Guide
Budget Latin recipes, cheap Mexican and Latin American meals
Filling everyday food from a handful of pantry staples, sorted by what stretches furthest.
Cheap Latin American cooking runs on the same short list of staples: eggs, dried beans and lentils, potatoes and yuca, rice, corn, plantains and bone-in chicken. Every one of them is easy to find in a US or UK supermarket, and the dishes below turn them into full meals that usually cover more than one dinner. Across our recipes, the thing that actually pushes the bill up is what goes on top or alongside: cheese, crema, chorizo and beef.
So this guide is sorted by the staple, not by country. Each section explains why the dish is cheap, what makes it expensive and how to turn what's left into tomorrow's meal: Sunday's pot of beans becomes Tuesday's enfrijoladas, yesterday's rice becomes a Colombian calentado, and strained broth from a caldo de pollo becomes sopa de fideo in 30 minutes.
Three habits apply everywhere: buy bone-in thighs and drumsticks rather than breast, cook dried beans instead of opening cans when you have the time, and go easy on the cheese. Short on time as well as money? See our quick Latin dinners. Feeding a crowd? Try the Latin party food guide.
One week from two big pots
Two afternoons at the stove cover most of the week. The timings and yields come from the recipes themselves.
- Sunday. A pot of frijoles de la olla, Mexican pot beans: 1.1 lb (500 g) of dried beans makes 8 servings. Alongside it, a caldo de pollo with bone-in legs for 6 big bowls.
- Monday. Beans in their broth with Colombian white rice (1 cup of raw rice gives 4 side servings) and cheese arepas or corn tortillas.
- Tuesday. Sopa de fideo, toasted noodle soup, made with the leftover strained broth in 30 minutes.
- Wednesday. Enfrijoladas, tortillas in a sauce of blended beans, or refried beans with eggs.
- Thursday. Calentado with Monday's rice and beans, chilled within 2 hours, topped with a fried egg.
- Whatever's left. Freeze the beans in their broth: they keep their best quality for 3 to 4 months.
Eggs, the cheapest breakfast or supper
Eggs are the cheapest and fastest protein on this page, and they usually need only what's already in the kitchen: a tomato, an onion and a tortilla or arepa. Colombian huevos pericos, scrambled with tomato and scallion, take 15 minutes for 4; Mexican huevos a la mexicana, with chile in the same base, take 20. Chorizo and eggs stretch further with diced potato browned in the chorizo fat, so the same chorizo feeds one or two more people for very little money.
In a soup, an egg goes even further. Colombian egg soup is a cheap, light bowl of one egg and about 4 oz (115 g) of potato per person, and Venezuelan pisca andina is a milk-and-water broth with potato and a poached egg, done in 20 minutes; there the cheese on top can cost as much as the rest of the soup. Leftovers: stale tortillas and leftover salsa make chilaquiles verdes another morning, and spare sauce from huevos rancheros, thinned with a little broth, works for chiles rellenos.
BreakfastHuevos Pericos, Colombian Scrambled Eggs with Scallions
Huevos pericos are Colombian scrambled eggs cooked into a quick tomato and scallion base, so they stay juicy and never watery. Ready in 15 minutes for 4, with the Venezuelan perico, US and UK onion swaps, scaling for 20, cost and storage.
BreakfastHuevos a la Mexicana, Mexican Scrambled Eggs Recipe
Huevos a la mexicana are Mexican scrambled eggs with tomato, onion and serrano chile, ready in 20 minutes for 4 and never watery. How long to cook the tomato, a kid-friendly mild version, US and UK swaps and what to serve with them.
BreakfastChorizo and Eggs, Mexican Huevos con Chorizo Recipe
Chorizo and eggs the Mexican way, raw chorizo crumbled and fried in its own fat, then soft-scrambled with eggs and served with beans and tortillas. 20 minutes for 4, with how much grease to pour off, UK swaps and tacos for 12.
BreakfastHuevos Rancheros Recipe with Homemade Ranchero Sauce
Huevos rancheros recipe with a cooked tomato-serrano ranchero sauce, oil-dipped corn tortillas that stay whole and eggs your way, in 30 minutes for 4. Yolk timing by the minute, beans or not, US and UK swaps and a brunch plan for 8.
