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Red Beans & Rice

by:
June 26, 2023
5
1 Ratings
Photo by Food52
  • Prep time 4 hours 15 minutes
  • Cook time 1 hour 30 minutes
  • makes 10 to 12 cups
Test Kitchen Notes

This dish shines in its simplicity. The small step that makes all the difference? Soak the beans overnight, and mash a bit of the final mixture, to get a super creamy, rich texture. Serve over rice to soak up all the extra flavors. —Food52

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Red Beans & Rice
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 pounds dried red beans
  • 1 pound Andouille sausage, sliced into ½-inch-thick rounds
  • 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 6 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 medium sweet onions, chopped
  • 2 large celery stalks, sliced
  • 1 large green bell pepper, de-seeded and large diced
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, plus more to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (optional)
  • 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • Kosher salt, to taste
  • 1 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped
  • 1 bunch fresh green onions, sliced
  • Cooked long-grain white rice, for serving
Directions
  1. In a large bowl, cover beans in water and soak for at least 4 hours or overnight. (Water should cover beans by at least an inch.)
  2. In a large, heavy pot, brown sausage in 1 tablespoon of oil until slightly crisp. Add remaining oil, followed by the onions, celery, and bell pepper. Sauté for 5 minutes. Sauté over medium heat until onions are translucent and the other vegetables are soft, about 10 to 12 minutes. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
  3. Pour soaked beans (with the soaking water) into the pot and bring to a simmer. Add black pepper, cayenne, Cajun seasoning, bay leaves, and basil.
  4. Cook until beans are softened, about 1 ½ to 2 hours. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.
  5. 15 minutes before serving, remove 1 cup of beans to a bowl and, using a fork, mash them. Stir back into the pot to enhance the creamy texture of the dish. Add parsley and green onions. Simmer for about 15 minutes, taste and adjust seasoning, then add up to 1 cup more water if beans seem too thick. Remove bay leaves. Serve warm over rice.
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Recipe by: Millie Peartree

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5 Reviews

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Nicole O. August 15, 2023
This recipe is okay. The video and the written instructions don't match up all the way and there isn't enough detail. Are these small red beans or kidney beans? In the video she takes the sausage out before cooking--the written recipe doesn't. The recipe says sauté for 5 minutes, then sauté for 10 to 12 minutes. Saute what? The video she cooks the garlic for about 30 seconds, in the recipe it says 2 minutes which I think would make it burn. In the video she blooms the spices before adding the liquid, in the recipe it's added with the beans and water.

I also had to add additional liquid to the pan because all of the soaking liquid was absorbed into the beans overnight, even though I followed instructions to cover with at least an inch of water. This also made tons and tons of food! I had to move from my dutch oven into a larger pan to be able to cook everything and even then it was to the tippy tippy top. I cooked it for 90 minutes and could have cooked it for less time since the beans I used, kidney, were mostly split.
Smaug August 15, 2023
In this case, "Red Beans and Rice" isn't merely a description, it's the name of a specific dish- kidney beans are traditional. Wouldn't have hurt to put it in the recipe, though.
Smaug June 27, 2023
OK recipe, I sometimes do something like it with canned beans for a quick meal, but it should be pointed out that Red Beans and Rice, the traditional Louisiana dish, is basically a ham dish; the ham bone is particularly important for the final texture. The use of basil is a little unusual; thyme is a more common choice, but then no telling what's going to be in "Cajun seasoning" (other than white pepper, they all seem to have that).
jodyrah July 5, 2023
Use Camellia red beans. They become creamy with no need to mash any. Stir in the sauteed andouille or smoked sausage just before serving. It becomes flavorless during 1.5 hour cook time. I cook my beans with 2 smoked ham hocks, #1 seasoning ham and #1 salt or pickled pork (remove before serving).
Smaug July 5, 2023
Camellia beans occasionally pop up in stores around here, but they do a good mail order business; their web site is pretty informative, worth a visit. Not just beans, they sell beans, sausages, rice, spice blends- all things Cajun, and there are recipes.