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Meat, Americas

Feijoada with rice

Feijoada is a Brazilian stew of black beans slow cooked with salt pork, smoked sausage and chorizo. For 4 people, it takes about 2 hours 30 minutes, has a medium difficulty level, and costs around €4 per person. The key to success is soaking the beans overnight and letting everything simmer gently so the flavors have time to come together.

Tonight it's a big Brazilian style table with feijoada, black beans slow cooked with smoky pork and all the fixings.

Feijoada with rice
Total time
2 h 30
Difficulty
Medium
Cost per person
€4.00
Calories per person
770 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Fall, Winter
The kids
They generally like it

Feijoada is the kind of dish that fills your whole kitchen with the smell of smoke and warm spices for hours. The black beans turn creamy as they simmer, the meat falls apart on its own, and the broth, thickened with a few mashed beans, gets an almost velvety texture. You serve it all with white rice to soak up the juices, green cabbage for freshness, and farofa for that essential toasted crunch.

This is typically a relaxed Sunday dish, the kind you start in the early afternoon and let simmer while you do other things. Kids usually go for the sausage and rice, while the spicier chorizo tends to stay with the adults. If you're having people over, it's also a smart choice since it holds up well ahead of time and reheats without losing any flavor.

The ingredients

4 people

Pantry

  • Dried black beansoften in the pantry 400 g
  • Bay leavesoften in the pantry 2
  • Riceoften in the pantry 250 g
  • Manioc flouroften in the pantry 100 g
  • Oiloften in the pantry 3 tbsp
  • Saltoften in the pantry 1 pinch
  • Pepperoften in the pantry 1 pinch

Butcher

  • Salt pork belly 300 g
  • Smoked sausages 4
  • Chorizo 150 g

Fruits and vegetables

  • Onions 2
  • Garlic 4 cloves
  • Green cabbage 1
  • Oranges 2

Dairy

  • Butter 30 g

The step by step recipe

  1. Soak the beans overnight, then cook them with the bay leaves in unsalted water. 1 h

    Add salt only at the end of cooking, salt toughens the beans' skin.

  2. Add the pork belly cut into large chunks, the sausages and the chorizo, and let everything simmer gently. 1 h

    The salted meat already adds seasoning, taste before adding more salt.

  3. Sauté the onion and garlic in oil, add a ladle of mashed beans and stir it back into the pot. 10 min

    Mashing some beans thickens the broth without adding any starch.

  4. Cook the rice, then sauté the shredded cabbage in oil with garlic. 12 min

    Slice the cabbage into thin strips, it cooks in two minutes and stays green.

  5. For the farofa, toast the manioc flour in butter, then serve everything with orange wedges. 5 min

    If you can't find manioc flour, use breadcrumbs toasted in butter instead.

Our tips to get it right

  • Use black beans from the current harvest if you can find them, they cook faster and stay firmer after two hours of simmering.
  • Never salt the beans at the start of cooking, the salt pork and smoked sausage already bring plenty of seasoning to the dish.
  • Let the feijoada rest off the heat for a few minutes before serving, the beans finish soaking up the broth and the texture rounds out nicely.

The variations

  • Swap the chorizo for smoked bacon if you want a milder, less spicy flavor.
  • For a vegetarian version, skip the meats and use a smoky vegetable broth with smoked paprika to keep that characteristic smoky taste.
  • To save time, use canned black beans that are already cooked and cut the simmering time to 40 minutes, adding the meats right away.

What to serve it with

  • Fresh orange wedges
  • Lemony tomato salad
  • Cold tropical fruit juice

Storage

Feijoada keeps for 3 days in the fridge in an airtight container. It freezes very well for up to 2 months, and the flavor actually improves a bit. Reheat gently over low heat, adding a splash of water if the broth has thickened too much.

Questions about this dish

Can you make feijoada ahead of time?

Yes, it's actually recommended. The dish tastes even better after resting overnight in the fridge, you just need to reheat it gently before serving.

Do you really need to soak the black beans?

Soaking overnight makes the cooking more even and the dish easier to digest. You can skip it in a pinch, but plan on a longer cooking time.

What can replace manioc flour for the farofa?

Breadcrumbs toasted in butter give a similar texture and crunch. The flavor will be a bit less traditional but still enjoyable.

What kind of sausage works best for feijoada?

Classic smoked sausage works great, as long as it's smoky enough to flavor the whole broth. Avoid overly fatty sausages that would weigh down the dish.

How long does it take to make a feijoada with rice, green cabbage, farofa and oranges?

Count 2 h 30 in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “medium”.

How many calories are in a feijoada with rice, green cabbage, farofa and oranges?

About 770 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does a feijoada with rice, green cabbage, farofa and oranges cost?

About €4.00 per serving, or €16.00 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains none of the major allergens tracked by Mon Chou. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

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