Feijoada: Rice and Beans Brazilian Style With Meat

Feijoada is a traditional Brazilian meal with beans cooked with various pork sausage and beef, rice, and other side dishes. What makes this rice and beans Brazilian, is the delicious pork sausages, beef, cilantro, onions, and lots of garlic. It's a bean and pork stew like no other. The beans become soft and creamy, the sausage is salty and meaty, and the beef is succulent. The rice soaks all of this goodness right up.

On the side, you will find a variety of traditional sides, such as Couve Mineira, a delicious sauteed Kale and Bacon dish. Fried yuca fries are very traditional. Farofa is also common, which is toasted cassava flour that is sprinkled on the beans to soak up some of the liquid. Peeled and sliced oranges are also very commonly found on the table to help cleanse the palate. And of course, Pão de Queijo, the irresistible warm little cheese breads.

I have enjoyed Feijoada at my husbands family home many times, since when we first started dating almost 20 years ago. Most recently, I was able to enjoy a traditional Feijoada at Bolinho, a restaurant that is well known for this in São Paulo, Brazil (see picture below). The meal starts with the liquid from the cooked beans and meats, which is served as a soup you can sip. It continues on with pao de queijo, then the feijoada, including the bean and meat stew, rice, the couve Mineira, fried yucca, and more!

Ingredients and Swaps for Rice and Beans Brazilian Style

Fridge or Fresh Ingredients

• Garlic cloves – Fresh is best, but you can buy the pre-minced garlic in a jar to save time. You can substitute in garlic flakes or garlic powder.
• Onion, medium – Yellow or white onions are good for this recipe. You can substitute in shallots or scallions (green onions).
• Fresh Cilantro – There really is no substitute for fresh cilantro, but if you absolutely cannot get or do not want cilantro, you can use fresh parsley and a teaspoon of dried oregano.
• Chorizo – Cured and dried Portuguese or Spanish sausage is great for this recipe.
• Pork Sausage - I used a pre-cooked pork kielbasa sausage because it slices into wide slices and I can find it anywhere. You can use any pork sausage you like, such as andouille or smoked sausage.
• Beef Cubes - I used beef sirloin cubes, but you can use chuck, short rib, brisket, or shanks.

Pantry Ingredients

• Dry black beans, soaked overnight – I used a 16 ounce bag of Goya Black Beans. You can also use canned beans that have been rinsed as well. It will be approximately four 15oz cans to equal one 16 oz bag of dry beans.
• Beef or Chicken broth – You can also stock instead of broth or use vegetable broth or stock. You can also use water.
• Bay leaves - I used whole leaves that I could remove later and discard. If you don't have then, you can substitute in a teaspoon of thyme or or oregano to give more depth.
• Long grain white rice - I love to serve Brazilian Rice with this, but you can use any white rice you have and follow the package instructions.

Simple Equipment and Tools

Using a slow cooker makes this recipe so easy! If you do not already have , I HIGHLY recommend them! I love my 6-Quart Crock Pot! If you don’t have a slow cooker, you can make these in a large pot on the stove. See the recipe notes for stovetop instructions.

You will need a large skillet or large frying pan to sear the meat before adding it to the stew. This is not mandatory, but helps to give the meat a flavorful outside as well as release some of the fat and flavor. I uses my absolute favorite 12″ Ceramic Pan. It's great because food really does slide right off with minimal oil and I don’t have to worry about food sticking and burning.

I used a mini food processor for the onions, garlic, and cilantro. You can also dice and chop using a knife and cutting board.

If you prefer to dice the onion by hand and chop the cilantro, I suggest mincing garlic with a Garlic Press.

Recipe Tips for Rice and Beans Brazilian Style

Soak the dry beans the night before! I buy dry beans for this recipe and first rinse them in a strainer to rinse off any unwanted particles. Transfer the beans to a large bowl, then cover with cold water so that the water is at least 2 inches above the beans. That’s because the beans will soak up the water and expand in size. Place the bowl with beans and water in the fridge to soak the night before you plan to cook the beans.

How to Make this Feijoada Recipe

Assuming that you already soaked the dry beans (see tips above) or opened the canned beans. When ready to cook, drain the beans in a strainer and rinse with cold water.

Put the garlic, onion and cilantro with 1-2 tablespoons water in a food processor and purée it until all minced.

Slice the sausages on a bias for maximum surface.

Cut the sirloin into cubes, if not already done, and season with salt and black pepper.

Into a preheated large skillet or pan on medium-high heat, add the sliced sausage to sear and start to render the fat. Cook for 2 minutes on each side and then transfer to the slow cooker. The add the beef cubes to the pan and sear all sides. Add a cup of water to the pan and scrape up all of the brown bits from the bottom. Then pour the beef and the liquid into the slow cooker.

To the slow cooker with the meat, add the onion-garlic-cilantro mixture, the drained black beans, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Pour in enough broth to cover the beans, about 4-5 cups.

Set for 8-10 hours, depending on your schedule.

While the black beans are cooking, when you are getting ready to eat, make the rice according to package instructions. Or make my Brazilian Rice! Scoop beans over rice and enjoy as a main dish or a side to steak or sausage. Enjoy!

Stove Top or Oven Instructions

To make this Feijoada recipe on the stop top or oven, make sure that you have a large pot or dutch oven. Follow the instructions to prep the ingredients in Steps 1-3. In Step 4, you will sear the meat and sausage right in the pot you will cook everything in. You may need to do it in batches starting with the beef cubes, then transferring them to a plate. Then searing the sausage and then adding the beef back.

Then add everything to the pot the same way as with the slow cooker. On the stove top, bring the contents to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 1.5 to 2 hours or until the beans are tender. Or place the covered pot in the oven at 400 F degrees for 2 hours or until the beans are tender.

Feijoada: Rice and Beans Brazilian Style FAQs

How can I use canned beans?I used a 16 ounce bag of Goya Black Beans. You can also use canned beans that have been rinsed as well. It will be approximately four 15oz cans to equal one 16 oz bag of dry beans. Cooking instructions are the same for the slow cooker. For the stove top or oven, you may be able to reduce your cooking time, as long as the beef cubes gets tender enough. If you use chuck or brisket, it may require the full 2 hours for them to get tender.

How should I store Feijoada and how long will it lastThese black beans and meat will last 5-6 days in the fridge in a sealed airtight container. To reheat, you can warm them on the stove on medium heat for 15-20 minutes. You can warm them in the oven at 400 F degrees for 20-30 minutes. Or you can warm them in the microwave for 2-3 minutes depending on the quantity.

Can I freeze the beans and meat stew?These cooked Brazilian black beans and meats freeze beautifully. Just portion them out into freezer bags or freezer-safe airtight containers. You can store them in the freezer for up to 6 months. To reheat, you can place in the fridge overnight to thaw and then warm on the stove or in the microwave.