This is a Brazilian inspired recipe for white bean stew. Bean and rice are present in every meal in Brazil, okay, except breakfast. In this recipe instead of the traditional pinto beans I used white beans.
In Brazil, like many Latin American countries, rice and bean (arroz e feijão) is a basic in almost every meal…Brazilians eat beans for lunch and dinner, and it is mainly served with rice. The most used bean for the everyday meal is a bean very similar to pinto beans, but the Brazilian national dish called “feijoada” which is a stew made with beef, pork, it uses black beans.
Since it is an everyday dish, you can imagine how many recipes for making beans is available, every person has their personal touch to the everyday “feijão”…well, I am sharing with you a very simple recipe that I have been using for ages, and again, feel free to adapt to your own taste, make it vegetarian, meaty…use black beans, pinto beans, kidney beans but please make sure to not skip the bay leaves…they give this dish an exceptional flavor…you can make it thicker or soupier, with or without garlic…
You can soak or not, use pressure cooker, slow cooker, thermos cooker or just on the stove…you just need to make sure that the beans are cooked through.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups dried beans, any type
- 5 cups cold water
- 1 to 2 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 strips of bacon, finely cut (optional, skip for vegetarian version)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
Wash the beans and soak overnight.
Rinse the beans and place them in a pot with water and the bay leaves. Cook the beans according to your preference.
Once the beans are cooked, in another pot drizzle the olive oil and sauté the bacon (optional), garlic and onion until slightly golden brown and fragrant.
Add the beans together with all of the liquid. Increase the heat to medium. You can smash some beans on the side of the pan with your wooden spoon, to make a thicker bean sauce if you desire a thicker stew.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve together with rice
If you enjoy this Brazilian simple white bean stew recipe, please check HERE for more Brazilian Inspired recipes.
Did you know that beans are an excellent source of protein, very low in fat and exceptionally high in fiber? They are also a very good source of calcium, iron, folic acid and potassium.
