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Epic Vegetarian Feijoada

I’ve been fortunate to have lovely Brazilian friends who’ve invited me to many barbecues over the years. While the food at a Brazilian barbecue is mostly meat-heavy, this classic bean dish was always present.

I’m excited to bring you a vegetarian twist on the iconic Brazilian feijoada — an incredibly flavorful black bean stew that’s sure to fill your belly and warm your soul! 🙂

vegan black bean stew (feijoada)

📝 The ingredients for this black bean stew

For this black bean stew, I’ve used simple ingredients that are pretty easy to find in most supermarkets, and I daresay most countries:

  • Black beans: I used 250 grams of dried black beans, soaked for 24 hours before cooking.
  • Bay leaves: to season the black beans, I added 3 bay leaves to the cooking water.
  • Bell peppers: 1 red bell pepper and 1 green bell pepper, which I roughly chopped before roasting.
  • Carrot: along with the peppers, I roasted 1 large carrot, which was peeled and roughly chopped.
  • Sweet potato: as part of the roasted vegetables, I also included 2 medium-sized purple sweet potatoes.
  • Olive oil: I used about 5 tablespoons of olive oil for the whole recipe—2 tablespoons for roasting the vegetables and 3 tablespoons for the sauté.
  • Onion: to start the base of this stew, I used 1 onion, finely chopped.
  • Green chili pepper: for a bit of a spicy kick, I included 1 small green chili pepper. I chose to remove the seeds and mince the pepper because I didn’t want the stew to be extremely spicy. Additionally, biting into a piece of chili can be unpleasant, so mincing it helped distribute the flavor more evenly throughout the dish.
  • Tomato: to deglaze the pan and add richness to the stew, I added 1 tomato.
  • Soy sauce: this isn’t typical in a traditional Brazilian stew of course, but since this is a vegetarian recipe, I added 2 generous tablespoons of soy sauce for an umami boost.
  • Spices: to add even more flavor to the stew, I used two spices: paprika and ground black pepper.
  • Smoked tofu: the traditional Brazilian stew gets its smoky flavor from the meat, so to replicate that, I added 180 grams of smoked tofu. I froze the tofu in advance and then left it to thaw in the fridge the night before.
  • Mushroom mix: to give the feijoada some texture and flavor, I added a mix of mushrooms—oyster, brown (cremini), and white button—totaling 250 grams. I roughly chopped the mushrooms, except for the oyster mushrooms, which I shredded like pulled jerky.
  • Broth: I used 3 cups of the water from cooking the beans to make the broth for the feijoada.
  • Salt: In total, I used about 2.5 teaspoons of salt in different parts of the recipe, but it should be adjusted to individual preference.
  • Fresh parsley: for a touch of freshness, I added about 12 grams of chopped parsley at the end.

👨🏻‍🍳 How to make this black bean stew

To keep things simple, I divided this recipe into three parts: the first is cooking the black beans and thawing the tofu, the second is roasting the vegetables, and the third is actually preparing the stew.

Cooking the black beans

cooking the black beans

So, before I cooked the black beans, I soaked them for roughly 24 hours. Soaking speeds up the cooking process and helps with digestion.

The night before, I also took the tofu out of the freezer and let it defrost slowly in the fridge.

Freezing tofu creates tiny pockets in its structure that soak up marinades and seasonings more effectively after it has been thawed, resulting in richer flavors. It also gets a different texture which makes it very interesting in this feijoada.

Anyway, once the black beans were soaked, I boiled them in plenty of water along with 3 bay leaves, and 1 generous teaspoon of salt. The cooking time varies, but it usually takes at least 60 minutes in a standard pot, being much quicker in a pressure cooker. Taste until they are tender and soft.

Roasting the veggies

before the veggies were roasted
the veggies after being roasted

I started by roughly chopping the bell peppers, the carrot, and the sweet potatoes, and placing them in a bowl, which allowed me to evenly season the veggies.

So I drizzled in 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkled in about 1/2 teaspoon of paprika, 1/3 teaspoon of ground black pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Then, using my hands, I mixed everything until the vegetables were well coated with the seasoning.

Finally, I spread the seasoned veggies onto a baking tray and roasted them in a preheated oven at 180°C/356ºF for 30-40 minutes, until they were tender and golden.

Preparing the stew

While the beans were cooking and the veggies were being roasted, I started preparing the base of the stew.

prepping the base of the feijoada
after adding the mushrooms and the tofu

In a warm pot with 3 tablespoons of olive oil, I added the chopped onion and sautéed it until it was soft and golden. Next, I tossed in the green chili pepper and let it sweat and soften as well.

Then, I added the chopped tomato and sprinkled 1 teaspoon of salt. I like to add salt at various stages of a recipe, especially in a stew like this, because it helps to enhance the natural flavors of the earlier ingredients, like the onion and tomato.

I stirred everything to evenly distribute the salt and let the tomato cook down, allowing it to release its moisture and reduce slightly. Once that was done, I added the mushroom mix and smoked tofu, followed by the soy sauce, paprika, and ground black pepper.