SoupsColombian Egg Soup, with Ribbons Instead of Lumps
Colombian egg soup with potato, scallion and cilantro, and beaten egg poured in a thin stream at about 180°F. That is the temperature where it sets into ribbons rather than curds, and it is the only minute that matters.
BreakfastPisca Andina, Venezuelan Andean Breakfast Soup Recipe
Pisca andina is the Venezuelan Andean breakfast soup of potatoes, scallions, milk and water with eggs poached right in the pot, 20 minutes for 4. How to keep the milk from splitting, which cheese won't go stringy and safe egg timings.
Beans and lentils, one pot for half the week
Dried beans give the most food for the money of anything here. A pound, 1.1 lb (500 g) to be exact, makes 8 servings of frijoles de la olla, 8 side servings of refried beans or enough for about 50 tostadas. A pound of Venezuelan black beans gives 6 generous servings that keep 4 days in the fridge and get better as they sit. Colombian lentils with chorizo need no soaking, cook in 70 minutes and are, as that recipe puts it, the cheapest full plate of protein on the stove.
With beans, the cost isn't the beans but the pork or chorizo that goes in, so cut the meat before you cut the beans. Cooked from dry, they also beat cans on price and flavor. Leftovers: blend Sunday's beans with their broth for enfrijoladas, one of the cheapest ways to turn leftover beans into a meal; spread refried beans on molletes, Mexico's answer to cheese on toast; and fry yesterday's beans and rice into a calentado in 20 minutes.
VeganFrijoles de la Olla Recipe, Mexican Pot Beans with Epazote
Frijoles de la olla are Mexican pot beans simmered with onion, garlic and epazote, 1 lb (500 g) of dried beans for 8 bowls in 2 hours. Soak or not, when to salt, stovetop, pressure cooker, Instant Pot and slow cooker times, cost.
LunchRefried Beans, Mexican Recipe From Scratch or From a Can
Refried beans are Mexican beans cooked once and fried once in lard with their own broth, ready in 2 hours plus an overnight soak for 8 servings. Pinto or black, how loose to make them, better canned beans, vegan swaps and freezing.
LunchVenezuelan Black Beans With a Touch of Panela
Caraotas negras, the Venezuelan black beans cooked with a sweet pepper sofrito and finished with a little panela. What really toughens beans, how much time soaking saves and how to thicken them without any flour.
LunchColombian Lentils with Chorizo
Colombian lentils with fresh chorizo, potato and carrot, cooked from dry with no soaking and with the tomato held back until minute 55. Why acid toughens lentils and salt does not, and which lentil to buy. Six bowls in 70 minutes.
BreakfastEnfrijoladas Recipe, Corn Tortillas in Black Bean Sauce
Enfrijoladas are corn tortillas dipped in a smoky blended black bean sauce, folded over queso fresco and topped with crema and onion. Ready in 30 minutes for 4. The sauce ratio, canned vs dried beans, sodium, swaps and cost.
BreakfastMolletes Recipe, Mexican Bean and Cheese Toast
Molletes recipe for Mexican bean and cheese toast, with bolillo rolls toasted in butter at 400°F (200°C) before the beans go on. Serves 4 in 30 minutes, with air fryer times, cheese swaps and a brunch plan for 20.
BreakfastColombian Calentado, Yesterday's Beans and Rice
Calentado paisa: leftover beans and rice fried with chorizo until a crust forms, topped with a fried egg and an arepa. The 2-hour rule, the 165 °F reheat and why Colombians cook extra beans on purpose.
Potatoes and yuca, filling for very little
Potatoes fill a plate for very little and take almost any shape. For papas chorreadas, Colombian potatoes in a tomato, onion and cheese sauce, 2.2 lb (1 kg) feeds 4 as a main, and plain white potatoes are cheaper than baby golds. Mexican potato patties are potato, egg and breadcrumbs, and the cheese is the only pricey part. Colombian stuffed potatoes wrap a little seasoned meat, rice and egg in mashed potato, so a small amount of meat goes a long way.
Yuca, also sold as cassava, works the same way. It comes peeled and frozen in the Latin freezer aisle in the US and in African and Caribbean shops in the UK. For fried yuca, freeze boiled, cored sticks weeks ahead and fry them straight from frozen; Colombian bollo de yuca is boiled, ground yuca simmered in corn husks and eaten with salty white cheese. Leftovers: cold mashed potatoes from the fridge shape better than fresh, which makes them the base for stuffed potatoes and potato patties.
