Red Beans and Rice
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So thick, creamy, flavorful! Beans are cooked just right. Perfectly tender served with rice and smoky andouille sausage!
Featured Comment
I kind of have a thing for Louisiana. I don’t know if it’s all the beignets and the powdered sugar I leave on my pants or if it’s the classic red beans and rice, but I keep returning to this state again and again.
We just got back last week and I’m ready for another trip back. But until then, I’ll be making the creamiest (and quickest) red beans and rice every. single. day.
tips and tricks for success
- Use small red beans or kidney beans. Soaking dry beans is not required here. Canned red beans (or kidney beans) allows this recipe to come together so so fast, making it a true weeknight hero.
- Mash the beans. Add the finishing touches by mashing up about 1 cup of the softened beans off to the side of the pot – this is what makes the red beans and rice so thick and velvety creamy.
- Make it vegetarian. For our vegetarian friends, substitute plant-based sausage for the andouille sausage, and vegetable stock for the chicken stock.
- Serve with cornbread. Serve with a scoop of rice and a side of cornbread, a quintessential pairing.
what to serve with red beans and rice
Red Beans and Rice: Frequently Asked Questions
Nope! There is no need for an overnight or quick soak here. This is a super quick recipe using canned red beans – perfect for when you just don’t have the time to soak dry beans.
We recommend using small red beans or kidney beans.
Traditionally red beans and rice is prepared with spicy andouille sausage but you can substitute any sausage (such as kielbasa) to your liking.
The spice level can be adjusted to mild by using mild andouille sausage and omitting the hot sauce.
Yes! You can freeze the leftovers without the rice (or else they will get mushy) in individual freezer bags, thaw overnight, and reheat on the stovetop, adding freshly cooked rice when serving.
Red Beans and Rice
Ingredients
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 (12.8-ounce) package smoked andouille sausage, thinly sliced
- 1 medium sweet onion, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 2 celery ribs, diced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ½ teaspoons Cajun seasoning, salt-free
- 3 (15-ounce) cans small red beans or kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 1 bay leaf
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Equipment
Instructions
- In a large saucepan of 2 cups water, cook rice according to package instructions; set aside.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Working in batches, add sausage, and cook, stirring frequently, until sausage is lightly browned, about 3-4 minutes; set aside.
- Add onion, bell pepper and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes.
- Stir in tomato paste, garlic and Cajun seasoning until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir in red beans, chicken stock, hot sauce, bay leaf and sausage; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Uncover; continue to simmer until reduced, an additional 15 minutes.
- Using a wooden spoon, mash beans until slightly thickened, if desired; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve immediately, topped with rice and garnished with parsley, if desired.
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this is fantastic! as a midwestern man with a very southern boyfriend and i’m so thankful you published this. thanks for helping me make something comforting for someone i love so much. have a great day miss chungah!
Ok made this for Christmas. It is so damn good. The only thing I changed was I let it simmer a lot longer…it is so freaking good. This site has been teaching me how to cook the last two years
My finicky family absolutely loved it…as did I. We are making it for our family Christmas dinner!
This recipe is a hit! So yummy and frequently requested! I’ve even tried it with hot links once and it was just as good. Love this recipe! I’ll be making it again for Christmas 😉
First time making it…. but certainly not the last time. My husband raved about it. Since there were just the two of us, I halved the rice, but instead of cooking the rice in water, I cooked it in the sauce itself. ONE POT! Winner, winner.
This recipe is a keeper, for sure.
Did you add any extra liquid? And I’m assuming you added the rice in when you put the chicken stock in? I love the idea of being able to cook the rice right in with it. I have young children (twin 2 year olds!!) so anything to make dinner easier!
I made this dish last night and it was delicious. I don’t normally review recipes, but this was exceptional! My family really enjoyed it too and it’s a recipe we’ll repeat. Thank you for posting it.
sounds good,i usually use dry beans.Since it takes a couple of hours to cook,i will try this recipe.What are cujun spices?What do you use?
Cajon Seasoning is a mixture of herbs and spices that you likely already have in your kitchen and can easily make yourself in no time. I like this recipe personally and I just make 1/3 of the recipe and it still makes loads (I store the leftover amount in an airtight container to use later.) Hope it’s ok to post this??!
https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/cajun-seasoning/
Julie
How do i half the recipe for 3 ppl?
how do I make 5/32s of recipe for 2/3rds of a elephant…asking for a friend.
Best Red Beans & Rice recipe I have ever tried by far!
It’s a keeper–adding to our go-to recipes–delicious.
I have never had or made red beans & rice, but this sounds so good I really want to make it! Just wondered – are red beans kidney beans? Thank you! Can’t wait to try.
You can make them with kidney beans, which are red, but red beans are called red beans. You can find them at the market in cans and they will be called red beans. They are smaller than kidney beans and I think that their skins are more tender than that of kidney beans.
https://difference.guru/difference-between-red-beans-and-kidney-beans/
They are different, but if you want closer to Louisiana style, use dry kidney beans and soak them in water overnight. This recipie looks good, but I wouldn’t call it Louisiana style. It’s too soupy.
Delicious red beans and rice! I cooked it much longer and still could have cooked it more but next time I’ll double cooking time and make twice as much!!
I’ve been trying to expand my cooking by trying something new each week and this was a great addition! Great flavors and it was perfect for a rainy windy day.
Loved this ❤ thanks for sharing!
so good! sometimes I get super fixated on a dinner idea and last night it was red beans and rice ( even though i’ve never had it). As a Canadian the only subs I had to do were for the andouille sausage, instead I used a nice high quality smoked sausage im sure it is far from the same but it worked! My husband and I had multiple bowls- total comfort food.
SO DANG GOOD! This dish is quick, easy and incredibly flavorful.
10/25/2020: the was amazing, I used pinto beans that my wife had cooked and found a homemade cajun seasoning that I tried so dang good, thank you for sharing.
My husband and I have made this recipe several times and absolutely love it!
Every time I start making it my hubby takes over!
This was awesome, followed recipe exactly with a little extra Cajun seasoning and a little extra hot sauce. Both my husband and I thought it was missing some depth of flavor so I added a dash of Worcestershire and a tsp of sugar…made it just right!
Thank you, everything was delicious!
Love this recipe. I’m not cajun, so not a great judge, but it’s good for me! I don’t add hot sauce, but a little less than a quarter teaspoon of cayenne pepper. Cook dried beans in the instant pot.