Years ago, my son and I had Red Beans and Rice in New Orleans – and if you’ve had that experience, you know how the flavors of that dish can haunt you; you’ll think about it, taste it again in your mind, and not be satisfied until you have a plateful in front of you. Luckily, it’s only food or I’d sound like some kind of crazy stalker…
From a frugal standpoint, you really can’t get any better than beans, dirt cheap and full of protein, and rice, an inexpensive classic filler. It’s almost a cliche. But when a recipe takes a common old bean and a handful of ingredients and transforms them into a world-class dish with not much more than lots of time it’s a lesson to be learned.
About Red Beans & Rice:
Red Beans and Rice have always been a budget food and are one of those recipes that still are! Traditionally, housewives in New Orleans made Red Beans and Rice on Mondays, taking advantage of the long-simmering recipe to bubble away as they toiled at their weekly laundry.
If you’d like to explore deeper into the history, sure to check out this fascinating write-up from LeCour Kitchen and Bar.
Years ago, you’d find this dish served often with a chunky chili sauce or relish, like my Garden Chii Sauce. Maybe someone can help me out with the name of the commercial brand – it came in a small round glass “pot”. I haven’t seen it for years! Don’t confuse the Chili Sauce with the Heinz brand in a bottle.
Making Red Beans & Rice:
When you check out the recipe below, you’ll notice this dish is dependent on traditional flavors of onion, celery, and green bell pepper, a combination referred to as the “Holy Trinity” of Louisiana cooking. That trinity is sauteed in bacon fat (you’ll reserve the bacon to add back in at the end of the cooking) and a good amount of garlic, along with a few herbs are added in. Once that garlic is fragrant, toss in the combo of broth and water to simmer the beans until tender.
As far as heat, you will only see a touch of cayenne; the rest of the heat is provided by the Andouille sausage added in after the beans are tender. You can jazz things up more, but usually, the dish is served as is, and hot sauce is passed for “doctoring” individual servings to taste.
Do make sure to stir, especially towards the end of the cooking time, when you’ll see it becoming thicker. Do not scorch it!
Perfect Instant Pot Rice
What to Serve with Red Beans & Rice:
Of course, you are going to be serving Rice with Red Beans & Rice and I want to drop the recipe for my Perfect Instant Pot Rice here. If I’m not using my IP, I just follow the package directions.
I also mentioned the Garden Chili Sauce and the hot sauce (make it a New Orleans brand if you can!) but as a side? I think it’s a must to serve greens. I like to make my IP Collard Beans or this fresher recipe for Braised Turnip Greens. And of course, don’t forget the hot sauce!!
Storing and Reheating the Red Beans & Rice:
Years ago, my son tried to undermine me at a school conference and blurted out we had “no food” in the house! He meant junk food, being jealous of his friends with freezers full of hot pockets and pizza rolls.
The teacher, knowing me and my love of cooking just looked him up and down and said, “Well it’s not like you’re eating beans and rice.” We both started laughing because that was exactly what we had the night before – and were planning on eating that night. Leftover, it’s even better than the first night. Here’s what you need to know:
When storing a heavy, dense dish like this, store it in reasonably sized containers and add it to the fridge after it has cooled just a bit. Don’t cover it or only cover it very loosely until it is chilled. It will cool down faster that way.
When removing to reheat, you’ll notice that it will have thickened up and stiffened up considerably. If it is served like that, it will not go far. Instead, add to a larger dish (if heating in the microwave) or a saucepan with some room (if heating on the stove) and moisten it with a little water to bring it back to its original consistency.
Either way, whether reheating in the microwave or on the stove, stir often. Do be careful to cover in the microwave to avoid any spurting and to avoid a mess.
Saving Money on Red Beans & Rice:
- Bacon: Watch for store specials (especially around holidays) and pick it up on the cheap. Bacon freezes well so stash extra in the freezer when it’s at a low.
- Onions, Celery & Bell Pepper: These are items I buy at Aldi or Lidl. I rarely see them on sale at the grocer, except the peppers. I’ll generally buy extra bell peppers when I see them on sale; they’ll last for a week or more in the fridge.
- Chicken Stock: If you read me regularly, I make my own with scraps of vegetables and bones – here’s the basic recipe I use for the Best Turkey or Chicken Stock – it’s not particular and though it simmers for a long time, the burner is barely on – I just count it as free.
- Beans: The lowly bean is one of the healthiest foods & eating beans regularly usually eliminates the issues. Dried beans are so inexpensive to start with that they are seldom on “sale,” but check after any holiday that features Ham; sometimes they’re marked down. It’s worthwhile to check Aldi or Lidl as well as any ethnic market.
- Sausage: Brand-named sausage goes on sale regularly, often at the same
time the producer issues coupons. Watch your coupon sites. You may find in some areas all the sausages are on sale, in other areas, only one type at a time. If you are up north, you might find better pricing on kielbasa or smoked sausage. - Rice: Look for the best pricing on rice around Holidays and check
your store in the pasta/rice aisle as well as in the Ethnic aisles. Consider the discount stores or Ethnic Markets.
Red Beans & Rice
Red Beans & Rice
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 3 1/2 hours
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: main dish
- Cuisine: Southern
Ingredients
- 4 slices bacon, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped finely
- 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 7 cups chicken broth
- 7 cups water
- 1 teaspoon fresh oregano or 1/4 teaspoon dried
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme or 1/4 teaspoon dried
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
- 4 bay leaves
- 1 pound red beans, rinsed (I like the small beans, not kidney, if available)
- 1/2 pound andouille sausage, smoked sausage or keilbasa
- salt to taste
- 6 cups cooked rice
- hot sauce
- garden chili sauce
Instructions
In a Dutch oven, preferably a heavy cast iron or enameled cast iron, cook bacon till lightly browned but still bendy. Remove all but 2 tablespoons of fat and reserve the bacon. Add onion, celery, and green bell pepper and cook, stirring frequently until softened. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds longer, stirring, or until fragrant.
Add the chicken broth and water, then oregano, thyme, cayenne, and bay leaves. Stir. Add the beans and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a vigorous simmer (should be steaming and several bubbles breaking the surface) and cook, uncovered, stirring now and then till the beans are soft and most of the liquid is absorbed, about 2 1/2 hours.
Stir in sausage and cook till liquid is thick and creamy, about 30 minutes, stirring now and then. Turn the heat down if necessary. Chop the bacon and stir into the pot. Add salt to taste.
Serve over rice, and accompany with hot sauce and garden chili sauce.
Keywords: Andouille, Bacon, Bargain Meal of the Week, Bell Peppers, Cajun & Creole, celery, Chicken Stock, Dried Beans, Pork, Rice, Sausage, Southern Cooking
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