Bring the flavors of New Orleans to your own kitchen with my easy, authentic Creole Red Beans and Rice recipe! This dish has the perfect blend of spice and serves beautifully with fluffy white rice and buttermilk cornbread on the side.
I grew up in Mississippi, which means we frequently made trips to New Orleans for shopping, entertainment, but especially the FOOD. I consider NOLA food to be #1 in the country - and this recipe for red beans and rice is exactly what I make whenever I'm feeling a bit homesick for some delicious Cajun/Creole food. Serve with a slice of two of Jalapeño Skillet Cornbread!
The Coined Breakdown
- Total Cost per serving: $0.79
- Total Cost (8 servings): $6.28
- Those Other Guys: $14.00 per serving
Ingredients
- Dry Red Beans - The star of the show is dried red beans - not the canned versions. You can soak these overnight if you remember, or use the "quick-soak method" I talk about below!
- Avocado Oil - Or another type of vegetable oil, to brown our sausage and sauté our vegetables.
- Smoked Sausage Links - Our protein is smoked sausage links. I always grab the turkey kind, but pork or beef will work just as well. Try and get andouille sausage if you can!
- Cajun Holy Trinity - As I always say, you simply can’t make a savory Cajun recipe without the Cajun Holy Trinity. Bell peppers, onions, and celery. Trust me, I’m not a HUGE celery fan but you can’t skip it in this recipe.
- Chicken Broth - A big part of our red beans sauce. You can use store-bought or homemade.
- Apple Cider Vinegar - Don't worry, you can't taste it. But a tad bit of acidity helps with flavor balance.
- Molasses - A hint of sweetness goes a long way!
- Spice Blend - We're not skimping on the flavor. This dish uses a robust spice blend with seasonings like Cajun, cayenne, and ground thyme.
- Bay Leaves - Adding bay leaves creates depth and complexity in tons of soup/stew dishes. Make sure you remove before mashing the red beans!
- White Rice (for serving) - Red beans & rice is almost always served with white rice. You can also sub for brown rice or riced cauliflower if you want; but you will have to adjust those cooking times.
Variations and Substitutions
Pair with Potato Salad: In many New Orleans restaurants, authentic gumbo is served with potato salad instead of rice. You can do the same with gumbo's Creole cousin, red beans! Top a bowl of red beans with my Southern-Style Potato Salad for a flavor bomb.
Vegan Red Beans & Rice: Remove the sausage (or substitute with vegan smoked sausage) and you have a vegan meal that is just as delicious and packed with protein!
How to Make Authentic Red Beans and Rice
Step 1: Make sure your beans are soaked and softened. You can do this overnight, or use the quick-soak method I detail below.
Step 2: Brown your sausage rounds in a bit of avocado oil. Then, remove them from the pan and set aside.
Step 3: Add the chopped Cajun holy trinity to the pot and sauté until soft. Season with our spice blend.
Step 4: Pour in the soaked beans, chicken broth, apple cider vinegar, and molasses. Stir to combine, then place a few bay leaves on top and let the mixture come to a boil.
Step 5: Once the pot is boiling, turn the heat to medium-low, cover, and let cook for an hour.
Remove the bay leaves and mash about half of the beans using a masher or immersion blender. This helps thicken the sauce.
Step 6: Finally, pour back in the seared sausage and stir.
Let the pot cook, covered, for another 15 minutes. Serve with white rice and extra hot sauce!
Forgot to Soak Your Beans Overnight?
If you forgot to soak your beans overnight - and no judgement, I forget often - have no fear!
There's a quick soak method to get these dry beans ready to cook in about an hour.
- Rinse the beans in water and discard any debris. Strain the water from the beans.
- Boil the rinsed beans in a large pot of water, uncovered, for 5 minutes. You want the pot to come to a rolling boil.
- Cut the heat off, then let the beans soak in that hot water for an hour.
- Rinse and drain the water once more, then they are ready to use!
Recipe FAQs
I love using "small red beans" that you can find in the dried bean section of your grocery store. You can also use dried light red kidney beans if you can't find the red beans.
My recipe definitely has big flavors; but this isn't too spicy. We only use a small amount of cayenne pepper. If you love spice, feel free to add a bit more cayenne to taste. You can also chop up a jalapeño pepper and add to the pot with the other vegetables!
Red beans and rice is a Creole dish! Creole and Cajun are descriptors of two cultures in Louisiana that are sometimes used interchangeably. Creole food is more "city-based", specifically New Orleans. Cajun food comes from descendants of French-Canadian settlers, mostly in southern Louisiana.
Cajun food tends to be more down-home, one-pot dishes like stews and soups. Creole food has more African/Native-American influence; it also tends to be a bit more involved in preparation.
Other Easy One-Pot Dinners to Keep in Rotation!
If you tried this Red Beans and Rice Recipe, or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you! Thanks for visiting!
Easy Red Beans & Rice
Equipment
- Medium Bowl to soak dry beans
- Chef's Knife
- Dutch Oven with lid
- Wooden Spoon
- Potato Masher or Immersion Blender
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups small red beans, dry soaked overnight or using the "quick soak" method
- 12 ounces smoked sausage link
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- ⅓ count yellow onion diced
- 2 count celery stalks chopped
- 1 count green bell pepper chopped
- 2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon no-salt Cajun seasoning
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon ground thyme
- 2 ½ cups chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon molasses
- 2 count bay leaves
- white rice for serving
Instructions
- Ensure your dry red beans have been soaked overnight, or using the "quick soak" method found in the recipe notes below. Rinse, drain, and set aside.
- Slice your turkey sausage link into rounds about ½ inch wide.
- In a large pot, add the olive oil and the sausage rounds. Brown the sausages on medium heat and then set aside.
- Sauté the diced onion, celery, and green bell pepper on medium heat for about 4 minutes.
- Season the veggies with the smoked paprika, salt, no-salt Cajun seasoning, black pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and ground thyme.
- Pour in the soaked beans, chicken stock, apple-cider vinegar, and molasses. Stir to combine.
- Place the bay leaves in the pot, then allow the mixture to begin to boil.
- Once the pot is boiling, turn the heat to medium-low, cover, and let cook for an hour.
- Remove the bay leaves. Using a soup blender (or smashing the beans against the pot with the back of a spoon), mash some of the beans to help thicken the sauce.
- Add back in the sausage rounds, cook covered for another 15 minutes, then serve with white rice. Enjoy!
Notes
- Rinse the beans in water and discard any debris. Strain the water from the beans.
- Boil the rinsed beans in a large pot of water, uncovered, for 5 minutes. You want the pot to come to a rolling boil.
- Cut the heat off, then let the beans soak in that hot water for an hour.
- Rinse and drain the water once more, then they are ready to use!
Alex Pruett says
I make this red beans and rice recipe probably once a month. It's a great dinner for the family that makes lots of leftovers and I don't have to cook as often that week!
Flavors are really good as well. It's not too spicy for the kiddos, but still has enough pizazz to feel like a takeout meal for my fiancé and I.
Shani W. says
I love to hear that! Thank you for trying and commenting, Alex.