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Portuguese

Francesinha

Non-vegetarian

Porto's monumental sandwich: bread layered with steak, ham and sausage, covered in melted cheese and drowned in a spicy beer and tomato sauce, often crowned with a fried egg.

Francesinha is a Portuguese sandwich from Portugal, ready in about 55 minutes and made with beer, white bread and beef sirloin steak. It serves 4 and is rated intermediate to cook.

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Prep
15 min
Cook
40 min
Total
55 min
Serves
4
Level
Intermediate
Calories
756

Ingredients

4 servings

For the sauce

For the sandwiches

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    For the sauce, soften the onion (opens in a new tab) and garlic (opens in a new tab) in the butter (opens in a new tab). Add the bay leaf (opens in a new tab), tomato paste (opens in a new tab), passata, beer (opens in a new tab), stock, hot sauce (opens in a new tab) and paprika (opens in a new tab) and simmer for 20 minutes.

    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Remove the bay leaf (opens in a new tab), blend the sauce smooth and thicken with the cornstarch (opens in a new tab) slurry. Season with salt and keep hot.

    • 4 min

  3. Step 3

    Fry the steaks (opens in a new tab) quickly in the oil, then the split sausages (opens in a new tab), until browned and cooked through. If making the especial, fry the eggs (opens in a new tab) last until the whites are set.

    Food safety: Cook fresh sausage until no pink remains.

  4. Step 4

    In 4 ovenproof dishes build each sandwich: bread, ham (opens in a new tab), sausage (opens in a new tab), steak (opens in a new tab), another slice of bread. Cover the top and sides with 2 slices of cheese.

  5. Step 5

    Grill under a hot oven (opens in a new tab) grill until the cheese melts and bubbles. Top with a fried egg (opens in a new tab) if you like and pour the hot sauce (opens in a new tab) generously around and over.

    Food cooking over a grill
    How it looks · Photo: Malte Luk on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Porto, Portugal · Well documentedMore food from Portugal
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Sandwiches · Main courses
Cooking method
Pan-fried, Simmered, Broiled / grilled under heat
Taste
savoury, rich, spicy (chilli heat)
Diet
No nut ingredients · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · No nut ingredients · High-protein
Without the optional extras: Egg-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Festive & celebration
Cook more with
Beer · White bread · Beef sirloin steak · Butter · Onion · Garlic
Techniques
Broiling · Pan-frying · Simmering

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom butter, white bread, gouda
  • Contains, can be adapted: Eggsfrom white bread, egg
  • Contains: Wheatfrom white bread, pork sausage
  • Contains: Glutenfrom beer, white bread, pork sausage
  • May contain: Soyfrom white bread
  • May contain: Sesamefrom white bread
  • May contain: Celeryfrom beef stock
  • May contain: Sulphitesfrom pork sausage

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

756 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 512 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 28%
  • Carbohydrate 25%
  • Fat 47%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy756 kcal148 kcal
Protein50.3 g9.8 g
Carbohydrate46.3 g9 g
Net carbohydrate42.3 g8.3 g
Sugars10.1 g2 g
Added sugars——
Fibre4 g0.8 g
Fat38.3 g7.5 g
Saturated fat16.5 g3.2 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol164 mg32 mg
Sodium1468 mg287 mg
Salt equivalent3.7 g0.7 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
1144 mg
Calcium
431 mg
Iron
6.3 mg
Magnesium
89 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
153 µg
Vitamin C
11 mg
Vitamin D
—
Vitamin B12
2.2 µg
Folate (DFE)
—

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: egg.
  • “—” 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

  • Every Porto café guards its sauce recipe – a splash of port or brandy is a common secret ingredient.

Common mistakes

  • A thin sauce that soaks the bread to mush — thicken it until it coats a spoon.

Serve with

  • Serve with fries for dipping in the sauce and a cold beer.

Storage

  • Assemble to order; the sauce keeps 4 days refrigerated.

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

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. 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

  • Egg, fried (optional)4 piece · 200 g
Used in steps 3, 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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