Red Beans and Rice
by Chungah
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Louisiana red beans and rice! With smoky andouille sausage, the holy trinity, and the creamiest red beans, topped with white rice.
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Why you’ll love this red beans and rice recipe
- Comfort food goodness. Firstly, this dish is quintessential comfort food, consisting of thick, creamy, tender beans, smoky andouille sausage, and Cajun seasoning.
- Budget-friendly. Red beans and rice is not only budget-friendly, but also incredibly filling, making it an economical, high protein, and high fiber dinner for the entire family to enjoy.
- Versatile and flexible. This recipe can easily be customized with different proteins or made vegetarian-friendly!
- Makes for the best leftovers. The flavors meld even more overnight, making for the most perfect leftovers and meal prep.
What is red beans and rice?
Red beans and rice is a classic Louisiana dish made with red beans, sausage, and the “holy trinity” (onions, bell pepper, and celery), typically served over white rice alongside cornbread and hot sauce.
Monday tradition
This dish was served on Mondays known as the “wash day” tradition, a day devoted to laundry. Cooking a pot of red beans, a slow cooked, no-fuss meal, allowed more time for chores to be completed.
How to make red beans and rice
- Cook the rice. Cook the rice to package instructions. Long grain white rice (ex. jasmine) is generally the gold standard for red beans and rice.
- Brown the sausage. While the rice is cooking, brown the sausage in batches until lightly browned; set aside.
- Add the holy trinity. Stir in the onion, bell pepper, and celery until tender.
- Cook the aromatics. Stir in the tomato paste, garlic, and Cajun seasoning until fragrant.
- Simmer. Add the red beans, chicken stock, hot sauce, bay leaf, and cooked sausage, simmering for 15 minutes covered, and then an additional 15 minutes uncovered.
- Mash the beans. Using a wooden spoon, mash the beans for a creamier consistency.
- Serve. Top with the cooked rice, garnished with parsley, and served alongside some cornbread.
what to serve with red beans and rice
Red Beans and Rice: Frequently Asked Questions
Not at all! 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.
I recommend using small red beans or kidney beans.
Traditionally red beans and rice is prepared with spicy andouille sausage but kielbasa is also a solid option.
The spice level can be adjusted to mild by using mild andouille sausage and omitting the hot sauce.
Absolutely! Similar to lasagna, red beans and rice taste better the very next day, allowing the flavors to meld and intensify overnight.
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
Video
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
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.
Equipment
Notes
- Serve with long grain white rice. Use long grain, basmati or jasmine rice – all light and fluffy to absorb and soak up the creamy, saucy beans. Avoid short grain, sushi rice or instant rice.
- Tomato paste adds so much flavor. Tomato paste adds body and richness in small amounts without adding too much liquid. Opt for tomato paste in a tube, using up only what you need at a time without having to open up a whole can.
- 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 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.
- Pair with cornbread. Serve with a scoop of rice and a side of cornbread, a quintessential pairing.
Did you make this recipe?
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Took to a New Orleans themed potluck and it was a hit. Increased the serving size to 8 instead of 6. Compared the spice mixture to a couple other recipes so altered those to taste. Added a splash of worcestershire sauce and a dash of liquid smoke. Mixed all together in a large slow cooker with the rice which I increased to 1 1/2 cups raw rice; and two 1/2 cups water and stock mixed half and half.
Made this yesterday for dinner and it was a huge hit. Delicious, easy, filling!
I grew up with Cajun and creole food in my house and this is like the essential “I don’t wanna make roux but want to eat something with some good Louisiana cozy comfort flavor” meal. It was delicious. My kids loved it. And I’m gonna make it all the time bc while I love a good gumbo and etouffee and literally everything else …I don’t always feel like making roux or want something faster. So seriously, hats off and Thankyou. Seriously. Thank you.
Delicious!!!!!
Quick and delicious
Perfectly done and delicious!
I absolutely love this recipe! I’ve made it numerous times since finding it last year and I plan on making it again this week since it’s the beginning of Carnival season.
This is a fairly easy recipe and sooooo delicious! It has a special place in my compiled cookbook and one of my favorites…. that is saying a lot, since I despise cooking!
My kids loved it!! I threw it all in the crockpot and it was perfect by lunch. This will definitely be on regular rotation.
Phenomenal!!
I wanted to try this recipe but I didn’t have all the right ingredients so I faked it with kielbasa instead of the andouille and dark red kidney beans and boy was it good. It was really quick considering it made a lot. Thank you!!! Popeyes, eat your heart out. It was inexpensive for all that it made, too!!!
I’ve made this several times. It has become one of my absolute favorite meals! And it freezes well. I just reheat in a crockpot and it’s good to go!
Very good like excellent all my friends love this. I sub eckridge smoked sausage skinless.
Thanks. Sandy
Love it! Felt like I was back eating at The Chimes in Baton Rouge
I make this recipe fairly regularly, it’s one of my family’s favourites! I use mild italian sausage (because kids) and add more veg, carrots etc (because kids). Always turns out great!
Your site name says it all for this recipe; damn delicious! My son wants me to make this all the time but I compromise and make it 3 times a month. We make it as written and do not change a thing. Thank you for such awesome recipes!
This was some of the best red beans, rice and sausage I have had had. I made a few changes because of the ingredients I had on hand and personal preferences. I used hot Italian sausage instead of Andouille sausage because I’ve found a big variance in the taste of Andouille sausage and didn’t want to risk using it. I forgot to get small red beans, but the large ones worked just fine. Thanks for developing a recipe that can be tweaked
One of my faves for this recipe, which is also a favorite meal of mine. I never change A thing!
This was excellent!! Everyone in the family loved it! I will make this again and again!
Wow! This was the absolute best! I will definitely make this over and over, I served this for my son who was home for a few days, I froze the leftovers for him to take home and he’s asked me to save him more the next time I make it, lol. I made it with feta and kale sausages and pre-sliced mild chorizo as that is what I had on had but will definitely pick up some andouille sausage for the next time, a definite “keeper” recipe!
This is my “go to” red beans and rice! And I’m from Louisiana! Fabulous recipe!!
These were the best rice and beans I ever had! The recipe is a definite keeper.