Gallo Pinto is a rice and beans casserole, traditional of Nicaragua and Costa Rica, very regularly served as a side dish and particularly enjoyed at breakfast alongside a couple of fried eggs.
Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan set over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, bell pepper and salt and cook until soft and fragrant, about 6 to 8 minutes.
Add the cooked beans, reserved cooking liquid (if using canned, add beans and liquid - do not drain) and Salsa Lizano (or Worcestershire and cumin), stirring to combine. Simmer for 5 minutes, until slightly thickened and about half of the liquid is evaporated.
Add cooked rice, stir well and continue cooking until most of the liquid is absorbed but not completely gone, about 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in chopped cilantro. Serve immediately, garnished with a few lime wedges, a little bit more chopped cilantro and a few tablespoons of chopped red onion (for added color) if desired.
Notes
*Home cooked beans are always preferred, but if there was no time for that, you could substitute a 19oz can of black or red beans in their liquid.**Salsa Lizano is said to be absolutely crucial to preserve the authenticity of the dish; if you leave it out, the flavor will simply not be traditional. You should be able to find Salsa Lizano in specialty/ethnic food stores or online. However, if you were absolutely unable to get your hands on it, your best option would be to substitute Worcestershire sauce and add about 1 teaspoon of ground cumin to the dish.***Cook time does not include time to cook beans and rice.