This Brazilian feijoada recipe is the perfect combination of comfort and flavor all in one dish! With a combination of black beans and meat over rice, it’s a dish to be enjoyed over and over again.
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About ten years ago, we were invited over to a couple’s house for dinner. The husband had served his mission in Brazil and made us this delicious black bean and sausage stew – Brazilian feijoada.
We loved it so much that a couple of days after we had dinner with them, my husband decided we needed to have it again and came up with his own easy feijoada recipe that uses bacon, sausage, black beans, and rice. Unlike traditional feijoada that often takes hours to make, this is a quick and easy version that still gives you all of the same flavors but in way less time!
It’s honestly one of my favorite dishes these days, right up there with pizza loaf, and that’s saying a lot! So much that my husband makes it for all of the big days – birthday, Mother’s Day, and more!
It’s hearty without feeling too heavy and has just the right amount of flavor!
What is Feijoada?
Before I get into the feijoada recipe, Brazilian feijoada is a traditional Brazilian stew made with beans and a variety of meats. It’s often served with oranges and white rice. It’s so popular it’s actually the National Dish of Brazil!
Our version uses black beans, bacon, and smoked sausage along with a variety of spices and broth to create a delicious pot of flavorful stew that everyone will love.
Authentic feijoada is often slow cooked for hours but my family doesn’t normally have hours, so we’ve created a quicker version that still incorporates the same flavors and ingredients without all the hours of cooking!
Ingredients in Feijoada
Here are all of the ingredients you’ll need for this easy feijoada recipe! One of the best parts of this is that except maybe the meat, you probably have all of these things right under your roof already. It’s the perfect use up your pantry meal!
- Olive oil – you could also use avocado oil but try to stay away from any other oils that might flavor your dish.
- Bacon – cut these into 1/2 inch pieces.
- Smoked sausage – we typically use smoked pork but you can use beef as well, cut this into 1/4 inch rounds. Save the rest to use later in the week in this sausage jambalaya recipe!
- Canned black beans – don’t drain, you’ll use everything from the can in this black bean stew.
- Chicken broth – chicken broth, chicken stock, or chicken bone broth works, we typically use one with reduced sodium since the other ingredients are already pretty salty.
- Spices – garlic powder, bay leaves, dried oregano, and salt make up the seasonings in this feijoada recipe!
Don’t forget the rice
Feijoada is traditionally serve with rice and that’s how we eat it too – over rice. How you make your rice doesn’t matter, but this is the best Instant Pot basmati rice ever.
How to make Feijoada
This isn’t called an easy feijoada recipe for nothing! The traditional stew is more time-consuming than this, but we’ve condensed it down into a few steps and a much shorter timeline.
Same great flavors, less time in the kitchen! This is the condensed version of the recipe – make sure to read the full thing in the recipe card with all the measurements and details. There’s also a video there you can watch to see step by step how it’s made if you’re more of a visual person!
- Heat a large pot over medium heat, then add the olive oil and heat.
- Once the olive oil is hot, add the cut bacon and sauce and cook until brown and crispy.
- Add the black beans and cook for a minute.
- Add the chicken broth and spices then bring to a boil.
Once it’s boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until it reaches your desired consistency. I personally like it to be thicker but if you want it more soupy, go for it!
You could eat it just as the stew right out of the pot, but we like to serve it over white rice alongside orange slices and this creamy lemonade (kind of like Brazilian lemonade).
And if you have any leftover rice, this ham fried rice recipe is an amazing way to use cold rice!
How to store this Feijoada recipe
Just refrigerate any leftovers you have in an airtight container and eat within five days. Ours has never actually lasted that long, I always eat it within a day or two!
Reheat by placing your serving in an oven safe dish, putting it in the cold oven, preheating to 350 degrees, and just letting the dish warm up with the oven! If it’s still not warm when it reaches 350 degrees, stir everything together, then put back in the oven for another 3-5 minutes or until it reaches the desired temperature!
Helpful Tips
If you simmer the feijoada too long and it gets thicker than you want, add a little chicken broth to thin it out.
Start with a small portion the first time you eat this. The feijoada is pretty filling and a little goes longer than you probably think. You can always get more, but I recommend a smaller portion to start!
Don’t use pre-cooked bacon. As tempting as it might be, make sure your bacon is uncooked and a thick cut. You want that bacon grease in the stew to help make things crispy and to add flavor!
Recipe FAQs
Can I make feijoada ahead of time?
You can definitely make feijoada ahead of time – I actually prefer it on day two because the flavors have had even more time to mix together. Just cook it according to the recipe then store the stew (separate from the rice) in the fridge in an airtight container. When you’re ready to serve, add the stew back to the stove and heat back up to serve over rice!
Can you freeze feijoada?
While I typically don’t freeze this feijoada because it’s so easy to remake, you can freeze it. Put the black bean stew in a freezer safe container or bag and freeze for up to three months. When you’re ready to eat, just dump the stew into a sauce pot and reheat, adding extra broth as necessary.
Easy Feijoada Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked basmati rice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 6 strips of bacon cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- ½ pound smoked sausage sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
- 1 15 oz black beans do not drain
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Cook the rice however desired.3 cups cooked basmati rice
- Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add olive oil and heat.1 tablespoon olive oil
- Add the bacon and sausage and sauté until brown and crispy, about 4 minutes.6 strips of bacon, 1/2 pound smoked sausage
- Add the can of black beans and cook for 1 more minute.1 15 oz black beans
- Add the chicken broth, garlic powder, bay leaves, oregano, and salt. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low.1 cup chicken broth, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 3 bay leaves, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, salt to taste
- Simmer for 15 minutes or until desired thickness.
- Serve hot over rice.
Tips & Notes:
Nutrition Info
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