Vegan Portuguese Feijoada is now one of my “go-to” meals when I want a protein-packed meal and a comfort meal at the same time. For real!
Do you ever feel that curiosity in trying to recreate a meal you had when you were younger but a healthier or a vegan version of it?
Ahhh…That is what happened here.
When I first started getting more comfortable creating my own vegan recipes, I wanted something that resembled the typical foods I was used to eating all my life so I ended up creating this Vegan Portuguese Feijoada!
It is so simple, you will have a lot of portions of it and it is packed with protein!
So if you feel like having a true comfort meal, spending a short time in the kitchen and doing something delicious, try this out!
INGREDIENTS FOR THE VEGAN PORTUGUESE FEIJOADA
- 300 g dried black beans (or 2 cans)
- 1 large onion
- 2 large carrots
- 1 bell pepper
- 200 g frozen spinach
- 1/2 orange
- 300 g tomato passata
- 250 g smoked tofu
- 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
WHAT ABOUT THE SPICES?
Couldn’t be simpler!
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp smoked garlic
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN PORTUGUESE FEIJOADA?
If you are using dried black beans
Soak the black beans overnight (around 8 hours is enough).
If you want the beans to become easier to digest, soak them with one of the following:
- white vinegar
- sodium bicarbonate
- lemon juice
- kombu seaweed
Cook the black beans in a pressure cooker for 30 minutes
(If you don’t have a pressure cooker, I would opt for the canned beans. Otherwise, you can end up waiting up to 1h30 for the beans to cook)
Getting your meal ready!
Add 1 chopped onion along with the spices to a pan and cook for 10 minutes in medium heat or until the onion is tender.
Add to the pan, the chopped carrots, red bell pepper and fry for 5 minutes in medium heat.
Now, time for, one of the most important ingredients, the orange juice! Add it to the sauce pan.
Along with the orange juice, add the passata, cooked beans, balsamic vinegar, spinach to the sauce pan and leave it to simmer, with the lid on for 10 minutes or, until the spinach, red bell pepper and carrots are done according to the consistency you prefer.
Add in the chopped smoked tofu, mix well, and you are good to go!
LET’S TALK REPLACEMENTS
White onion
If you have red onion at home, there is no need to go out and buy white onion!
Red onion will work perfectly!
Bell pepper, carrots and spinach
What really makes the dish is the sauce, the black beans, spices and smoked tofu so, if you are out of veggies, leave them out but, believe me, this combination is soooo good and you will be eating loads of different vegetables without putting much effort into it!
Tomato passata
I have found this works better than chopped tomatoes as it is a bit more acidic but, if you use chopped tomatoes let me know how it goes!
Smoked tofu
Here, I have to say, it is a real essential component of this recipe! It is basically the meat replacement and its flavour really changes the entire dish.
You should be able to find it in any supermarket. Just make sure it doesn’t have a crazy amount of salt! I once bought one that was BARELY EDIBLE
What to eat it with?
I honestly love this with any grain such as:
- rice
- bulgur
- couscous
- quinoa
- buckwheat
STORING OPTIONS
Fridge
You can store it in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freezer
This freezes perfectly so just freeze it for as long as you want! I have frozen it for quite some months and it works really well.
IF YOU TRY THIS VEGAN PORTUGUESE FEIJOADA LET ME KNOW!
Leave a comment, rate it and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram @nutsandpumpkin . I absolutely love seeing and sharing your recreations!
Finally, are you on Pinterest? Why not save this photo below to your boards so you can come back and try it another time!
Vegan Portuguese Feijoada
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 2 cans black beans
- 1 onion large
- 1 bell pepper
- 2 carrots large
- 200 g spinach Frozen
- 1/2 orange juiced
- 300 g tomato passata
- 250 g smoked tofu
- 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
Spices
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp smoked garlic
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Add 1 chopped onion along with the spices to a pan and cook for 10 minutes on medium heat or until the onion is tender.
- Add to the chopped carrots and red bell pepper to the pan and fry for 5 minutes on medium heat.
- Add the orange juice, passata, cooked beans, balsamic vinegar, spinach and leave to simmer, with the lid on, for 10 minutes or, until the spinach, red bell pepper and carrots are done according to the consistency you prefer.
- Add the chopped smoked tofu and mix well.
This is such a delicious alternative to the real feijoada! I’ve tried my own vegan version before and it wasn’t that great. I’m soo glad I discovered this recipe here, because it’s the bomb and I’ll definitely do it again! Yummyy!!!
Thank you so much Joey! 🙂 I am so happy it worked and you liked it!
I’m such a fan of feijoada, so I had to try this one – absolutely in love, this recipe is great! Not only is it delicious but it’s also a great meal full of protein. It’s definitely on my list of favourite meals, thanks for the recipe 🙂
Thank you so much Inês! 🙂 I am so happy to know that!
1/2 orange, juiced? Or 1/2 cup orange juice?
Hi Norma! 1/2 orange juiced 🙂