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–+ servings
vegan black bean stew (feijoada)

Epic Vegetarian Feijoada

Alexandre Valente
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!
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Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Brazilian
Servings 6 people

Ingredients
  

  • 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

  • Soak the black beans for 24 hours or overnight, changing the water halfway through if necessary (note 1).
  • Thaw the tofu.
  • 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

  • Preheat the oven to 180ºC (356ºF).
  • 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.
  • Spread the seasoned vegetables onto a baking tray and roast for 30-40 minutes, until tender and golden.

Preparing the stew

  • 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.
  • Add the tomato and 1 tsp of salt. Stir and let it cook down until it releases its moisture.
  • 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).
  • 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).
  • 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.

Video

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.
Keyword vegan feijoada, vegetarian black bean stew, vegetarian brazilian black bean stew, vegetarian feijoada
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