Francesinha

Name: Francesinha
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 4 slice Bread, thick sliced; 100 g Ham, sliced; 120 g Linguica sausage, sliced lengthwise; 220 g Steak, thin cut; 160 g Cheese, sliced for melting; 500 ml Beer tomato sauce, hot; 2 Egg; 20 g Butter; 10 ml Olive oil; 4 g Salt; 2 g Black pepper, ground

Francesinha · ready in 40 min · 2 servings · 1447 kcal per serving · medium · 11 ingredients

Porto's glorious meat stacked sandwich is layered with ham, steak, linguiça, melted cheese, and a hot beer tomato sauce.

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 25 min
Total: 40 min
Serves: 2
kcal: 1447
Difficulty: medium

Main dishes High-protein (25 g+)

A QiMeal recipe · Updated 3 October 2026

Ingredients · 2 servings

4 sliceBread, thick sliced
100 gHam, sliced
120 gLinguica sausage, sliced lengthwise
220 gSteak, thin cut
160 gCheese, sliced for melting
500 mlBeer tomato sauce, hot
2Egg
20 gButter
10 mlOlive oil
4 gSalt
2 gBlack pepper, ground

Equipment

stovetop, oven, measuring bowl, saucepan, spoon, frying pan, baking tray, knife, tongs, spatula, serving plate, instant read thermometer

Instructions

Gather Ingredients
Gather all ingredients, measuring bowls, saucepan, frying pan, baking tray, knife, tongs, spatula, and serving plates before heating anything. · 5 min
What to look for: All ingredients are measured and tools are within reach.
Warm Sauce
Warm the beer tomato sauce gently in a saucepan, stirring often until smooth, hot, and loose enough to pour over the sandwiches. · 8 min
What to look for: The sauce steams lightly and coats the spoon.
Sear Meat
Season the steak with salt and black pepper, then sear it in olive oil with the linguica until browned and sizzling. · 8 min
When it is done: Steak reaches 63°C / 145°F in the thickest part.
Toast Bread
Toast the bread slices in butter until golden on both sides, keeping them firm enough to support the meat and sauce. · 5 min
What to look for: The bread is golden with crisp edges.
Build Sandwiches
Layer each sandwich with bread, ham, steak, linguica, and bread, pressing lightly so the stack sits upright on the baking tray. · 4 min
What to look for: Each sandwich is compact and evenly layered.
Melt Cheese
Cover each stack with cheese and bake until the slices melt down the sides and the bread edges stay crisp. · 6 min
What to look for: The cheese is fully melted and draping over the sandwich.
Fry Egg
Fry the eggs in the same pan until the whites set and the yolks remain glossy, seasoning lightly with black pepper. · 4 min
What to look for: The whites are opaque and the yolks are still shiny.
Serve Hot
Serve each sandwich with a fried egg on top, then pour hot beer tomato sauce over and around it at the table. · 2 min
What to look for: The sandwich is covered in sauce with melted cheese showing at the edges.

Nutrition (per serving)

kcal	1447
Protein	82 g
Carbohydrates	83 g
of which sugars	18 g
Fat	80 g
of which saturated	34 g
Fibre	6 g
Sodium	4390 mg

Nutri-ScoreD

Allergens

Contains: gluten, milk, eggs

Storage and reheating

Fridge: up to 2 days
Freezer: not recommended
Reheat the sandwich and sauce separately when possible, then pour the hot sauce over just before serving.

Ingredient substitutions

Bread

White sandwich bread: Use thick slices so the sandwich holds the sauce.

Ham

Cooked ham: Choose thin slices for even layering.

Linguica sausage

Mild linguica sausage: Use the same weight and brown it well.

Steak

Thin beef steak: Pound lightly if the cut is thick.

Cheese

Flamengo cheese: This is a classic melting choice in Portugal.

Beer tomato sauce

Francesinha sauce: Keep it pourable and hot for serving.