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red beans and rice

A delicious red beans and rice recipe featuring tender beans and spicy Andouille sausage cooked into a robust dish that's heavy on authentic flavor. Served over rice, it's a classic Southern comfort food that's always a crowd favorite!
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 10
Cuisine: Chinese
Calories: 120
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Main Ingredients
  • 1 pound dry red beans
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 13 ounces andouille sausage cut into 0.25-inch slices
  • 0.5 tablespoon butter
  • 1 large yellow onion diced
  • 2 ribs celery diced
  • 1 small red bell pepper diced
  • 1 small green bell pepper diced
  • 6 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 0.5 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 0.5 teaspoon paprika
  • 0.125 teaspoon ground cayenne red pepper or to taste
  • freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 6.5 cups low sodium vegetable broth you can also use chicken broth
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 0.5 cup chopped fresh parsley plus more for garnish
  • 0.25 cup chopped fresh green onions plus more for garnish
  • 1.5 cups long grain brown rice or white rice cooked according to package directions

Method
 

Preparation Steps
  1. Soak the beans. Put the dry beans in a large soup pot or a large bowl; cover in water and soak for 8 hours or overnight. Water should come up about 2 inches over the beans.
  2. Brown the andouille sausages. When ready to cook, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large Dutch oven or a heavy pot over medium heat. Add the sausage slices to the heated oil and cook until browned on both sides. Stir frequently. Remove the browned sausages from the pot and set them aside.
  3. Sauté the vegetables. Add butter to the pot and let it melt. Stir in the onions and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes or until starting to soften. Add celery and bell peppers; continue to cook for 4 minutes. Add a little more butter if needed. Stir in garlic and cook for 15 seconds.
  4. Stir in the seasonings and broth. Add salt, oregano, thyme, paprika, cayenne, and black pepper; continue to cook for 1 more minute. Pour in the vegetable broth and stir, scraping up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
  5. Add the beans and sausage. Drain the soaked beans and rinse; add the beans to the pot and stir in the browned andouille sausage.
  6. Simmer. Add the bay leaves, increase the heat to high, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer for 1.5 to 2 hours or until beans are soft and tender. Start checking for doneness around the 1.5 hour mark by mashing or squeezing the beans between your fingers. The skin should be a bit resistant to pressure, but the interior should be the consistency and appearance of a baked potato.
  7. Mash the beans. When the beans are cooked through, remove the bay leaves from the pot and discard them. Remove 1 cup of beans to a bowl; mash the beans with the back of a fork, and then return them to the pot and stir until blended.
  8. Adjust. If the mixture is too thick, add up to 1 cup of water or broth. Taste the mixture for salt, pepper, and seasonings, and adjust accordingly.
  9. Finish and serve. Stir in the parsley and green onions, and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Remove the beans from the heat and serve them over cooked rice.

Notes

For an authentic take, use dry red beans. If using canned beans (about 2 cans, 15 ounces each), no soaking is needed, and cooking time reduces to about 30 minutes. Soaking dry beans (8 hours or overnight, or a quick 1-hour soak after boiling) can shorten cooking time by about 10 minutes and aid digestion. If the mixture is too thick, you can add a roux or a cornstarch slurry (1 part cornstarch to 2 parts water) to thicken it. Serve this dish with hot sauce, bread, raw onion slices, tomato slices, fresh green onions, or pickled vegetables like pickled red onions or okra.