Arroz de Feijão is a traditional Portuguese rice dish which combines kidney beans, peppers, onions, garlic, passata, and short grain rice. This delicious rice is perfect for when you want a side dish that’s more elaborate than your usual white rice. Although typically served with fried fish, it goes well with everything, and it’s absolutely delicious on its own too. For the vegetarian, it’s also one of the few Portuguese dishes that’s naturally vegetarian. Keep reading to learn how to make authentic Portuguese Rice with Beans.
Authentic Portuguese Rice with Beans
To make an authentic Portuguese Arroz de Feijão you will need the basic ingredients used in almost all Portuguese rice dishes. That is onions, peppers, garlic, bay leaf, olive oil, tomatoes, white wine, short grain rice, and fresh parsley. The unique and rather unusual ingredient is kidney beans called feijão encarnado in Portugal. Traditionally, the dried beans are cooked from scratch, as they have better texture and flavour than tinned beans.
Portuguese Rice with Beans – The Traditional Way
When making a traditional Portuguese Arroz de Feijão the first step is to sweat the chopped onions, peppers, and garlic with some extra virgin olive oil, you then add passata and tomato concentrate to create a paste that will be the base of your rice. The next step is to add the beans, cooked and drained, the short grain rice, a bay leaf, and a splash of white wine. Once the alcohol evaporates, you cover everything with lots of vegetable stock and cook for about 30 minutes over low to medium heat until the rice is cooked through but still moist.
It’s important not to over stir the rice in the process so it doesn’t release too much starch remaining moist but not as cohesive as risotto. That’s what the Portuguese call ‘arroz malandrinho’. This Portuguese Bean Rice is usually served steamy hot with lots of fresh parsley sprinkled on top!
Arroz Carolino – Portugal’s Creamy Short Grain Rice
For most Portuguese rice dishes, the rice used is Arroz Carolino, which is a locally grown short grain rice that’s rich in starch and great at soaking up the flavour of other ingredients. Carolino rice is widely available in Portugal, but for my international readers, you can always use Arborio rice, or other short grain rice available to you! That applies to basically all of my Portuguese rice recipes. I’m sure this recipe will taste delicious with any variety of rice, but tradition calls for short grain rice.
How to Make Portuguese Rice and Beans
Arroz de Feijão – How to Make Portuguese Bean Rice
8
servings10
minutes40
minutes315
kcalArroz de Feijão is a traditional Portuguese rice dish which combines kidney beans, peppers, onions, garlic, passata, and short grain rice.
Ingredients
1 Small Red Pepper – diced
1 Large Onion – diced
5 Garlic Cloves – minced
2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tbsp Tomato Concentrate
200 g Passata
400 g Kidney beans – cooked, drained
1 Bay Leaf
80 ml Dry White Wine
400 g Short Grain Rice
1.5 l Vegetable Stock
Fresh Thyme
Salt
Pepper
Fresh Parsley
Directions
- Place a large pot over medium heat, add in the olive oil, diced onions, and peppers. Let it sweat for about 5 minutes or until it softens. Push them to the side, add in the minced garlic, and cook for another minute.
- Stir in the passata and tomato concentrate, let it cook for 2 minutes.
- Add in the kidney beans (pre cooked and drained), the rice, and a bay leaf, sautée for another 2 minutes.
- Deglaze with the white wine, once the alcohol evaporates, add in the vegetable stock. Season with black pepper and salt to taste, then bring it to a boil.
- Reduce to a simmer, let it cook undisturbed over low to medium heat for about 30 minutes or until the rice is cooked through but still moist.
- Serve with lots of chopped fresh parsley, enjoy!
Notes
- If it feels like too much liquid has evaporated while the rice is cooking, you can add another splash of water or stock.
- You can serve it with a range of dishes, from grilled veggies to fried fish, chicken, beef, or pork.
Have you tried my Arroz de Feijão Recipe? Let me know in the comments! I will love to hear from you!