LunchPapas Chorreadas, Colombian Potatoes in Cheese Sauce
Papas chorreadas are Colombian boiled potatoes under a tomato, scallion, cream and melted cheese sauce, ready in 40 minutes for 6 sides. Which cheeses melt, how to keep the sauce from splitting, US and UK potato swaps and reheating.
LunchMexican Potato Patties, Tortitas de Papa with Cheese
Mexican potato patties, or tortitas de papa, are cheesy mashed potato cakes with a molten Oaxaca center and a thin golden crust. Skin-on russets, cool mash and 350°F oil keep them whole. Makes 12, plus tomato broth and air fryer versions.
SnacksColombian Papas Rellenas, Stuffed Potato Balls Recipe
Colombian papas rellenas are russet mash wrapped around beef in tomato sofrito with rice and egg, battered and fried at 350°F (175°C). Makes 12 in 2 hours, with a freezer plan, air fryer method, party quantities and US cost.
DinnerCreamy Mashed Potatoes, Made Ahead for a Latin Christmas
Creamy mashed potatoes made with floury russets or Maris Pipers, started in cold salted water and mashed by hand so they never turn gluey. How much to make for 6, 12 or 20, how to make them the day before Nochebuena and reheat them soft.
SnacksFried Yuca, How to Make Crispy Yuca Fries from Scratch
Fried yuca, or yuca fries, is cassava boiled in salted water until it splits, then fried at 350-355°F (175-180°C) until crisp. Fresh vs frozen, peeling, safety, air fryer, oven, freezing and US cost. 90 minutes, 6 servings.
BreakfastBollo de Yuca, Colombian Cassava Rolls Boiled in Corn Husks
Bollo de yuca is boiled cassava ground hot with salt, wrapped in corn husks and simmered 45 minutes until firm. Makes 8 rolls in 115 minutes, with frozen yuca, dried husks or foil, the anise and cheese versions, safety and storage.
Rice, the base that stretches any meal
One cup of raw rice makes about 21 oz (600 g) cooked, 4 side servings. Colombian white rice, toasted in oil with scallion before the water goes in, is the everyday version; Mexican red rice cooks in a blended tomato base, and Mexican green rice in poblano, cilantro and spinach, with the purée counted as part of the 2 cups of liquid. In one-pot rice dishes, the protein sets the price: Colombian rice with sausage also works with half the sausage, and in Colombian chicken and rice, bone-in legs are the budget option and make the best stock.
Leftovers: chill cooked rice within 2 hours in shallow containers and use it within 3 to 4 days. Day-old rice is the right rice for frying because the grains have dried and won't clump, which is why a calentado and Colombian fried rice start from it, and rice with sausage has a 15-minute weeknight version made with cold cooked rice.
LunchColombian White Rice, Toasted and Fluffy
Colombian white rice starts by toasting the grains in oil with a whole scallion, then a 1:2 ratio and a lid that goes on at one exact moment. The three points that decide whether it comes out fluffy or gluey, in 30 minutes.
LunchMexican Rice From Fresh Tomatoes, Fluffy and Never Mushy
Mexican rice the way it is made in Mexico, with fresh tomato blended into the cooking liquid and the grains toasted pale gold first. Serves 4 in 50 minutes, with a rice cooker method, amounts for 12, US and UK swaps and safe storage.
LunchMexican Green Rice (Arroz Verde), Bright Green and Fluffy
Mexican green rice made with raw poblano, cilantro and spinach blended into the cooking liquid, so it stays grass green and the grains stay separate. Serves 4 in 45 minutes, with rice cooker steps, amounts for 12 and safe storage.
LunchColombian Rice with Sausage, One-Pot Arroz con Salchicha
Colombian rice with sausage is yellow annatto rice cooked in a tomato sofrito, with browned hot dogs steamed on top for the last 12 minutes. 1 to 2 rice-to-water ratio, 52 minutes for 6, plus a 15-minute leftover-rice version.
LunchColombian Chicken Rice, Authentic Arroz con Pollo
Colombian arroz con pollo with shredded chicken and rice cooked in the chicken's own poaching stock. Ready in 75 minutes for 6 servings. Cups and grams, supermarket swaps, what it costs at US prices and how to store it safely.
