Francesinha is one of the most famous dishes in Portugal. It comes from the city of Porto and is eaten all over the country. It is a large sandwich filled with beef steak and sausage, covered with melted cheese, and topped with a warm tomato-beer sauce. It is rich, heavy, and very comforting.
In Porto, it is usually served with fries and sometimes a fried egg on top. Traditionally, restaurants make their own sauce recipes. This version is simplified for home cooking but keeps the real flavor style.
😌 Difficulty: Medium
⏱️ Preparation time: 20 minutes
🔥 Cooking time: 30 minutes
⏳ Total time: 50 minutes
👥 Servings: 2
Ingredients
- 4 slices white sandwich bread
- 2 thin beef steaks (about 120 g each)
- 2 fresh sausages (linguiça – Portuguese smoked pork sausage, or chorizo as substitute)
- 4 slices ham
- 8 slices mild cheese (such as Edam or Gouda, good melting type)
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt and black pepper
For the sauce:
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 200 ml tomato passata
- 150 ml beer (lager works well)
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 small bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 tablespoon butter
Typical side:
- French fries
Instructions
- Heat a pan over medium heat. Add olive oil. Season the beef steaks with salt and pepper. Cook 2-3 minutes per side until done. Remove and set aside.
- In the same pan, cook the sausages until fully cooked. Slice them lengthwise after cooking.
- Prepare the sauce. In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds.
- Stir in flour and mix well. Cook for 1 minute to remove raw taste.
- Add tomato passata, beer, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, and bay leaf. Stir well.
- Simmer gently for 10-15 minutes. Remove bay leaf. Blend the sauce until smooth using a hand blender. Keep warm.
- Preheat oven to 200°C.
- Assemble the sandwich. Place one slice of bread on a baking tray. Add ham, steak, sausage, and another slice of ham. Cover with second slice of bread.
- Cover the whole sandwich completely with cheese slices, including the sides.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes until cheese melts fully.
- Place sandwich on a plate. Pour hot sauce generously over the top.
- Serve immediately with fries.
SpinThatCuisine Tip 💡
The sauce should be warm and slightly thick, but not too heavy. If it becomes too thick, add a small splash of beer or water and stir gently.