Portuguese Feijoada Recipe (2024)

by Maria Campos

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This is a staple plate in Portugal. This is the type of food that “avós” — grandmas — of all Portugal cook for a regular weeknight meal. A Portuguese feijoada is the most comforting meal that you can ever make with cheap and easy to find ingredients.

Portuguese Feijoada Recipe (1)

Feijoada is a “simple” plate that was created by the poor Portuguese families that only had grains, vegetables and pork meat as the main source of food. This is an all you have in the fridge + some beans (black, red or white beans) + some sort of meat (sausages in this case).

“Feijoada” comes from the word “feijão”, which mean beans. This plate is basically a thick beans soup.

Usually, it is served with a big plate of plain white rice or with some bread. The goal is that the rice absorbs the juices of the feijoada and the flavor.

Portuguese Feijoada Recipe (2)

This plate has a homey feel bite after bite. You can taste the heritage and the Portuguese culture through this plate.

A traditional Portuguese feijoada has three major ingredients that are the secret for a real traditional result:

  • The pork: You can choose ears, ribs, shoulder or a simple sausage.
  • The beans: The traditional like to use red pinto beans. But you can mix with other beans as long as the red beans are the bigger portion of the mix.
  • The bay leaf: This is where the flavor is. You can add other ingredients, even make swaps with the pork and make a vegetarian feijoada. But if you don’t use a bay leaf while simmering you will never get that rich broth.

Usually, this plate includes some type of “green”. It can be cabbage (the most traditional), turnip greens or spinach (the option that I use for this recipe).

Portuguese Feijoada Recipe (3)

If you like this traditional Portuguese recipe maybe you will like these too:

Portuguese Francesinha sandwich

Pasteis de nata (custard tart)

Bolo do caco (sweet potato bread)

Portuguese tuna tart

I see you in the next recipe 🙂

Portuguese Feijoada Recipe (4)

4.65 from 14 votes

Portuguese Feijoada Recipe (5)

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Portuguese Feijoada Recipe

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

25 mins

This is a staple plate in Portugal. This is the type of food that “avós” --- grandmas --- of all Portugal cook for a regular weeknight meal. A Portuguese feijoada is the most comforting meal that you can ever make with cheap and easy to find ingredients.

Course:Main Course

Cuisine:Portuguese

Keyword:feijoada, portuguese food,

Servings: 3 people

Ingredients

  • 1onion cut into dices
  • 1carrot cut into dices
  • 1medium potato cut into dices
  • 1stalk of celery cut into small pieces
  • 1Portuguese chorizo(note 1)
  • 1medium can420 gr red pinto beans (with the liquid of the can)
  • ½can210 gr white beans drained.
  • 2cupsfresh spinach
  • 1garlic clove minced
  • 1tbsptomato paste
  • 1cupof meat broth(note 2)
  • 1cupwater
  • 1bay leaf
  • 1tspthyme
  • Sprinkle of pepper
  • 1tspolive oil

Instructions

  1. In a big sauté pan over medium heat pour the olive oil and cook the chorizo cut into slices. Remove the chorizo from the pan when it is semi-crispy and has released its natural oil. That’s the key for the flavor.

  2. Toss the onion and after a couple minutes add the garlic and cook until the onion is almost transparent.

  3. Toss the carrot, the potato, the celery and the tomato paste. Stir well.

  4. Add the red pinto beans (with the liquid), the white beans, the chorizo and the spinach. Pour the meat broth and the water. Season with the bay leaf, thyme, and pepper (note 3). Simmer for about 15 minutes over medium heat.

  5. Remove the bay leaf and serve with some fluffy white rice.

Recipe Notes

  1. If there is no way you can get Portuguese or Spanish chorizo you can use a good quality pork sausage.
  2. You can also use a meat bouillon cube and add a cup of water, instead of meat broth.
  3. I don’t add extra salt to this recipe because the chorizo and the meat broth have enough salt for me. But you can add a little bit of salt if you feel it’s needed.

Portuguese Feijoada Recipe (6)

Maria Campos

I’m Maria and I love cooking—and mostly EATING—food from all around the world. I’ve been sharing my abuela’s secret Latin-American recipes for the last 7 years with the world on this blog. I’ve been a full-time food blogger for many years and I’m always trying new delicious meals that don’t require a culinary degree or a Michelin-star chef. I also love traveling, cats, and knitting.

