Easy Portuguese Green Bean Stew (Feijão-Verde Guisado) 🇵🇹

This easy Portuguese green bean stew, or feijão-verde guisado, is a hearty one-pot meal made with chouriço, potatoes, vegetables and eggs simmered in a rich tomato and pimenta molho. It is simple enough for a busy weeknight but tastes like the comforting Portuguese food many of us grew up eating. 🇵🇹

If there is one thing Portuguese people know how to make, it is a good guisado. We have so many versions, from meat and seafood stews to simple vegetable guisados made with whatever is available in the cozinha. It is that beautiful Portuguese way of taking everyday ingredients and turning them into something warm, filling and packed with flavour.

This feijão-verde guisado has quickly moved to the top of my list. It has chouriço, potatoes, carrots, red pepper and green beans, with eggs gently cooked right in the molho. Everything comes together in one pot, which means less cleanup and a full family meal without making three different things. That is exactly my kind of busy-mom dinner and absolutely the kind of Avó-approved comfort food I love sharing.

If you love simple Portuguese meals like this one, try my Caldo Verde or Portuguese Chicken and Rice next.

Jump to:

• What Is Feijão-Verde Guisado? 🥘
• Why You Will Love This Portuguese Green Bean Stew ❤️
• Ingredients for Feijão-Verde Guisado 🛒
• How to Make Portuguese Feijão-Verde Guisado 👩‍🍳
• Tips for the Best Guisado 💡
• Substitutions and Variations 🔄
• Alternative Cooking Method 🔥
• What to Serve with Feijão-Verde Guisado 🍞
• Make Ahead and Storage 🧊
• Frequently Asked Questions ❓
• More Portuguese Comfort-Food Recipes 🇵🇹
• Made This Recipe? ❤️
• Easy Portuguese Green Bean Stew (Feijão-Verde Guisado) 🇵🇹

What Is Feijão-Verde Guisado? 🥘

Feijão-verde guisado means stewed green beans. The word guisado describes a dish slowly simmered in a seasoned molho until all the ingredients absorb the flavour. It is thicker and heartier than a soup, although Portuguese guisados often have plenty of molho because we need something for dipping that pão!

There is no single version made in every Portuguese home. Recipes change by region, family and whatever is waiting in the fridge. Some are very simple, while others include tomato, potatoes, chouriço or eggs.

My version takes inspiration from the flavours of ervilhas guisadas, but replaces the peas with frozen green beans. I added potatoes to make it a complete meal, chouriço for smoky flavour, and four to five eggs that poach directly in the molho. I also used beer instead of white wine because it creates a rich, savoury base and is something many of us already have at home.

Why You Will Love This Portuguese Green Bean Stew ❤️

    ●    One pot: Everything cooks in the same pot, including the eggs.
    ●    Easy and family-friendly: The ingredients are simple and the steps are straightforward.
    ●    Perfect for busy families: It gives you vegetables, potatoes, protein and a beautiful molho in one dish.
    ●    Freezer-friendly shortcut: Frozen green beans go straight into the pot with no thawing required.
    ●    Full of Portuguese flavour: Chouriço, pimenta, paprika, bay leaf and tomato make the molho taste like home.
    ●    Easy to customize: Use beer or white wine and adjust the amount of stock depending on how saucy you like your guisado.

Ingredients for Feijão-Verde Guisado 🛒

    ●    2 tablespoons olive oil: Starts the refogado and helps the chouriço release all its flavour.
    ●    1 Portuguese chouriço, sliced: Adds smoky, savoury flavour and gives the molho its beautiful colour. Use a good Portuguese chouriço if you can find one.
    ●    1 small onion, chopped, and 3-4 garlic cloves, minced: The base of almost every good Portuguese refogado.
    ●    1 red bell pepper, sliced: Adds sweetness, colour and another layer of flavour.
    ●    1 tablespoon tomato paste: Concentrates the tomato flavour without making the dish taste like tomato soup.
    ●    2 tablespoon sweet pimento paste: Adds sweetness, colour and that familiar Portuguese pepper flavour.
    ●    1 tablespoon pimenta moída, or to taste: Gives the stew salt, depth and a gentle pepper flavour. Some brands are saltier or hotter than others, so taste before adding extra salt.
    ●    1 teaspoon sweet paprika: Adds warmth and reinforces the rich red colour of the molho.
    ●    1 bay leaf: A small ingredient that makes a huge difference in Portuguese cooking.
    ●    ½ cup light beer: Deglazes the pot and adds savoury depth. Dry white wine can be used instead.
    ●    4 cups chicken stock: Creates the flavourful caldo that cooks the potatoes and becomes the molho. Use 3¾ cups for a slightly thicker guisado.
    ●    4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed, and 2 carrots, sliced: Make the stew hearty, filling and family-friendly.
    ●    400 g frozen green beans, about 4 cups: Convenient, affordable and ready to add directly to the pot.
    ●    4 to 5 large eggs: Poached right in the guisado so they absorb the flavour of the molho.
    ●    ¼ to ½ teaspoon white pepper and salt to taste: White pepper gives gentle heat. Add salt only after tasting because the chouriço, stock and pimentas may already be salty.

How to Make Portuguese Feijão-Verde Guisado 👩‍🍳

1. Brown the chouriço 🔥

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the sliced chouriço first and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it begins to brown and release its flavour into the oil.

2. Build the refogado 🧅

Add the chopped onion and cook until it begins to soften. Stir in the garlic and sliced red pepper, then cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.

