Red Beans And Rice

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Red Beans And Rice is pure comfort food -- andouille sausage with veggies and red beans in a luxuriously creamy and flavorful sauce. This makes such an ultra-filling meal.

Course Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword easy red beans and rice, red beans and rice

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Simmering Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Servings -8 servings

Calories 400kcal

Author Chelsea Lords

Cost $8.13

Ingredients

1 tablespoon oil (vegetable or canola)
1 pkg. (13 oz.) smoked andouille sausage, sliced into thin coins
1 sweet onion, diced (~1-1/2 cups)
1 green bell pepper, diced (~1 cup)
1-1/3 cup diced celery (~3 large ribs)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon finely minced garlic (~3-4 cloves)
1-1/2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Fine sea salt & pepper
3 cans (15 oz. EACH) red beans, drained and rinsed (Note 2)
3 cups good quality chicken stock (like Swanson)
1 bay leaf, optional
1-1/4 cups uncooked basmati rice
Optional: 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley, hot sauce and/or cayenne pepper for more heat! (Note 3)

US - Metric

Instructions

SAUSAGE: Add 1 tbsp oil to a large stockpot or cast iron pot over medium heat. Add thinly sliced sausage in a single layer, and cook, stirring frequently until sausage is lightly browned, about 5-6 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the sausage to a paper-towel-lined plate and tent with foil. Leave any grease behind; if there is an excess of 2 tablespoons drain off the surplus.
VEGGIES: Add 1-1/2 cups diced onion, 1 cup diced bell pepper and 1-1/3 cup diced celery to the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and onion is translucent, about 7-10 minutes.
FLAVORING: Add in 2 tbsp. tomato paste, 1 tbsp. garlic, 1-1/2 tsps Cajun seasoning, 1 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp oregano and salt & pepper to taste (I add 1/2 tsp salt & 1/4 tsp pepper). Stir until very fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
SIMMER: Finally, add in 3 cans (drained and rinsed) red beans, 3 cups chicken stock, and 1 bay leaf. Return the sausage to the pot. Bring to a boil and then cover the pot with a lid; reduce heat to simmer for 15 minutes. Uncover the pot and continue to simmer for another 15 minutes.
PREPARE RICE: Meanwhile, prepare the rice. Here's how we do it: Fill a large pot with water and set it to boil. Once the water is at a rolling boil, salt the water and add in 1-1/4 cup uncooked rice. Cook without, reducing the heat, for 6 minutes (Taste test to ensure it is tender.) and then drain and fluff with a fork. Set aside for now. (See note 3.)
OPTIONAL MASH BEANS: After the dish has finished simmering, you can mash some of the beans. Two ways to do this: either use a wooden spoon to mash beans until slightly thickened or remove 1-1/2 cups of the beans and surrounding liquid (avoiding pieces of sausage) and blend until smooth. Use a spatula to scrape all blended beans back into the pot. If desired, mix in 3 tbsp finely chopped parsley. Stir and taste, seasoning with additional salt and pepper (I usually add another 1/4 up to 1/2 tsp salt) if needed (Note 3).
FINISHING: Serve with hot sauce and cayenne pepper, if desired. Serve over cooked rice and enjoy!

Notes

Note 1: Sausage: Traditionally, this dish is made with andouille sausage; if you can't find this sausage, any type of smoked pork or beef sausage will work great. This ingredient is the biggest variable in this recipe -- depending on the sausage used, this dish can be fairly mild or quite spicy. It will also play a big part in the flavor and saltiness of the dish. (We've made this dish quite a few times trying all the andouille sausage available to us and it ends up a little different every time!)

Note 2: Red beans: Not to be confused with kidney beans-- the two are different! Be sure to drain and rinse beans before using.

Note 3: Finishing touches: Depending on the sausage used, you may need to play around a little with the salt, pepper, and spices. If the sausage is pretty hot, you may want to leave out any additional hot sauce or cayenne pepper. If it's mild, you may want to amp up these hot flavors (start with 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper and 1 tsp hot sauce and increase from there). And depending on how salty the sausage is, you may want to season a little less or more.

Note 3: Rice: This recipe uses basmati rice. The cooking technique only works with this type of rice. If you're using long-grain white rice or any other rice, use your traditional cooking method instead of this boiling technique.

Nutrition