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Portuguese Feijoada Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between Brazilian and Portuguese feijoada? ›

The word 'feijão' means beans in Portuguese. While the Portuguese used the cream-coloured feijão-fradinho (black-eyed bean), in Brazil it's the black beans that get a thumbs-up.

Is feijoada eaten in Portugal? ›

Feijoada is a common name given to dishes from Portuguese-speaking countries such as Portugal, Brazil, Angola, East Timor, Mozambique, and Macau, where it is made from a mixture of meat and white, black or red beans, usually accompanied by rice.

What is feijoada called in English? ›

The word feijoada comes from the word feijão, which is Portuguese for beans. Feijoada is a black bean stew that is brewed with a variety of salted and smoked pork and beef products from carne-seca to smoked pork spareribs.

What is special about feijoada? ›

Food for the soul

Feijoada is typically eaten at the weekend with family or a group of friends over an extended lunch period. It's considered a comfort food and is often called “food for the soul.” Given its size and heaviness, it's a food to be eaten slowly and savored.

What is the national dish of Portugal? ›

2. Bacalhau. The national dish of Portugal, bacalhau is dried and salted codfish, which is usually soaked in milk or water before cooking. The Portuguese have been eating bacalhau since the 16th century when their fishing boats brought it back from Newfoundland.

Why is Brazilian Portuguese so different? ›

Moreover, Brazilian Portuguese followed its own evolutionary path, being influenced by the native indigenous population and foreigners such as German, Italian and Spanish-speaking immigrants. These resulted in linguistic differences in several aspects.

What is the most eaten meat in Portugal? ›

Poultry is not only the type of meat that increased the most in per capita consumption over the observed period but also the most consumed meat, with 47.2 kilograms per person. Pork is the second most consumed meat in the country, with 41.7 kilograms consumed per capita.

What do you eat with feijoada? ›

It's served with rice, collard greens, and oranges. Enjoy and celebrate the arrival of Spring showers, flowers and happiness. Traditional and hearty, Feijoada is delicious served over rice with greens and sliced oranges, especially on chilly nights. Wash the beans and soak them overnight.

What did the slaves eat in feijoada? ›

The most known story of the Brazilian feijoada says African slaves used a mixture of cassava flour and water as their primary food source. They gathered the leftover pork the Portuguese slave masters discarded, such as the legs, tail and nose, and cooked it together with black beans.

What is Brazil's national dish? ›

Feijoada, Brazil's national dish, is a stew loaded with black beans and meats of every description: smoked pork loin, bacon and sausage such as chorizo.

When should I eat feijoada? ›

"That is when they've reached maturity," Thanh says. In a greengrocer, picking a feijoa that is ready to eat is similar to picking a ripe avocado – the skin should have a bit of give when you gently squeeze it (about 2mm). "If it is still firm it needs time to ripen," Thanh says.

What if feijoada is too salty? ›

Feijoada (Black Bean Stew)

Taste & adjust spices – if it's too salty, add citrus. Alternatively you could dilute it and let it thicken up again. Serve the feijoada with rice, a spoonful of yoghurt and a sprinkling of fresh parsley or cilantro leaves.

Which country invented feijoada? ›

First documented in Recife, State of Pernambuco, feijoada has been described as a national dish of Brazil, especially of Pernambuco and Bahia, as other parts of Brazil have other regional dishes.

Is Brazilian and Portuguese food similar? ›

Having Portugal occupied the territory that today forms Brazil for more than 300 years, Portuguese culture and gastronomy was the one that most influenced the Brazilian culinary customs, but the contrary also happened: the Indigenous and Brazilian culture also influenced the Portuguese culture and gastronomy, sometimes ...

What is the difference between Boa and Bom in Portuguese? ›

Bom, is for masculine things. Boa is for feminine. You will never hear someone say "tudo boa" - never. That's because tudo is non-specific and thus, it defaults to masculine.

What is the difference between Brazilian Portuguese and Spanish? ›

The most significant difference between Spanish and Portuguese is that Portuguese has a far richer phonology, meaning it has more sounds than Spanish. For example, Spanish has only five vowels, while Portuguese has nine.

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