3. Season the base 🌶️

Add the tomato paste, sweet pimento paste, pimenta moída, paprika, salt, white pepper and bay leaf. Stir everything together and cook for about 1 minute. Cooking the pastes briefly helps deepen their flavour.

4. Deglaze with beer 🍺

Pour in the beer and scrape the bottom of the pot to lift all those flavourful browned bits. Let it bubble for 2 to 3 minutes. You can use the same amount of dry white wine instead.

5. Cook the potatoes and carrots 🥔🥕

Add the potatoes, carrots and chicken stock. Bring everything to a gentle boil, then lower the heat, cover and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are beginning to soften but are not fully cooked.

6. Add the frozen green beans

Add the green beans directly from frozen. Stir gently, cover and simmer for another 8 to 10 minutes, or until the potatoes, carrots and beans are tender. If the guisado looks more brothy than you prefer, simmer it uncovered for a few minutes before adding the eggs.

7. Poach the eggs in the molho 🥚

Make four to five small spaces between the vegetables and crack one egg into each space. Cover the pot and cook gently for 5 to 8 minutes, depending on how set you like your yolks.

8. Taste and serve 🍽️

Season with white pepper and taste the molho before adding salt. Remove the bay leaf and serve hot with plenty of crusty Portuguese bread for dipping.

Tips for the Best Guisado 💡

    ●    Add the frozen green beans near the end so they stay tender and do not become mushy.
    ●    Cut the potatoes into even pieces so they cook at the same rate.
    ●    Use 4 cups of chicken stock for a generous, saucy molho. For a slightly thicker result, use 3¾ cups and simmer uncovered for a few minutes before adding the eggs.
    ●    Keep the pot at a gentle simmer after adding the eggs. A hard boil can break them apart.
    ●    Taste before adding more salt. Chouriço, pimenta moída, sweet pimento paste and chicken stock can all contain salt.
    ●    If your pimenta moída is spicy, start with less and add more after tasting.

Substitutions and Variations 🔄

    ●    White wine instead of beer: Replace the beer with ½ cup dry white wine for a lighter, brighter molho.
    ●    Alcohol-free: Replace the beer with an additional ½ cup chicken stock.
    ●    Fresh green beans: Trim and cut them into pieces. Add them slightly earlier because they may need a few extra minutes to become tender.
    ●    Sweet pimento paste: Use massa de pimentão doce or another mild sweet red pepper paste.
    ●    Pimenta moída: Use your preferred Portuguese crushed red pepper paste and adjust the amount based on its heat and salt level.
    ●    No chouriço: Leave it out for a meatless version and add a little extra paprika for depth. Use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock.
    ●    More heat: Add extra pimenta moída or a small amount of hot pepper paste.
    ●    Less molho: Use 3¾ cups stock and allow the stew to reduce uncovered.

Alternative Cooking Method 🔥

For an oven-finished version, prepare the guisado on the stovetop through the green-bean step in an oven-safe pot. Crack in the eggs, then transfer the uncovered pot to a 375°F oven for approximately 6 to 10 minutes, until the egg whites are set to your liking.

What to Serve with Feijão-Verde Guisado 🍞

This is already a complete one-pot meal, so it does not need much on the side. Serve it with crusty papo-secos, Portuguese cornbread or any good bread that can soak up that rich molho. A simple green salad also works beautifully if you want something fresh beside it.

If you are serving a larger Portuguese meal, pair it with Arroz de Tomate Malandrinho or follow it with a light dessert.

Make Ahead and Storage 🧊

    ●    Make ahead: Prepare the guisado without the eggs up to one day ahead. Reheat it gently, then crack in and poach the eggs just before serving.
    ●    Refrigerate: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
    ●    Reheat: Warm gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat. Add a small splash of stock if the potatoes have absorbed too much molho.
    ●    Freeze: For the best texture, freeze the stew base without the eggs. Potatoes can soften slightly after freezing, but the flavour will still be delicious. Freeze for up to 2 months and thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

Frequently Asked Questions ❓

Is feijão-verde guisado a stew or a soup?

It is a guisado, or stew. It can have plenty of molho, but the large amount of vegetables, potatoes, chouriço and eggs makes it much heartier than soup.

Can I add frozen green beans without thawing them?

Yes. Add them directly from frozen during the final 8 to 10 minutes of simmering. This prevents them from overcooking.

Is beer or white wine better in this recipe?

Both work. Light beer creates a richer, more savoury flavour, while dry white wine makes the molho a little lighter and brighter. I used beer in this version.

Can I use red wine?

You can, but it will make the molho darker and heavier. Beer or dry white wine is better with green beans and eggs.

Is this recipe spicy?

It depends on your chouriço and pimenta moída. Use mild products for a family-friendly version and add more pimenta if you want extra heat.

How can I make the molho thicker?

Use 3¾ cups of stock instead of 4 cups, then simmer the guisado uncovered for a few minutes before adding the eggs. The potatoes will also naturally release starch and thicken the molho slightly.

How do I know when the eggs are ready?

The whites should be fully set and opaque. Cook for approximately 5 minutes for softer yolks or closer to 8 minutes for firmer yolks.

More Portuguese Comfort-Food Recipes 🇵🇹

    ●    Caldo Verde
    ●    Empadão de Carne com Chouriço
    ●    Portuguese Chicken and Rice
    ●    Arroz de Tomate Malandrinho

Made This Recipe? ❤️

If you make this feijão-verde guisado, please leave a rating and comment below. Share your creation on Instagram and tag me @rainha_da_cozinha so I can see it!

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