Brazilian

Serving

Baião de Dois (Rice and Beans with Cheese)

Name: Baião de Dois (Rice and Beans with Cheese)
Total time: 70 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Brazilian
Ingredients: 1 cup dried black-eyed peas, soaked overnight; 1/2 lb carne de sol or dried beef, soaked and shredded (cooked); 3 tbsp butter; 1 onion, chopped; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 2 cups long-grain white rice; 3 cups water or reserved bean cooking liquid; 8 oz coalho cheese (or firm queso fresco), cubed; 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro; Salt and black pepper, to taste

A Northeastern Brazilian classic pairing rice and black-eyed peas with salty coalho cheese and shredded carne de sol.

70 minutes

Serves 6

Side

25 min prep

39 min cook

Contains common allergens

Dairy

In the app, Listahan checks these against your household automatically.

Instructions

7 steps

1
Cook the soaked black-eyed peas in fresh water until tender, about 35-40 minutes; drain and reserve 3 cups of the cooking liquid.
2
In a large pot, melt the butter and sauté the onion and garlic until softened.
3
Add the shredded carne de sol and cook for 5 minutes until fragrant.
4
Stir in the rice to coat, then add the cooked black-eyed peas and the reserved cooking liquid.
5
Season with salt and pepper, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer over low heat for 18-20 minutes until the rice is tender.
6
Fold in the cubed coalho cheese just before serving so it softens without fully melting.
7
Garnish with cilantro and serve hot.

Baião de Dois (Rice and Beans with Cheese) — plated and served — Serving moment. How Baião de Dois (Rice and Beans with Cheese) looks plated and ready to eat — a representative photo, not a step in the recipe.

Listahan Family Score™

80/100

Good fit for most families

Allergen-friendly 90

Kid-friendly 85

Weeknight-easy 64

Budget-friendly 86

Great leftovers 93

Pantry-friendly 54

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

565

Calories

26 g

Protein

58 g

Carbs

24 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

Baião de dois comes from Brazil's northeastern sertão, where subsistence farmers built meals around whatever grew through the dry season: black-eyed peas and rice, stretched further with salted beef and fresh cheese from small local dairies. Its name, roughly 'dance of two,' is said to reference the rice and beans dancing together in one pot, and the dish became a defining taste of nordestino cooking.

Listahan note

This version cooks the rice in the reserved bean liquid instead of plain water and folds the cheese in only at the very end, so the cubes stay soft and distinct instead of melting into the pot.

Technique cues

Reserving the black-eyed pea cooking liquid instead of discarding it turns plain water into a ready-made broth that seasons the rice from the inside.
Butter, not oil, is the traditional fat here, and it browns the onion and carne de sol with a nuttier depth a neutral oil can't match.
Folding the coalho cheese in only at the end, off direct heat, keeps its squeaky, firm texture instead of letting it dissolve into the rice.

Kitchen flow

Parallel prep: Simmer the peas and cook the carne de sol at the same time on two burners so both are ready when you start the rice
Make-ahead: Cook the beans and shred the meat up to 2 days ahead and refrigerate separately; the rice comes together fast from there
Leftover move: Reheat gently in a covered skillet with a splash of water and fold in a few fresh cheese cubes since the original ones will have softened further
Cleanup rhythm: Wipe out the bean pot while it's still warm before starting the rice pot so you're not scrubbing two crusted pots at once

Ingredient brief

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

black-eyed peas

Hearty legume base

Purpose: Their earthy flavor and relatively quick cooking time make them the traditional choice for this dish

Handling: Soak overnight, then simmer until just tender but not falling apart so they hold shape in the finished pot

Adaptation: Canned black-eyed peas work in a pinch, warmed through with broth in place of the reserved cooking liquid

carne de sol or dried beef

Salt-cured shredded beef

Purpose: Adds a concentrated, savory backbone the way bacon or ham might in another cuisine

Handling: Soak to mellow the salt, then simmer until tender and shred finely before adding to the pot

Adaptation: Shredded rotisserie chicken or smoked brisket gives a different but still satisfying savory note

butter

Primary cooking fat

Purpose: Browns the aromatics with a richer, slightly nutty flavor than a neutral oil would

Handling: Melt over medium heat before adding the onion so it doesn't scorch

Adaptation: A neutral oil or dairy-free butter works, though you lose some of the toasty depth

long-grain rice

Starch that soaks up bean broth

Purpose: Cooking it in the reserved bean liquid instead of water infuses every grain with flavor

Handling: Stir into the fat and aromatics for a minute before adding liquid so it toasts lightly first

Adaptation: Basmati rice works well and adds a subtle floral aroma

coalho cheese

Firm, squeaky cheese folded in at the end

Purpose: Its high melting point lets it soften without fully dissolving, giving pockets of chewy cheese throughout

Handling: Cube and stir in off the heat just before serving

Adaptation: Firm queso fresco or paneer are the closest substitutes since both hold their shape under heat

Technique notes

Simmer the peas at a gentle bubble, not a hard boil - a rolling boil blows out their skins and turns the broth cloudy and starchy.
Add the rice to the hot fat and aromatics before any liquid goes in; that brief toasting step is what keeps the grains from turning mushy.
Stir the cheese in with a folding motion, not vigorous mixing, so the cubes stay whole instead of smearing into the rice.

Ingredient swaps

Dairy-free option: Skip the butter and cheese, finishing with a drizzle of olive oil instead; you lose the cheese pockets but keep the smoky bean-and-rice base intact
Gluten-free direction: The dish is naturally gluten-free as written; just double check the carne de sol wasn't cured with a soy-sauce-based brine
Weeknight shortcut: Use canned black-eyed peas and pre-cooked shredded beef to cut the total time roughly in half

Serve alongside

Farofa (Toasted Cassava Flour with Bacon)
Couve à Mineira (Sautéed Collard Greens)
grilled linguiça sausage
fried plantains
Cold Brazilian lager
fresh cashew fruit juice if available
unsweetened iced hibiscus tea

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

Storage & reheating

Refrigerate up to 3 days in an airtight container
Reheat gently on the stovetop with a splash of water or broth to loosen it
Freezing isn't recommended since the cheese turns rubbery once thawed

Equipment

Large heavy pot for the beans
Second pot or deep skillet for the rice
Fine-mesh strainer to reserve the cooking liquid
Wooden spoon

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