After mixing everything well to incorporate the seasonings, I sauteed the mushrooms and tofu, making sure the mushrooms softened and reduced in size.

after adding the roasted veggies
After adding the beans and cooking the feijoada for 40 minutes

Next, I added the oven-roasted vegetables and the cooked black beans to the pot (along with 3 cups of the cooking water). I seasoned the mixture again with salt and ground black pepper to taste, stirred it well, and let it simmer for another 40 minutes. This allowed the flavors to meld together while the stew thickened a bit.

vegan black bean stew (vegetarian feijoada)

Finally, after tasting the seasoning one last time, I turned off the heat and garnished the stew with some chopped fresh parsley for an extra depth of flavor.

💬 Questions people ask

Can I use canned beans instead of dried ones?

Yes! Use about 500 grams of cooked beans. Also, I included the bean cooking water, so you’ll need to substitute it with vegetable broth or, if that’s not possible, just water. Add one or two bay leaves to the sauté, and taste as you go to adjust the seasonings. 🙂

I can’t find purple sweet potato! What now?

Purple sweet potatoes aren’t easy to find everywhere, so you can swap them with another variety if needed. I’d go for yellow-fleshed sweet potatoes since I’m not a big fan of the orange ones and feel they’d work better in this dish.

What can I serve alongside the feijoada?

I love to serve feijoada with simple white rice, farofa, and a vinaigrette salad, Brazilian style.

Does this feijoada contain glúten?

Yes, this recipe contains gluten because I used soy sauce, which typically includes wheat. You can substitute it with tamari to make the recipe gluten-free.

How do I store the leftovers?

Store the stew in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 or 4 days, or freeze it for up to 3 months.

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vegan black bean stew (feijoada)

Epic Vegetarian Feijoada


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  • Author: Alexandre Valente
  • Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
  • Yield: 56 people 1x
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Description

One of Brazil’s most iconic dishes – Feijoada! Hearty, rich, and bursting with flavor, this version is inspired by the traditional feijoada but with a 100% vegetarian twist. It’s the ultimate comfort food, made wholesome and satisfying without any meat!


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 250 grams of black beans, dried
  • 3 bay leaves
  • salt (1 + 1/2 + 1 tsp)
  • 1 small red bell pepper, roughly chopped
  • 1 small green bell pepper, roughly chopped
  • 1 large carrot, roughly chopped
  • 2 medium purple sweet potatoes, roughly chopped
  • 5 tablespoons olive oil (2 + 3 tbsp)
  • paprika (1 + 1 tsp)
  • ground black pepper (1/3 + 1/4 tsp)
  • 1 medium onion, minced
  • 1 small green chili pepper, finely chopped
  • 1 medium tomato, finely chopped
  • 250 grams of mushrooms (1/3 oyster mushrooms, 1/3 brown cremini mushrooms, 1/3 white button mushrooms)
  • 180 grams of smoked tofu, frozen
  • 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
  • 3 cups of the bean cooking water
  • 12 grams of fresh parsley, finely chopped

Instructions

Preparing the beans and tofu

  1. Soak the black beans for 24 hours or overnight, changing the water halfway through if necessary (note 1).
  2. Thaw the tofu.
  3. Wash and drain the beans and cook them in a pot with plenty of water, 3 bay leaves, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook until tender and soft (60+ min).

Roasting the vegetables

  1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC (356ºF).
  2. In a bowl place the bell peppers, carrot, and sweet potatoes and season with 2 tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/3 tsp ground black pepper, and 1/2 tsp salt. Mix well.
  3. Spread the seasoned vegetables onto a baking tray and roast for 30-40 minutes, until tender and golden.

Preparing the stew

  1. In a pot, heat 3 tbsp of olive oil and sauté onion until soft and golden. Add the green chili pepper and allow it to sweat and soften.
  2. Add the tomato and 1 tsp of salt. Stir and let it cook down until it releases its moisture.
  3. Add the brown and white mushrooms cut into pieces, the shredded oyster mushrooms, and the thawed smoked tofu cut into cubes. Season with soy sauce, 1/2 a tsp of paprika, and 1/4 a tsp of ground black pepper. Sauté until the mushrooms release their inner umami flavors and soften (notes 2 and 3).
  4. Then add the roasted vegetables and cooked black beans along with 3 cups of the cooking water. Season with more salt and black pepper to taste, if needed. Let the feijoada simmer for 40 minutes until the broth has thickened (note 4).
  5. Turn off the heat and garnish the feijoada with finely chopped parsley. Wait roughly 10 minutes until it has cooled down then serve with a side of white rice, farofa, and vinaigrette salad.

Notes

  1. If you are unable to soak dried black beans, you can always use about 500 grams of canned beans that have already been cooked.
  2. I froze the smoked tofu beforehand and left it to thaw in the fridge the night before. But if there isn’t time for this preparation, you can, of course, skip this step.
  3. For a gluten-free version, use tamari instead of soy sauce.
  4. If you use canned beans, you won’t have the water from cooking the beans, which can be replaced with vegetable stock or water, followed by adjusting the seasoning.
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: Brazilian

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vegan black bean stew (vegetarian feijoada)

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