Corn, tortillas and arepas
Masa harina, the nixtamalized corn flour for tortillas, and the precooked cornmeal for arepas are the cheap part of the meal; what goes inside or on top is what costs. Homemade corn tortillas work out at under 3 cents each at US prices, and a kilo of masa harina makes about 80. Colombian cheese arepas get most of their cost from the cheese, so for a cheaper plate try the thin, barely salted arepa paisa, eaten with butter or next to beans, or Venezuelan arepas split and filled with whatever you have. Shaped raw arepas freeze for up to 3 months and go straight into the skillet.
Corn tortillas also make whole cheap meals: entomatadas, tortillas in a cooked tomato sauce, take 35 minutes, and crispy tacos dorados are filled with potato. Leftovers: day-old tortillas cut into wedges and fried become the chips for chilaquiles verdes, where slightly dry tortillas work better than fresh ones; the tomatillo salsa is cheap anywhere, and the cheese, crema and eggs are what add up.
SnacksHomemade Corn Tortillas with Masa Harina, Soft, No Cracks
Homemade corn tortillas from 2½ cups (300 g) of masa harina and 1⅔ cups (400 ml) of hot water, pressed to 5 inches and cooked with three flips. Makes 24 in 60 minutes, with the crack test for the dough and how to press them with no press.
BreakfastColombian Cheese Arepas, the 30-Minute Breakfast
Colombian cheese arepas made with masarepa, queso fresco in the dough and mozzarella melted inside. Ready in 30 minutes for 4 large arepas. Which corn flour actually works, which US cheeses melt, dough troubleshooting and freezing.
BreakfastArepa Paisa, Thin Colombian White Corn Arepas
Arepa paisa is the thin, plain white corn arepa from Medellín and Antioquia, griddled dry and eaten with butter and cheese. Makes 8 in 45 minutes, with the right flour, a no-crack dough, pressing between plastic and reheating.
BreakfastHow to Make Arepas, the Venezuelan Griddle and Oven Method
How to make arepas the Venezuelan way, with pre-cooked corn flour, warm water and salt, seared 5 minutes a side and baked at 350°F (180°C). Makes 8 in 50 minutes. Why masa harina fails, fillings, freezing and a crowd plan.
LunchEntomatadas Recipe, Corn Tortillas in Fresh Tomato Sauce
Entomatadas are corn tortillas flash-fried, dipped in a simple cooked tomato sauce and folded over queso fresco with crema and onion. Ready in 35 minutes for 4. Fresh vs canned tomatoes, fillings, US and UK swaps and cost.
LunchTacos Dorados, Crispy Potato Tacos Folded or Rolled
Tacos dorados, or crispy folded potato tacos, are corn tortillas filled with cold mashed potato and fried at 350°F (175°C) until hard. Makes 16 in 80 minutes, with rolled, baked and air fryer versions, US and UK swaps and a freezer plan.
BreakfastChilaquiles Verdes Recipe, Crisp or Soft by the Minute
Chilaquiles verdes recipe with a reduced tomatillo salsa and homemade chips that stay crisp, ready in 45 minutes for 4 plates. Timing for crisp or soft, baked vs fried chips, UK tomatillo swaps and amounts for 8 to 20.
Plantains, green or ripe
Plantains, the big starchy cousins of the banana, are side dish and meal at once, and in a US supermarket they usually sit next to the bananas; a Latin or Asian market is the safer bet for truly green ones. Green, they make Colombian patacones and tostones, both twice-fried, and Colombian plantain soup, where the plantains are cheap and the beef ribs are the cost; meaty soup bones work too and cost less. Black-ripe, they make fried sweet plantains, three ingredients and half an hour, and the Venezuelan plantain cake, which serves 12 as a side.
Leftovers: patacones keep 3 days in the fridge and come back in a 400 °F (200 °C) oven or air fryer for 5 minutes, never in the microwave. Flattened after the first fry, they freeze for up to 2 months and fry from frozen, and the hogao, the tomato and scallion topping, keeps 4 days and goes on an arepa the next morning.
SnacksColombian Patacones with Hogao, Twice-Fried Green Plantains
Colombian patacones are tostones with a job to do, fried twice at 330 and 355 °F and topped with hogao, a scallion and tomato sauce cooked for 20 minutes. Why the plantain must be green, two oil temperatures, US swaps and a 45-minute plan.
