Super thick, ultra-creamy, and bursting with flavor! The beans are perfectly cooked - just the right amount of tenderness, paired with rice and flavorful smoky andouille sausage.
Save this recipe by clicking on the ❤️ heart on the right-hand side of the screen or in the recipe card.
Table of Contents
🗝️ Key takeaways
- Traditional red beans and rice is a hearty meal full of great flavor that tastes like homestyle goodness—delicious the next day, too!
- Although a pot of red beans is a classic dish on laundry day Monday in New Orleans, it’s a great recipe for a filling meal any day of the week.
- Authentic red beans and rice must be made with the “holy trinity” of Creole cuisine: celery, onion, and bell pepper. Don't leave 'em out!
The combination of smoky andouille sausage, tender red beans, aromatic veggies, and zesty cajun seasoning creates the ultimate Southern comfort food!
With my easy red beans and rice recipe, you can bring the rich flavor of Southern Louisiana cajun cooking right to your kitchen.
🧾 Ingredients
This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
📖 Variations
- Smoked sausage is an absolute must in Louisiana red beans and rice! If you can’t find andouille sausage at the local grocery store, use smoked kielbasa, beef sausage, turkey sausage, chorizo, or smoked ham hocks.
- I like to use yellow onion in Southern red beans, but a white or sweet Vidalia onion works, too.
- If you don’t have fresh garlic, a teaspoon of garlic powder will do in a pinch.
- Make your cajun seasoning at home with my easy copycat of Tony Chachere's creole seasoning recipe! It’s a simple mix of kosher salt, cayenne pepper, black pepper, chili powder, and garlic powder.
- You can easily substitute the cream-style red beans with canned red kidney beans that are smashed with a spoon or potato masher in a large bowl. Mashing the beans helps create a creamy texture.
- You can swap out the beef stock with chicken broth, chicken stock, or vegetable broth.
🔪 Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page. Click on the image to see it full size.
In a Dutch oven or large pot, heat the vegetable oil over high heat, then sear the sausage slices.
Set aside the sausage. Saute celery, onion, red and green bell pepper, and garlic on medium heat.
Stir in the cajun seasoning and bay leaves.
Add the sausage, beans, and beef stock and simmer uncovered for 20-25 minutes.
🍴 Equipment
- Large Dutch oven or pot
🥫 How to store leftovers
Store leftover red beans in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days. Reheat leftovers easily in the microwave or on the stovetop 'til warm.
This is a good recipe for freezer meals! Freeze red beans in an airtight container for up to three months. Thaw frozen red beans and sausage in the fridge before reheating, or use the defrost setting on the microwave.
Expert tip:
It’s important to thoroughly saute the veggies for the full 10-15 minutes so they soften, lightly brown, and get rid of excess moisture.
💭 Things to know
- Vegetable oil is better for sauteing at high heat since it has a higher smoke point than olive oil and butter.
- Make sure you rinse and drain the canned red kidney beans before adding them to the pot.
- Deglaze the bottom of the pot with beef stock before adding the sausage and beans, scraping up those flavorful brown bits with a wooden spoon.
- Bay leaves add fragrance and a pungent flavor to red beans and rice. Just remember to remove each bay leaf from your bowl before digging in!
- Kick the heat level up a notch by adding extra cayenne pepper and black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, or your favorite hot sauce.
- Serve your red beans over cooked white rice and garnish it with sliced green onion or chopped fresh parsley.
👩🍳 FAQs
You can, but remember that dried beans require more prep and a much longer cooking process than canned beans. Put the dried beans in a large stock pot and cover them with at least 2 inches of salted, cold water. (The salt helps tenderize the beans so they cook more evenly.)
Soak beans overnight for the best results. Drain and rinse the soaked beans before adding them to the pot. Simmer the ingredients on low heat for 1 ½ to 2 hours until the beans are soft and tender.
It goes without saying, but creole red beans and rice just aren’t the same without red beans. However, you can also use pink beans, black beans, white beans, or pinto beans. The flavor and texture will be slightly different, though.
Sure! You can make red beans and rice with other kinds of smoked meat, like smoked kielbasa, beef sausage, turkey sausage, chorizo, or smoked ham hock.
Although long-grain white rice is traditional for red beans and rice, you can also serve it with brown rice. However, keep in mind that brown rice requires more liquid and a longer cooking time than white rice, so plan accordingly.
Absolutely! Brown the sausage and saute the vegetables on the stovetop first, then add all the ingredients to your
📚 Related recipes
- Crock Pot Chicken and Sausage Gumbo is a truly authentic Louisiana recipe with so much flavor from all the spices, fresh herbs, and veggies!
- Succulent and spicy Grilled Shrimp Creole is served over a zesty creole sauce made with the holy trinity, tomatoes, herbs, and creole seasoning.
- Cajun Shrimp and Grits with Creamy Sauce is one of the most delicious recipes that’s on the dinner table in 20 minutes!
🍽️ Serve with...
Enjoy a pot of beans and rice with a large slice of my Easy Buttermilk Cornbread, made in the classic Southern style without sugar.
Southern Green Beans are cooked low and slow for 20 minutes to soak up all the smoky, tangy flavor from the bacon, cider vinegar, and seasoning salt.
Bananas Foster Cheesecake is a decadent dessert that combines New York-style cheesecake with the signature New Orleans sweet treat.
📞 The last word
This is such a hearty, budget-friendly meal and full of spicy southern flavor.
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.
If you love this recipe please comment below and give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Southern Red Beans and Rice
Print Pin Recipe Save Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 pound smoked andouille sausage, or regular smoked sausage sliced
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- ½ green bell pepper, diced
- ½ red bell pepper, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
- 32 ounces cans cream style red beans
- 31 ounces red kidney beans, drained 2 15.5 oz. cans
- 1 cup beef stock
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven (or heavy-bottomed pot), heat the vegetable oil over high heat for 1-2 minutes. Add the sliced sausage, and cook one side for 2 minutes, then flip the sausages over to brown the other side. Remove the sausage from the pot and set aside.
- Sauté the vegetables. In the same pot, add the diced onions, celery, and red and green bell peppers (collectively known as the “trinity” in the Cajun/Creole culture). You may need to add an additional tablespoonful of vegetable oil.
- Lower the heat to medium, and cook the vegetables for 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are lightly browned and the celery and bell peppers soften. Add the minced garlic and cook for 5 minutes more.
- Season the vegetables by adding the Cajun seasoning and bay leaves. Stir well and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.
- Add the cream style red beans, drained kidney beans, beef broth, and the browned sausage to the seasoned vegetables.
- Mix well, cover, and simmer, uncovered, over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 20-25 minutes.
- Remove the bay leaves if you like.
- Serve with rice and garnish with fresh parsley. Enjoy!
Notes
Cooked red beans can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Tips:
- Make sure you rinse and drain the canned red kidney beans before adding them to the pot.
- Deglaze the bottom of the pot with beef stock before adding the sausage and beans, scraping up those flavorful brown bits with a wooden spoon.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
Comments
No Comments