Colombian Bandeja Paisa

The Colombian Bandeja Paisa is a labor of love that is very much worth it. There are so many pieces to assemble, but in the end it is a culmination of all the amazing flavor Colombia has to offer.

Bandeja Paisa is Colombia’s national dish. It varies slightly on who is preparing it, but it is always a culmination of several delicious Colombian foods served together. It’s name translates to “platter from Paisa,” a region in Colombia. 

Most commonly you will find the Colombian Bandeja Paisa made with Colombian sausages, powdered beef or steak, crispy pork belly, red beans, rice, plantain, avocado, an arepa and the runny egg that brings it all together. 

To make this at home is a labor of love, which is why restaurants have perfected the Bandeja Paisa. Although it is time consuming it is not difficult and when you make dishes like this at home you can tailor them more closely to the things you love. Mine is heavy on the beans and avocado.

Each individual recipe is linked here on the recipe outline to make each component. To make the beans we are using the same pink bean recipe but using the small red central American beans. It is the same method, but the small red bean is more traditional. If you can’t find those, use kidney beans.

As is true for most of Latin America, lunch is the heaviest meal of the day. La Bandeja Paisa is the perfect meal to enjoy on a weekend lunch because it is hearty and filling. If you saved some room for dessert, have some strawberries with thick whipped cream for a sweet treat like they offer on the streets of Colombia. 

Our Tips for Making Your Colombian Bandeja Paisa

• If you have time to marinate the Pork Belly overnight, go for it! If not give it at least 20-30 minutes before you start to cook.
• You will want to start by making the pork belly first since it takes the longest. Low and slow will get that pork to become a crispy chicharron. As you have that in the oven you can work on the remaining components in the following order: Beans, sausage, rice then lastly the arepa. As everything comes together work on the last minute dishes such as the steak, slicing the avocado and finally frying the eggs.
• How long your Pork Belly will take to finish cooking, will depend on how thick your pork belly is. You want the fat to be rendered but not dried out. 
• In the last 25 minutes of cooking the pork belly you can add the sausages to cook in the same sheet pan. They will taste delicious cooking alongside the pork belly.
• For the Habichuelas: the original recipe calls for Pink Beans, but substitute it out for small central American red beans. You can also prepare The Small Central American Red Beans on the stovetop if you do not have an Instant Pot.
• You can spoon the beans onto the platter or serve up in individual bowls.
• The pork belly chicharron is the last thing to go on the platter so it doesn’t become soggy laying on top of anything. 

Below you will find our directions for making the Pork Belly and Sausages and then calling for you to assemble to platter. The remaining items of the platter can be found right below. This does take a big effort, but the meal is so worth it. It really is a collection of all the very best Colombia has to offer.

Recipes You May Need to Assemble Your Bandeja Paisa

• Habichuelas
• Palomilla Steak or Vaca Frita
• White Rice
• Maduros
• Arepas

Bandeja Paisa

Recipe by Abuelas Cuban CounterCourse: EntreeCuisine: ColombianDifficulty: Moderate

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

3

hours 

Ingredients

• 1 recipe of Habichuelas (instead of pink beans use small central American red beans)

• 1 recipe of Palomilla Steak 

• 1 recipe of White Rice

• 1 recipe of Maduros

• 1 recipe of Arepas

• 2 Colombian sausages  

• 2-4 fried eggs

• 2 to 4 strips of fresh pork belly, about 1 pound

• Avocado 

• ½ teaspoon of garlic powder

• 1 teaspoon of creole seasoning (we like Tony Chacheres)

• Salt and freshly cracked pepper

Directions

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 
  
• Place the pork belly on a lined sheet pan. Season pork belly with garlic powder, salt and seasoning all over. (If you have time you can marinate with the seasonings overnight.) Place skin side up. 
• Bake in the oven for 45 minutes. Then lower the heat to 300 degrees and bake for another 1 to 1 ½ hours. The timing will depend on how thick your pork belly is. You want the fat to be rendered but not dried out. 
• In the last 25 minutes of cooking the pork belly you can add the sausages to cook in the same sheet pan. They will taste delicious cooking alongside the pork belly.
  
• As everything becomes ready, serve on a large platter. Lastly fry up the eggs and lay it right between the beans and the rice. Then top it with the Chicharron! Perfection.