These dishes will give you a mouthwatering tour of Portugal in the comfort of your home. Sure, its neighbors – France, Spain, and Italy have much more renowned cuisines, but the Portuguese also have a myriad of foods deserving of the spotlight. From savory dishes to sweet confections to refreshing beverages, these Portuguese recipes will have you burping with satisfaction. Are your weeknight dinners getting a little too repetitive? Break that boring routine by giving these meals a try! They’ll surely add joy to your usual lunch and dinner.
1. Portuguese Tomato Rice
Tomato rice is a staple in Portuguese households, but it is most popular in the South-Central areas of the country where fresh tomatoes are abundant. The dish is not just a simple combination of rice and tomatoes, though. Rather, it’s a medley of flavorful and aromatic ingredients, from sauteed onions and garlic to bacon and broth. Together with the rice and tomatoes, it’s a hearty, savory, and refreshing entree that tastes well with sausage, chicken, or pork.
2. Portuguese Kale, Tomato, and Sausage Soup (Caldo Verde)
Caldo verde is the Portuguese version of comfort food. The soup is brimming with flavor from potatoes, greens, and sausage. The dish originates from Northern Portugal and is eaten most often during winter for a warm and soothing meal. What makes this soup extra iconic is its green hue caused by dark green cabbage. This ingredient is hard to find, but you can still recreate this soup by using collard greens or kale instead.
3. Shrimp Mozambique in Garlic Based Sauce
Don’t be confused by this dish’s name. Mozambique is located in Africa, but shrimp Mozambique is authentically Portuguese. In this dish, sweet and plump shrimp is coated in a garlic-based sauce with saffron. Pair this dish with a side of rice or French fries, and you’ll have a satisfying meal. It may sound complicated, but this seafood delight actually comes together in just 30 minutes.
4. Azores Beef Stew With Potatoes (Molha de Carne)
Molha de carne is a hearty and flavorful soup loaded with not just beef but potatoes as well. Apart from its rich, savory flavor, this stew also makes your kitchen extra-fragrant. One whiff of this stew will get you mesmerized! The thick stew is so delectable, it’s best eaten with bread. Dunk your favorite bread into the broth and devour it!
5. Portuguese Fish Stew (Caldeirada)
Caldeirada is a light stew with fish or shellfish as its main protein. Also loaded with bell pepper, potatoes, and onions, this stew is healthy, hearty, and a complete meal in itself. The great thing about this dish is that it’s easily customizable. You’re free to use whatever seafood you prefer – salmon, cod, sea bass, haddock – you name it! You can even use shellfish such as clams and mussels as well.
6. Portuguese Sweet Bread
The Portuguese love their bread as much as we do, and this is only the first of many featured in this list. Portuguese sweet bread is popular during Easter, but it’s so good, you’ll want to have it around all year round. This bread is sweet and extra tasty with a good smothering of butter. Sure, it’s a bit complicated to make (just like every other bread recipe), but its aroma alone is worth it!
7. Azore Style Feijos (Beans)
Feijoa is Portuguese for beans. This bean stew is thick, creamy, and bursting with flavor! How can it not be, when it has allspice, cloves, cinnamon, and cumin as its seasonings? Oh, and did I mention that it also contains bacon? It’s the ultimate comfort food – Portuguese style. This recipe calls for pink beans, but you can use other types as well. You can even use different-colored beans for a more vibrant stew!
8. Portuguese Tomato Soup with Poached Eggs and Bread
If you’re too busy tonight but still want to serve something epic to the family, look no further than this recipe. This is a quick and easy Portuguese dish that hits all the right notes. Tomato soup with poached eggs and eggs on top – what a delectable and satisfying meal, am I right? This recipe only calls for 40 minutes, too, so even on busy nights, you won’t have trouble making it for dinner.
9. Portuguese Prego Rolls
Prego rolls are insanely delicious sandwiches with juicy grilled steak as it’s filling. One look at this sandwich already tells you just how amazing it is. See how drool-worthy that steak is? Aside from its tender and juicy goodness, it’s also packed with flavor. Why, it’s marinated in peri-peri sauce, herbs, and tomatoes! A fresh bread roll serves as the vessel that holds in this delicious hunk of meat. Together, they create a stunning work of art.
10. Portuguese Chicken (Peri-Peri Chicken) with Crispy Potatoes
Besides egg custard tarts, peri-peri Chicken is perhaps the most popular Portuguese dish there is. This is no ordinary roasted chicken, folks. Peri-peri chicken is quite something else. With its uber-crispy skin and tender meat, this dish is the bomb. But it’s the sauce that takes it over the top. Smoky, earthy, spicy, and 100% delicious – that’s what this marinade is all about.
11. Broa De Milho Recipe (Portuguese Cornbread)
Cornbread isn’t just a southern staple, but a Portuguese favorite as well! Called broa de milho, Portuguese cornbread is also made of cornflour, but it doesn’t have that tender and crumbly consistency that we’re all used to. Instead, it’s dense and sourdough-like with a crisp and crusty exterior, but with a sweet corn flavor.
12. Portuguese Fried Potatoes
Portuguese fried potatoes are just like the French fries we know and love, except that they’re round in shape. These circular treats are just addictive and flavorful. Potatoes are fried in a combination of butter and olive oil and are seasoned with salt, pepper, and parsley. It’s a simple snack that sure hits the spot.
13. Portuguese Tomato Sauce
Portuguese tomato sauce is a blend of sauteed onions, garlic, parsley, and tomato concasse. Don’t worry, there’s no need to go to a specialty store to get a hold of the last ingredient. Tomato concasse is just a fancy way of saying peeled, seeded, and chopped tomatoes! This flavorful sauce is a perfect base for stews and pasta sauces.
