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Instant Pot

Melissa Clark's Instant Pot Cajun Red Beans & Rice

by:
October 13, 2018
4.6
13 Ratings
Photo by Christopher Testani
  • Prep time 30 minutes
  • Cook time 35 minutes
  • Serves 6 to 8
Author Notes

Reprinted from Comfort in an Instant. Copyright © 2018 by Melissa Clark. Photographs copyright © 2018 by Christopher Testani. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC. —Food52

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Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 pound andouille sausage, sliced
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 1 green bell pepper, diced
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 2 celery stalks, diced (leaves reserved for garnish)
  • 5 fat garlic cloves, sliced, plus 1 clove, finely grated or minced
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more if needed
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 pound dried kidney beans, soaked in water for at least 6 hours or overnight and drained
  • Fresh lemon juice
  • Cooked white rice, for serving
  • Thinly sliced scallions, for serving
  • Hot sauce, for serving
Directions
  1. Using the sauté function, heat the oil in the pressure cooker pot. Stir in the sausage and cook until well browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the sausage to a plate.
  2. Stir in the onion, bell peppers, celery, sliced garlic, 1 teaspoon of the salt, the sage, black pepper, and cayenne. Cook until the vegetables are soft and just starting to brown, about 7 minutes. Stir in the bay leaves, thyme, beans, 31/2 cups water, and remaining 1 ¼ teaspoons salt.
  3. Lock the lid into place and cook on high pressure for 15 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally.
  4. Remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Use a slotted spoon to remove two thirds of the beans, and set them aside. With an immersion or regular blender, puree the remaining beans in the pot to thicken the mixture.
  5. Turn on the sauté function. Stir in the sausage and the reserved beans, bring the entire mixture to a simmer, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened to your liking.
  6. Taste and add more salt if needed and season with lemon juice to taste. Serve the beans and sausage over rice, topped with scallions, chopped celery leaves, and hot sauce.
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13 Reviews

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NancyfromVictoria January 6, 2021
I am looking forward to making this tonight. No time to soak beans so I will used canned beans. How much water should I cut down and are the times the same with canned beans? Thanks so much for any help.
Smaug December 30, 2022
You don't need to soak beans in an instant pot. The dry beans should, presumably, be added at the end of step two.
Freebird January 22, 2020
Really simple and tasty! Needed to make a few adjustments based on availability of ingredients. Used small dried red beans, rather than kidney and smoked sausage, rather than andouille. We don't like the soapy flavor of sage, so added 1/2 tsp of smoked paprika along with thyme. I didn't want to bother with pureeing at the end, so pressure cooked for 25 min and only let it naturally release for 15 min. Beans were perfectly cooked and with a little extra simmering the beans broke down enough with stirring to thicken the mixture enough for our liking, no extra tools to clean.
Suzanne M. January 12, 2020
This was easy and delicious. Great flavors. Will definitely make again.
Carla June 2, 2019
This is the 2nd time I’m making this recipe and we loved it the first time... however I have a question, where in the instructions do you add the additional grated or minced garlic? Step 2 only has you adding the sliced garlic and the additional clove isn’t mentioned.
hennywright February 17, 2021
i had the same question as CARLA--WHEN DOES THE LAST GARLIC GO IN ?
The R. January 23, 2019
What a great take on red beans and rice. I loved this recipe and I can't wait to make it again. That being said, I think some of the proportions seemed off.

1. I think I needed two pounds of sausage. One left me with just a few pieces for three or four people.
2. I'm not sure about adding three and half cups of water to the pressure cooker. I had so much sauce at the end that I ended up needed to put it in a large hot skillet and reduce it for another 20 minutes. I think that I would reduce the water to 1.5 or 2 cups.
3. I used a 25 ounce can of kidney beans and I think I needed more. Next time I would add two cans.
Robyn L. January 27, 2019
It’s too much water if you're using canned beans! This recipe is for dried beans so if you’re substituting cooked beans then need to decrease water.
Smaug October 22, 2018
RB&R is basically a ham dish. You can, of course, make a perfectly good dish with just the sausage butit's really outside the tradition.
Jennifer B. October 26, 2018
Not sure what part of the country you're in, but red beans and rice is most definitely made with sausage in Texas.
Smaug October 26, 2018
Sausage may be used in Louisiana, too, but the foundation of the dish-a traditional Monday supper- is the leftovers from Sunday's ham- particularly the marrow bone, which provides the sort of texture that runs throughout Cajun cooking. I often make a version at home with just Andouille sausages, but I don't tell people it's Cajun Red Beans and Rice.