Red Beans and Rice
Red beans and rice is a quick, one-pot dinner packed with smoky sausage, tender beans, and bold Southern flavor. Make it anytime you need a hearty, budget-friendly meal.
Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 485kcal
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry kidney beans soaked overnight
- 14 ounces smoked sausage sliced
- 13.5 ounces Andouille sausage chopped
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 1 large sweet onion diced (or 2 small onions)
- 2 celery ribs diced
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon thyme dried
- 1 teaspoon oregano dried
- 1 tablespoon Creole seasoning
- 3 large bay leaves
- 3 cups long grain rice
- 3½ cups water
- chopped green onions and parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Ensure your red beans have been soaking in water all night.
- In a large cast-iron pot or Dutch oven, brown the sliced and chopped sausage until there is a little color.
- Add the diced onions, bell pepper, and celery then cook for a few minutes until soft.
- Drain and rinse the red kidney beans and add the red kidney beans, chicken stock, thyme, oregano, Creole seasoning, and bay leaves.
- Stir and bring to a boil. At that point turn down the heat and allow to simmer on low for about 3 hours. Stir occasionally.
- After 3 hours check the doneness of the beans. Smash some on the side of the pot, it will help thicken the juices. Remove the bay leaves.
- Take the rice and rinse it. Drain the water and add it to a pot. Add 3½ cups water and cover.
- Once the rice comes to a boil turn down the heat to a low simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Do not remove the lid during this time.
- Garnish the red beans with green onion and parsley.
- Serve on top of the rice.
Notes
- If you don’t soak your beans overnight, you can still cook them, but they will take longer!
- Andouille sausage can be quite spicy. This is why I cut it up into smaller chunks so that it’s not too much at one time. It’s also easier for kids to eat that way. For even less heat, eliminate the Andouille and just use smoked sausage.
- Depending on how high you cook the beans will determine how quickly they cook.
- Smash some of the beans on the side of the pot, it will help thicken the juices. It will also thicken more on cooling.
- Do not remove the lid while the rice is cooking. Just keep watching to make sure it’s simmering.
Nutrition
Calories: 485kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 61mg | Sodium: 701mg | Potassium: 468mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 286IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 2mg