SnacksTostones, Twice-Fried Plantains with Garlic Salt Water
Caribbean tostones are twice-fried green plantains dipped in garlic salt water between the fries, which is the step that seasons them past the surface. How thick to press them, how long to dip and how they differ from patacones.
SoupsColombian Plantain Soup (Sopa de Plátano) with Short Ribs
Colombian plantain soup is a thick beef short rib broth with green plantain, one grated and two broken by hand, ready in 2 hours for 6 bowls. How to peel plantains, stop them browning, US and UK swaps, scaling and freezing.
SnacksFried Sweet Plantains, Venezuelan Tajadas Step by Step
Fried sweet plantains the Venezuelan way, long ⅜-inch (1 cm) diagonal slices of black-skinned plantain fried at 350°F (175°C). Serves 4 in 30 minutes, with air fryer and oven versions, ripeness signs, US cost and reheating.
LunchVenezuelan Plantain Cake, Torta de Plátano with Cheese
Venezuelan plantain cake layers fried black-ripe plantains, salty white cheese and a cane sugar syrup, set with 4 eggs at 350°F (180°C). Serves 12 in 2 hours in an 8x12-inch pan, with US and UK cheese swaps, make-ahead and freezing.
Bone-in chicken, the meat that goes furthest
In a braise, the cheap cut is also the right one: thighs and drumsticks stay juicy through a long simmer, while breast dries out. In Colombian stewed chicken the recipe calls for 2.2 lb of bone-in thighs, which sit at the bottom of the price range in most US supermarkets; in chicken in salsa verde, bone-in thighs and drumsticks need 30 minutes in the sauce, reheat well and cost far less than breast. The same goes for Colombian sudado de pollo, a tomato and potato braise served over rice, and for chicken tinga: every 2.2 lb (1 kg) of chicken makes about 18 tostadas.
For shredding, a whole bird costs less per pound than boneless breast and leaves a carcass for stock. Leftovers: shredded roast chicken fills a reina pepiada arepa the next day, and any leftover poached or rotisserie chicken goes into green chicken enchiladas, where the salsa and chicken can be made the day before.
LunchColombian Stewed Chicken With Hogao and Potatoes
Pollo guisado: bone-in chicken thighs browned, then braised in a Colombian hogao of tomato, onion and annatto with potatoes. Why thighs beat breast, the browning that makes the sauce and safe temperatures.
LunchChicken in Salsa Verde, Mexican Tomatillo Chicken Stew
Chicken in salsa verde is bone-in chicken and potatoes simmered in tomatillo and serrano sauce, ready in 65 minutes (40 hands-on) for 6. How to keep it from tasting sour, slow cooker and Instant Pot times, UK swaps, scaling and freezing.
LunchSudado de Pollo, Colombian Chicken Stew in Its Own Juices
Sudado de pollo is the Colombian chicken stew where raw bone-in legs cook covered in their own juices with tomato, potatoes and yuca. Ready in 75 minutes for 6, with how much water to use, sudado vs stewed chicken, Instant Pot and costs.
LunchChicken Tinga, Smoky Chipotle Shredded Chicken for Tostadas
Chicken tinga is shredded chicken thighs in a tomato, sliced onion and chipotle sauce from Puebla, ready in 60 minutes for 18 tostadas. Thighs or breast, heat level, UK chipotle swaps, crowd amounts and freezing.
LunchLatin Roast Chicken, Whole Bird with a Mojo-Style Marinade
Latin roast chicken is a 4 lb (1.8 kg) bird rubbed under the skin with garlic, cumin and sour orange, then roasted at 400°F (200°C) to 165°F. Serves 4 with potatoes in the same pan, plus minutes per pound, carving and a plan for 20.
LunchGreen Chicken Enchiladas with Tomatillo Salsa Verde
Green chicken enchiladas the Mexican way, with a fried tomatillo and serrano salsa and corn tortillas dipped in hot oil for 10 to 15 seconds a side. 12 enchiladas for 4 in 55 minutes, a baked version for 12, and UK swaps.
Soups that feed a crowd
A pot of soup is the cheapest way to feed a lot of people. Mexican caldo de pollo, with bone-in legs and big pieces of vegetable, makes 6 bowls that are a full meal, and the only swap that really changes it is using breast instead of legs. Colombian sancocho, with hen, green plantain, corn and yuca, makes 8 bowls. Among the soups with little or no meat, Colombian squash soup gets its thickness from the squash and one potato rather than flour or cream; mote de queso is a silky Caribbean soup of yam and salty cheese; and cuchuco de trigo builds its body from cracked wheat and pork neck bones.
