recipe
Feijão Preto: Brazilian Black Beans from Canned Beans
A practical stovetop adaptation of Brazilian black beans using two cans, garlic and bay. Mash a small scoop of beans to make the broth cling to rice.
Uses fully cooked canned beans.
About 4 side servings (estimated)
Ingredients and method
About 4 side servings (estimated)
Planning estimate: 30–40 min · Easy. Uses fully cooked canned beans.
Timing guide: Allow 5–10 minutes to prepare ingredients, about 5 minutes for the aromatics and 15–20 minutes to simmer and thicken the beans. This timing does not apply to dried beans.
Method
- Drain and rinse the canned beans. Keep them nearby with the measured water. This short method starts with fully cooked beans; do not use dried or merely soaked beans.
- Heat the oil in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 4–5 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for about 30 seconds, until aromatic but not dark brown.
- Add the beans, bay leaf and 1 cup water. Stir and bring to a gentle simmer. Lower the heat and cook uncovered for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally so the bottom does not catch.
- Scoop out about 1/2 cup beans with a little liquid. Mash with a fork or potato masher and return them to the pot. Simmer for another 5–10 minutes, stirring, until the broth lightly coats the spoon and the remaining beans are hot and tender.
- If too thick, stir in hot water a tablespoon or two at a time. If too watery, simmer uncovered a little longer. Taste, then add salt and pepper as needed. Remove the bay leaf before serving.
- Serve with arroz branco, letting a little broth run into the rice. Refrigerate leftovers promptly in a shallow covered container; add water when reheating if the beans have thickened.
A canned-bean adaptation for weeknight cooking
Feijão preto means black beans. This is an everyday bean side with garlic and bay, rather than a meat-filled feijoada. The cans replace the long first stage of cooking dry beans; the saucepan stage develops the seasoning and sauce.
Choose plain beans with no chili sauce or other seasoning. Draining and rinsing make the starting flavor easier to control, but remove the can liquid, so fresh water is included. Different brands vary in salt and tenderness: season after simmering.
Thicken with beans instead of flour
Camil’s Brazilian method mashes some cooked beans into the seasoning before the final simmer. Here a measured scoop does the same job without a blender. Leave most beans whole, and stop while the sauce is still a little loose; it thickens as it stands.
Allow roughly 25–35 minutes for this canned version. That is an estimate, not the dried-bean pressure-cooking time from the Brazilian references. No pressure cooker or overnight soak is needed for the specified canned product.
Diet choices and leftovers
The listed ingredients are plant-based. Bacon, sausage and stock cubes are omitted, so do not expect their smoky or meaty flavor. Check the bean and oil labels for any personal allergen restrictions.
Chill within two hours, or one hour in temperatures above 90°F, at 40°F or below. Eat refrigerated beans within 3–4 days or freeze portions. Reheat to 165°F, stirring and adding water as needed.