14. Peri-Peri Sauce
As mentioned earlier, peri-peri chicken is nothing without the sauce. It’s what brings the chicken to life! Peri-peri sauce is a garlicky, lemony, tangy, and spicy blend of herbs and seasonings. If you’ve ever had a meal at Nando’s, you know just how good this sauce is. Thanks to this recipe, you can enjoy the world-famous sauce without leaving your home.
15. Portuguese Cod Fish Casserole
Bacalhau is perhaps Portugal’s most iconic fish. Fear not – it’s nothing scary or intimidating. It’s just cod! In Portugal, cod is prepared in many ways. You can bake it, fry it, grill it, or even boil it with vegetables and eggs. In this recipe, however, we’re giving cod a different spin by turning it into a casserole filled with potatoes and a flavorful tomato broth. Yum!
16. Bifana (Portuguese Pork Sandwich)
Bifanas or pork sandwiches are ubiquitous in Portugal. It’s melt-in-your-mouth pork in between two slices of white bread. No wonder it’s a huge hit! The pork is cooked in tomato paste, white wine, peri-peri sauce, and bay leaf, giving it such a uniquely fantastic flavor. The bread is crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside. It’s an excellent vessel to carry the delicious filling.
17. Portuguese Francesinha Sandwich
Here’s another Portuguese sandwich that you won’t want to miss! A francesinha sandwich is filled with meat, sausages, ham, cheese – the works! But it doesn’t end there: there’s also a rich sauce coating the whole sandwich for the most epic bite. A combination of wine, beef broth, beer, and Portuguese chili, this sauce is definitely packed with flavor.
18. Bolos De Arroz (Portuguese Rice Cakes)
Bolos de arroz is a Portuguese rice cake that looks like a tall cupcake. It’s sweet, buttery, and absolutely amazing. It’s soft and tender on the inside with a golden crisp exterior. Pure heaven. It’s just as good as any sweet and fluffy confection, but this one is extra special because it’s gluten-free! With this recipe, anyone can enjoy this delicious treat.
19. Garlic Bread
For a hearty Portuguese appetizer, garlic bread is the one to beat. There’s nothing like the deliciousness of soft bread that’s crisp on the outside and garlicky all over! True, making bread from scratch calls for time and effort. But let me tell ya, there’s a different kind of satisfaction homemade bread gives. Get ready for some kneading, punching, and rolling! I promise you, this garlic bread is worth it.
20. Bola Do Cacao
Bola de cacao is a bread that hails from the island of Madeira. What makes it special is that instead of being baked in an oven, it’s pan-baked over the stovetop! This appetizer tastes best with a smothering of garlic butter. It’s a simple, rustic starter that excites the taste buds.
21. Portuguese Lemonade
The best complement to a hearty meal is a glass of ice-cold beverage. Portuguese lemonade is a superb thirst-quencher that couldn’t be easier to make. Made with real lemons and sweetened with sugar, this refreshment is truly refreshing. The balance of sweet and zesty makes this drink a show-stopper.
22. Arroz De Pato
Arroz is Spanish for rice, while pato means duck. The combination of fluffy rice and umami-rich duck makes a stunning dish. Besides the duck and the rice, arroz de pato also features the savory chorizo, a popular Spanish sausage. Red wine, onions, and garlic also add flavor to the dish.
23. Portuguese Chickpea Soup
Sopa de grão de bico is a hearty Portuguese soup that primarily stars chickpeas. Potatoes, carrots, and cabbage add nutrition and color to the dish. Cumin, cilantro, and lemon lend flavor and aroma to the soup, making it ridiculously tasty. It’s so filling, it’s more akin to a stew than a soup!
24. Apple Cake
Apple cake is just as beloved in Portugal as it is in America. Bolo de maçã is a moist and dense cake topped with crisp apples in sweet and ooey-gooey cinnamon syrup. It’s a quick and easy treat that can be enjoyed for breakfast or dessert.
25. Portuguese Milk Tarts (Queijadas de Leite)
Portuguese milk tarts – the name alone is getting me giddy! These sweet and creamy treats are so tender, they melt in your mouth. A mixture of flour, sugar, milk, butter, and eggs, these tarts are easy to make and so enjoyable to eat.
26. Pao De Deus (Sweet Bread)
Pão de Deus or the Bread of God: it’s just as divine as its name implies. This sweet Portuguese bread has nutty coconut filling that will make your heart jump for joy. It’s topped with even more coconut such that it gets this crisp and crunchy muffin-like exterior. Very heavenly, indeed!
27. Bolo Rei (Portuguese Christmas King Bread)
Bolo rei is a ridiculously delicious bread that’s fit for a king. Portuguese Christmas bread is sweet and has a cake-like consistency. It’s called the king bread because it looks like a crown, complete with jewels made of walnuts, pine, almonds, and glazed fruit.
28. Portuguese Custard Tarts
A list of Portuguese recipes is not complete without the iconic custard tarts. It’s the country’s most popular pastry and for good reason! Called pasteis de nata, these confections comprise a smooth and creamy egg custard and a crisp and tender tart shell. These bite-sized goodies may be small, but they deliver big flavor.
29. Serradura
Serradura may not be as well-known as Portuguese custard tarts, but it just as well deserves the spotlight. With layers of crushed cookies or biscuits and sweetened whipped cream, it’s a light and airy dessert perfect after a heavy meal. Best of all, this crowd-pleasing treat is a simple 4-ingredient, no-bake dessert!
30. Portuguese Biscuits
Azorean biscuits, or biscoitos, are classic Portuguese cookies shaped like a ring. Flavored with butter and lemon zest, they are soft, buttery, and insanely addictive. Click on a star to rate it!
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