Brazilian

Serving

Arroz Carreteiro (Brazilian Rice with Dried Beef)

Name: Arroz Carreteiro (Brazilian Rice with Dried Beef)
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Brazilian
Ingredients: 1 lb carne seca (dried salted beef), soaked overnight and drained; 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 onion, chopped; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 1 green bell pepper, diced; 2 tomatoes, diced; 2 cups long-grain white rice; 4 cups water; 1/4 cup chopped green onion; Salt and black pepper, to taste

A smoky one-pot rice from the gaúcho cattle-drivers of southern Brazil, cooked with shredded dried beef, tomato, and peppers.

50 minutes

Serves 6

Side

18 min prep

28 min cook

No common allergens detected

Based on this recipe's ingredient list. Always verify with your own brands and labels.

Instructions

7 steps

1
Boil the soaked carne seca in fresh water for 40-45 minutes until tender, then drain, cool, and shred finely.
2
Heat the oil in a large pot and sauté the onion, garlic, and bell pepper until softened, about 5 minutes.
3
Add the shredded beef and cook for 5 minutes to develop flavor.
4
Stir in the tomatoes and cook until they soften, then add the rice and stir to coat.
5
Pour in the water, season lightly with salt and pepper (the beef is already salty), and bring to a boil.
6
Cover and simmer over low heat for 18-20 minutes until the rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.
7
Fluff with a fork, stir in green onion, and serve as a hearty side or light main.

Arroz Carreteiro (Brazilian Rice with Dried Beef) — plated and served — Serving moment. How Arroz Carreteiro (Brazilian Rice with Dried Beef) looks plated and ready to eat — a representative photo, not a step in the recipe.

Listahan Family Score™

75/100

Good fit for most families

Allergen-friendly 100

Kid-friendly 55

Weeknight-easy 54

Budget-friendly 86

Great leftovers 87

Pantry-friendly 67

Score reflects how well this recipe fits a typical busy household. In the app, your Family Score is personalized to your household's allergens, kids, and pantry.

Nutrition

per serving

290

Calories

5 g

Protein

55 g

Carbs

5 g

Fat

Estimated per serving. Actual values depend on the brands and portions you use.

Listahan cooking guide

Chef notes & practical guide

Technique notes, ingredient swaps, serve-alongside ideas, storage guidance, and equipment for this recipe.

Cultural context

Arroz carreteiro comes from Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil's southern gaucho country, where cattle drovers called carreteiros cooked one-pot meals over open fires during long cattle drives. Dried, salted beef (charque or carne seca) traveled without spoiling, and folding it into rice made a filling meal that needed only a single pot and a fire.

Listahan note

This version soaks and boils the carne seca until it shreds cleanly, then builds the rice around that beef's own saltiness so the pot barely needs added seasoning.

Technique cues

Carne seca needs a long soak plus a real boil to leach out excess salt and rehydrate its tough muscle fibers before it's shreddable at all.
Building a refogado of onion, garlic, and pepper in the beef fat is the flavor foundation nearly every Brazilian rice dish shares.
Toasting the rice briefly in the fat before adding water, the way a pilaf is built, keeps the grains separate instead of gummy.

Kitchen flow

Parallel prep: Soak the carne seca the night before, then start the rice's refogado while it finishes its final boil so nothing sits idle
Make-ahead: The shredded beef can be cooked and refrigerated up to 2 days ahead; reheat it in fat before building the rest of the dish
Leftover move: Pack cold leftovers into a skillet with a splash of water and crisp the bottom for a next-day fried-rice feel
Cleanup rhythm: Rinse the pot right after fluffing the rice, before the starch sets, so the bottom doesn't need scrubbing

Ingredient brief

Role, handling, and swap guidance for each key ingredient.

carne seca (dried salted beef)

Salt-cured backbone of the dish

Purpose: Its concentrated saltiness seasons the whole pot instead of relying on added salt at the end

Handling: Soak overnight, then boil until fork-tender before shredding it finely against the grain while still warm

Adaptation: Smoked beef brisket or even corned beef works in a pinch, shifting the flavor closer to a deli taste

onion

Aromatic base

Purpose: Sautéed first, it builds the refogado that undergirds the whole dish

Handling: Chop small so it melts into the rice rather than staying crunchy

Adaptation: Shallots give a milder, slightly sweeter background note

garlic

Aromatic sharpness

Purpose: Rounds out the refogado with a bite that mellows as it cooks

Handling: Mince fine and add just after the onion softens so it doesn't scorch

Adaptation: Garlic powder works in a pinch, though the flavor turns flatter and less rounded

tomatoes

Acidity and body

Purpose: They break down into the fat, adding brightness that balances the rich, salty beef

Handling: Dice and cook until they collapse into a loose sauce before the rice goes in

Adaptation: Canned diced tomatoes work fine off-season and add a touch more liquid

long-grain rice

Starch that carries the flavor

Purpose: Toasting it in the beef fat before adding water keeps the grains separate instead of sticky

Handling: Stir constantly for a minute or two in the hot fat until the grain edges turn translucent

Adaptation: Parboiled rice is more forgiving of a slightly long simmer if you're multitasking

Technique notes

Shred the cooked carne seca while it's still warm - it pulls apart in long, even strands far more easily than once it cools and firms up.
Resist stirring once the rice and water come to a boil; agitating the pot breaks the grains and releases extra starch that turns the dish gummy.
Let the finished rice rest off heat with the lid on for five minutes before fluffing so the last bit of steam finishes the grains evenly.

Ingredient swaps

Gluten-free direction: Rice and beef are naturally gluten-free; just confirm any bouillon or seasoning blend you add doesn't carry hidden wheat
Lower-sodium direction: Extend the initial soak to a full 24 hours with two water changes to pull out more salt, and skip added salt entirely at the end
Weeknight shortcut: Use pre-cooked shredded beef brisket from the deli counter to skip the overnight soak and long boil

Serve alongside

Farofa (Toasted Cassava Flour with Bacon)
Couve à Mineira (Sautéed Collard Greens)
black beans simmered with bay leaf
fried plantains
Chimarrão (Brazilian mate tea) for an authentic gaucho pairing
a cold Brazilian pilsner
sparkling guaraná soda for a kid-friendly option

Serving suggestions only — check pairings for your household's allergens.

Storage & reheating

Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 4 days
Reheat in a skillet with a splash of water or broth to loosen the starch
Freeze portions up to 2 months and thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating

Equipment

Large heavy-bottomed pot with a tight lid
Fine-mesh strainer for draining the beef
Wooden spoon
Two forks or a sharp knife for shredding

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