven-Roasted Chicken
  • Close-up of shrimp and scallop stew over white rice, black beans, and fried sweet plantain, with a side of avocado and extra stew in the background.
    Quick Shrimp and Scallop Stew
  • Whole Puerto Rican fried red snapper on a plate with tomato sauce, lemon slices, and plantains.
    Puerto Rican Fried Red Snapper, Chillo Frito
  • Close-up of Puerto Rican chicken paella with bone-in chicken thighs, longaniza sausage, pigeon peas, and sliced plantains, garnished with fresh cilantro in a large paella pan.
    Puerto Rican Chicken Paella with Sausage and Plantain
  • Close-up of Seafood Pomodoro pasta with linguine, topped with culantro gremolata and shredded Parmesan in a white bowl.
    Seafood Pomodoro Pasta with Linguine
  • Caldo santo served in a bowl with tostones.
    Caldo Santo, Puerto Rican Coconut Seafood Soup
  • Red Dutch oven filled with chicken in a stew-like broth with vegetables and rice. Serving bowls are placed near the pot.
    Asopao de Pollo, Puerto Rican Chicken and Rice Soup
  • A plate of chuletas (pork chops), white rice, navy beans, and sliced tomatoes.
    Chuletas Fritas, Puerto Rican Fried Pork Chops
  • a closeup of the Cochinita all shredded and bathing in its juices
    Cochinita Pibil. The Way This Puerto Rican Makes It.
  • Pizza fresh out of the oven
    Steak, Mushroom, And Gorgonzola Pizza
  • Close up of roasted vegetable bisque in a bowl with shredded asiago cheese and culantro chiffonade
    Roasted Vegetable Bisque, an Incredibly Soul Soothing Recipe
  • Bowl of butternut squash bisque garnished with cooked shrimp.
    Shrimp and Butternut Squash Bisque
  • Bowl of Caldo Gallego served in bowls.
    Caldo Gallego, Galician Broth
  • A plate of beer braised short ribs
    Tender and Lucious Dutch Oven Red Wine Braised Short Ribs
  • Sancocho served in two bowls, with the large Dutch oven full of the soup and raw vegetable ingredients decorating the table.
    Sancocho, Puerto Rican Stew
  • A bowl of picadillo with pieces of green olives, onions, capers, and pimentos mixed throughout.
    Puerto Rican Picadillo
  • Green Tomatillo Chicken Enchiladas
    Green Tomatillo Chicken Enchiladas, Guaranteed to Amaze!
  • Crispy Roasted Chicken
    Amazing, Crispy, Roasted Chicken with Apples, Dates, and Bacon
  • Puerto Rican Bacalao a la Vizcaina
  • pinchos served with potato salad and collard greens
    Pinchos de Cerdo, Puerto Rican Pork Kabobs
  • Pasta bowl with chicken chorizo stew and white rice.
    Chicken and Chorizo Stew
  • A hand holding a bowl full of carne guisada.
    Carne Guisada, Puerto Rican Beef Stew
  • Plate with seared lamb chops and serving tongs.
    Pan-Seared Lamb Loin Chops
  • Green Dutch oven filled with cooked arroz con pollo. There is a wooden spoon resting on the handle of the Dutch oven as well as a black kitchen towel on the other handle.
    Puerto Rican Arroz con Pollo, Chicken and Rice
  • A slice of pastelón plated on a plate with the skillet with pastelon in the background.
    Sweet Plantain Lasagna (Pastelón)
Woman holding a wooden spoon and smiling in a kitchen with hanging utensils and a vase of flowers on the counter.

Hola! I'm Zoe. I love all things food and enjoy cooking. I created this site to reconnect with my Puerto Rican heritage while living in the United States. This is a great place to reconnect if you are floating in the diaspora. I would love to hear from you!

About Zoe →

Puerto Rican Christmas

  • Close-up of low-carb polvorones broken open on a terrazzo surface showing their tender crumb, with more cookies and a pink bowl in the background.
    Low-Carb Polvorones
  • Hand holding a peanut butter chocolate chip blondie broken in half to reveal a dense, chewy interior with visible chocolate chips, pecans, and peanut butter pieces, with a full tray of cut blondies on parchment paper in the background.
    Peanut Butter Blondies
  • Three stacked panetela de guayaba bars on a gray plate showing the guava paste layer, with a blue linen and striped wood cutting board in the background.
    Puerto Rican Guava Cakes (Panetela de Guayaba)
  • Overhead view of Puerto Rican arroz con habichuelas (rice and beans) in glass bowl and two white bowls with avocado slices and peach peonies.
    Arroz con Habichuelas (Puerto Rican Rice with Beans)
  • Cooked gandules (pigeon peas) with split skins draining in wire mesh strainer over a stainless steel pot.
    Gandules (Pigeon Peas)
  • Arroz con gandules covered with banana leaves, served alongside carne frita on a holiday table.
    Arroz Con Gandules Recipe (Puerto Rican Rice and Pigeon Peas)
See more Christmas Recipes →

Popular Recipes

  • A plate of polvorones cookies with three semi-stacked cookies on top of the table resting in front of the plate.
    Puerto Rican Polvorones (Shortbread Cookies)
  • A blue and white dessert plate with a slice of bread pudding and caramel sauce on top of it.
    Budín de Pan (Puerto Rican Bread Pudding)
  • Close-up of a roasted chicken thigh served with guineos en escabeche, cherry tomatoes, and a side of macaroni salad partially visible.
    Puerto Rican Pollo Asado, Oven-Roasted Chicken
  • Close-up of shrimp and scallop stew over white rice, black beans, and fried sweet plantain, with a side of avocado and extra stew in the background.
    Quick Shrimp and Scallop Stew
  • A fork full of Pernil with a large serving bowl, avocados, dinner rolls, and small serving bowls with meat on the background.
    Instant Pot Puerto Rican Pernil (Pork Roast)
  • A hand holding a white bowl of funche topped with a dab of butter.
    Funche, Puerto Rican Grits

I’d love to hear from you! Did you try this recipe? Leave a review and rating below. Let’s connect on Instagram, and don’t forget to join my weekly email list for fresh new recipes.

Footer

Get new Puerto Rican recipes in your inbox every week!

Subscribe
↑ back to top

Explore

  • About Me
  • Firestarter Planner
  • Subscribe and eBook
  • Media Kit
  • Portfolio

About

  • Contact
  • Cookie Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of service
  • Accessibility Statement

Copyright © 2025 Girl Meets Fire LLC • Powered by Feast+ • This website contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on a product link, we may receive a commission in return. Girl Meets Fire LLC participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

.