Red Beans and Rice
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So thick, so creamy and so flavorful! The beans are cooked just right – perfectly tender, served with rice and smoky andouille sausage.
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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.
Did you make this recipe?
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Really good. I used garcia beef sausages tho.
Well that was “damn delicious”! I wanted to make this dish without the 24 hr soaking of the beans and I found you. This will be in the rotation list in our household. I made just small changes. I used beef kielbasa instead ( I don’t eat pork) and I made my own Cajun season. Thank you so much for sharing this with us.
love this recipe! i was so happy to find one using canned beans! i followed it perfectly until the end when i allowed the whole thing to simmer for an hour in my cast iron dutch oven–i really believe that is an important part of this dish!
This recipe was great! My southern in-laws really enjoyed it. We couldn’t find andouille sausage so we used a polish one instead. Also, we used jasmine rice. SO delicious.
This recipece is great. I have always used dry beans soaked overnight but trued the canned ones. Even to a jaundiced eye they were excellent. Made it straight from the recipe except for perhaps a littke extra garlic. Seasong, heat and flavir were excellent. Did omit hot sauce. An excellent recipe
We’re so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
I picked this recipe to make with my 15 year old son, because I really want him to learn how to cook, and thought I would start with one of his faves! Major score!!! Your recipe was relatively easy, we had a great time prepping/cooking together, and dinner was DELICIOUS! It was devoured by the entire (picky) family. We have already earmarked more recipes to try over the next couple of weeks. Thank you!
We love hearing that the entire (picky) family enjoyed it so much, Sally! 🙂
Hello Damn-Delicious, I tried this recipe as a taste testing for my grandaughter’s graduation party. It raved. Now I need to triple the recipe for 80 People. Would you be able to transform it for me for the number of individuals?
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without having tried this ourselves, we cannot answer with certainty. But if you get a chance to try it, please let us know how it turns out! 🙂
Great, very tasty!
So I decided to tweak the recipe a little bit and make it with dry beans in the slow cooker. It was soooooooo good. I will use this recipe over and over again!!!!!! Thank you
What a great way to do it! Thanks for sharing Ashley.
This recipe is a great recipe. First time making red beans and rice and my husband and kids loved them. I am making again tonight and wondering if i can use beef stock instead of chicken i ran out and didnt realize it?
I came across this recipe by accident decided to cook it while at camp, instant new favorite for the family! Only thing I changed was i used Tabasco sauce and added pieces of smoked hammock to it!
So glad you enjoyed this so much, Luis!
I made this recipe with a few slight modifications. I used a spicy andouille sausage and brown rice with chicken stock in place of water. We absolutely loved the dish and it seemed to get better as we were eating the leftovers. Thanks for the amazing recipe, what a time saver.
This is the best recipe for this dish I have found. Only difference is I used my own spices (oregano, cayenne, paprika) instead of the ready made Cajun seasoning. Thank you for posting this recipe!
Even better, David! 🙂
Silly question, but is andouille sausage the same as kielbasa? Are they interchangeable?
Can’t wait to try this recipe this weekend! Thanks for sharing!
They are similar but not exactly the same. You can certainly use one or the other, if you prefer. 🙂
I made this recipe last night for dinner. It’s delicious and easy to make! Reminds me of NOLA flavors without having to slave over the stove for hours at a time. Thank you for sharing!
That’s the idea! Thanks for sharing, Renee!
Thank you for this recipe. I did minor substitutions (i.e., vegetable broth, red kidney beans, 1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning with salt, turkey smoked sausage, and brown rice), and it came out better than what I expected. My husband loves it!
That’s great! We’re so happy to hear that you made your own version of it, Teresa!
Oh my dear, having been born and bred in New Orleans may I make a couple of observations. The reason red beans and rice are normally featured in local dining estabishments on Monday is because Monday was clothes wash day. The matriarch would plan well to serve a delicious and hearty meal with minimal attention to the ” pot”. The dried red beans grown in the ancient soil near the flood plains of the Mississippi river embodies the truest flavor of red beans. Camilla brand is the most consistent and adherent to the flavor. … Soaking overnight , ( stiring once or twice ) , returns these wonderful legumes to their fresh pick peak of flavor. … I start with. 1/2 lb of uncured bacon, thick sliced and 1/4 cut by length. And render until just before crisp. Then add the Holy trinity. Onions
This looks great! I’m definitely trying, will update when I do. Question: cornbread. I did not see a recipe on your blog for a simple, just regular ol’ cornbread. What’s your recipe?! Sweet? Not sweet? Kinda sweet? I like mine kinda sweet but not cake sweet. My momma likes it with zero sugar. I know that’s a debated topic, in the South at least. Lol
This is my go-to cornbread recipe, Lauren! 🙂
SO yummy! Can this recipe be doubled with no adjustments?
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. But if you get a chance to try it, please let me know how it turns out! 🙂
I doubled it and everything was delicious! I don’t exactly pay a ton of attention to exact measurements (it’s southern cooking after all!), but the only noticeable adjustment I made was to use the sauce from my pre-flavored new orleans cans of red beans (3 total) and less broth. Hope this helps.
I agree Emily I’m using that yummy juice in the beans!
This was sooooo delicious!! My husband raved about it and we were able to get our 4 kids on board – no easy feat 🙂 Will be adding this to my go-to recipes, thanks!
We’re so happy to hear that everyone enjoyed it, Ramona!
Made this tonight. Followed recipe exactly. My husband said it was the best red beans and rice he has ever eaten. I’m not much of a bean person but I did enjoy this. Has a little kick to it. Thanks!
We love hearing that! Thanks for sharing, Irene!
I made this recipe yesterday in homage to weekend #1 of the annual New Orleans Jazz and Heritage festival (which is the best time of the year to visit, by the way). This is THE BEST red beans and rice recipe I have found. After grad school I moved to New Orleans for my first real job and was exposed to this delicious delicacy. This recipe is easy and perfect. I made this on the stovetop as a crockpot will get hot, but the carmelization you get over a flame is not the same. This same dish in the classic Louisiana cookbook “River Road Recipes” is more simple (only beans, water, garlic, onion, celery, bay leaf, chopped parsley garnish) but to my palate this recipe right on! It’s downright impossible to find Cajun seasoning salt free, so I used Emeril Lagasse’s recipe for the same and went very light on the salt when I made it. The tomato paste marries the green pepper, onion, and celery beautifully, and the chicken stock turns up the savory in a way that water alone will never do. Some day I will make a large enough batch of this goodness and bathe in this stuff!!!! Oooooweeee!!! Laissez les bon temps rouler!!!!!
Gary, what a huge compliment! Thank you so much for sharing with us. We hope you’ll enjoy many more of our recipes.
This was my 1st time making red beans and rice.. amazing
I made this last night, it looked exactly like your pic except for the hands (yours are definitely photo ready). It tasted great, might have been a little too generous with the hot sauce. I used a turkey andouille sausage, which also had cajun seasoning in it, I don’t think it affected the flavor. The beans were creamy (I didn’t give myself enough time to use dry beans, so the canned beans were perfect). Totally surprised with the flavor the first night, it might not be the traditional red beans and rice but I would make it again!
Thanks so much for your feedback, Margret! We’re so glad you enjoyed it!