Colombian chicken giblet soup uses gizzards, hearts and livers, among the cheapest protein in the poultry case; save the bag from each whole chicken in the freezer until you have enough. Leftovers: strained broth from any big pot makes sopa de fideo in 30 minutes, and the noodles are the cheapest thing in it. Caldo, cuchuco and plantain soup all freeze; mote de queso doesn't.
SoupsCaldo de Pollo, Mexican Chicken Soup with Vegetables
Caldo de pollo is Mexican chicken soup, bone-in legs simmered with corn, carrots, potato, chayote and zucchini, ready in 90 minutes for 6 bowls. Which cuts to buy, a clear broth, US and UK swaps, Instant Pot, costs and freezing.
SoupsSopa de Fideo, Mexican Noodle Soup in a Toasted Tomato Broth
Sopa de fideo is Mexico's everyday noodle soup: thin pasta toasted amber in oil, then simmered in a fried tomato broth, 30 minutes for 4 bowls. Noodle swaps, the bouillon sodium trap, a kid version, cost and reheating.
SoupsColombian Sancocho de Gallina, the Hen and Plantain Soup
Colombian sancocho de gallina, the Valle del Cauca soup of stewing hen, green plantain, corn, yuca and culantro. Ready in 140 minutes for 8. Hen or chicken and what changes, US swaps for every root, why the broth goes thin, storage.
SoupsColombian Squash Soup, Crema de Ahuyama with Butternut
Colombian squash soup, crema de ahuyama, is a savory blended soup of squash, potato, scallion and chicken stock, thick with no flour. Ready in 55 minutes (28 hands-on) for 6 bowls, with butternut and kabocha swaps and a freezer plan.
SoupsColombian Mote de Queso, Yam and Cheese Soup
Mote de queso from Colombia's Caribbean coast: white yam boiled until it thickens its own broth, with cubes of salty cheese added at the end. Which yam to buy, which cheese holds its shape and why halloumi works.
SoupsCuchuco, Colombian Cracked Wheat and Pork Soup
Cuchuco de trigo is the thick cracked-wheat soup of Boyacá, built on pork neck bones, favas and two kinds of potato. What cuchuco actually is, what to buy instead abroad, and why the grain goes in at minute 60.
SoupsColombian Chicken Giblet and Rice Soup
Gizzards, hearts, livers and necks simmered into a rice soup, each giblet added on its own clock. How to clean a gizzard, why the liver goes in for the last 6 minutes only and what to do with the bile sac.
Frequently asked questions
What are the cheapest Mexican meals to make at home?
Anything built on beans, eggs and corn tortillas: frijoles de la olla with rice, enfrijoladas, entomatadas, huevos a la mexicana, chilaquiles verdes from day-old tortillas and sopa de fideo. Homemade corn tortillas cost under 3 cents each at US prices.
What are some cheap Latin American meals beyond Mexican food?
From Colombia, lentils with chorizo, papas chorreadas, patacones, stewed chicken with rice and calentado. From Venezuela, black beans, arepas and pisca andina.
Are canned beans cheaper than dried?
No. Dried beans cooked from scratch cost less and taste better; cans are the fast weeknight option. A pound of dried beans gives about 6 cups cooked, and two 15-oz cans give roughly what 8 oz of dried beans does.
Which cut of chicken is best on a budget?
Bone-in thighs and drumsticks. They cost less than breast, stay juicier in braises and soups, and make better broth. For shredded chicken, a whole bird gives more meat per dollar and a carcass for stock.
How can I make a recipe cheaper without ruining it?
Trim the expensive extras before the base: less cheese and crema on top, less chorizo or bacon in the beans, more potato and less chorizo in chorizo and eggs, and thighs instead of breast.
Which of these dishes keep or freeze well for meal prep?
Beans and lentils keep 4 days in the fridge and improve overnight; pot beans freeze for 3 to 4 months in their broth. Caldo de pollo, cuchuco and plantain soup freeze well, and shaped raw arepas and corn tortillas both freeze for up to 3 months. Cooked rice should go in the fridge within 2 hours and be used within 3 to 4 days.