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Brazilian

Feijoada

Non-vegetarian

Brazil's celebrated black bean stew, slow-cooked with smoked sausage, bacon and pork until the beans are creamy and the broth deep and dark.

Feijoada is a Brazilian stew, ready in about 3 hours 25 minutes and made with black beans (dried), pork shoulder and chorizo. It serves 8 and is rated intermediate to cook.

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Prep
25 min
Cook
3 h
Total
3 h 25 min
Serves
8
Level
Intermediate
Calories
573

Plus soaking the beans overnight.

Ingredients

8 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Put the soaked beans, pork shoulder (opens in a new tab), bay leaves (opens in a new tab) and water in a large pot. Bring to a boil, skim, then simmer partly covered for 1½ hours.

    Food safety: Dried beans must boil properly and cook until fully tender.

  2. Step 2

    Meanwhile fry the bacon (opens in a new tab) in the oil in a frying pan until golden, add the chorizo (opens in a new tab) and brown lightly, then add the onion (opens in a new tab) and garlic (opens in a new tab) and cook until soft.

    • 12 min
    • medium heat
    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Scrape everything into the bean pot and simmer for another hour, stirring occasionally, until the beans are very soft and the broth is thick. Add water if it gets too dry.

    • 60 min
    • low heat

  4. Step 4

    Mash a ladleful of beans against the side of the pot to thicken the stew. Season with salt and pepper (opens in a new tab) and remove the bay leaves (opens in a new tab).

    • 3 min
    • low heat
    Potatoes being mashed
    How it looks · Photo: Mateusz Feliksik on Pexels

  5. Step 5

    For the greens, toss the shredded kale (opens in a new tab) in a hot pan with a spoonful of fat skimmed from the stew for 2–3 minutes, until bright green and just wilted. Serve the feijoada with white rice (opens in a new tab), the greens and orange (opens in a new tab) slices.

    • 5 min
    • high heat

About this dish

Origin
Brazil · Well documentedThe popular story that it was invented by enslaved people from discarded cuts is widely repeated but questioned by historians; it likely descends from Portuguese bean-and-meat stews.Also popular in PortugalMore food from Brazil
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Stews & braises · Main courses
Cooking method
Simmered, Stewed
Taste
savoury, smoky, rich, earthy
Diet
No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Beef-free · High-protein
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
One-pot · Festive & celebration · Batch cooking · Freezer-friendly · Make-ahead
Cook more with
Black beans (dried) · Pork shoulder · Chorizo · Bacon · Onion · Garlic
Techniques
Boiling · Simmering · Stewing

Allergens

  • May contain: Sulphitesfrom chorizo

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

573 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 523 g · recipe makes 8

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 22%
  • Carbohydrate 31%
  • Fat 48%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy573 kcal110 kcal
Protein31.6 g6 g
Carbohydrate43.9 g8.4 g
Net carbohydrate33.6 g6.4 g
Sugars2.6 g0.5 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre10.3 g2 g
Fat30.4 g5.8 g
Saturated fat9.4 g1.8 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol76 mg15 mg
Sodium876 mg168 mg
Salt equivalent2.2 g0.4 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
1304 mg
Calcium
138 mg
Iron
4.5 mg
Magnesium
137 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
4 µg
Vitamin C
3 mg
Vitamin D
1.6 µg
Vitamin B12
1.2 µg
Folate (DFE)
286 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: long-grain white rice, orange, kale.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Like most stews, feijoada is better the day after it is made.

Common mistakes

  • Salting early before tasting — the cured meats release plenty of salt.

Serve with

  • Serve with farofa (toasted cassava flour) and a caipirinha.

Food safety

  • Cook fresh sausage and pork through (71 °C).
  • Cool the stew in shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours.

Storage

  • Refrigerate up to 4 days or freeze up to 3 months.

Reheating

  • Reheat gently with a splash of water, stirring so the beans don't catch.

Variations

  • Feijoada completa (Brazil): A festive spread with many cuts of salted and smoked pork served separately.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2, 5

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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