Louisiana Red Beans and Rice

4.93 from 14 votes

Louisiana Red Beans and Rice

This Louisiana Red Beans and Rice Recipe makes thick, creamy, delicious New Orleans Red Beans. This easy recipe will have everyone clearing their plates.

Prep Time15

Cook Time2 15

Soaking Time2

Total Time4 30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Cajun, Southern

Keyword: louisiana red beans and rice, new orleans red beans and rice, red beans and rice, red beans and rice recipe

Servings: servings

Calories: 692kcal

Author: Kari

Equipment

Ingredients

Soaking Red Beans

4 cups Camellia Red Kidney Beans
8 cups water

To Cook the Red Beans and Rice

1 tablespoon butter
4 strips bacon diced
1 pound seasoning ham cubed
2 - 3 cloves garlic minced
1 medium onion diced
3 - 4 stalks celery diced
1 green bell pepper diced
2 -3 dried bay leaves
2 tablespoon dried parsley
2 - 3 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning
6 cups water
4 cups chicken broth

Serving and Garnish

pepperoncini peppers diced
2 cups white or long grain rice use around ½ cup per serving
1 andouille or hot smoked sausage sliced and cooked

Instructions

Soaking Dry Red Beans

Before you begin cooking, soak the dry red beans in 8 cups of water.
4 cups Camellia Red Kidney Beans, 8 cups water
After two hours, rinse and strain the beans. (You can also soak them overnight to start cooking your red beans in the morning.)
While the beans are soaking, dice up the celery, onion, garlic, bacon, and ham into bite-size pieces.

Cooking Red Beans

After the beans are rinsed, heat a stock pot over medium/low heat and melt a tablespoon of butter.
1 tablespoon butter
When the butter is melted, add the bacon and cook it until it is a little crispy.
4 strips bacon
Add the diced ham and cook just to get a sear on it. When the bacon is crispy and the ham is seared, add your celery, onion, green bell pepper, and garlic to the bacon grease and cook until the onions are translucent.
1 pound seasoning ham, 2 - 3 cloves garlic, 1 medium onion, 3 - 4 stalks celery, 1 green bell pepper
When the onions are soft, add parsley, salt, pepper, and Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning. (If you do not have Tony's, you can use my Cajun Seasoning recipe.)
2 tablespoon dried parsley, 2 - 3 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, ½ teaspoon Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning
Then add your chicken broth, water, and bay leaves, and bring it all to a boil.
6 cups water, 4 cups chicken broth, 2 -3 dried bay leaves
Once the water is boiling, add the soaked and drained red beans and wait for it to return to a boil.
4 cups Camellia Red Kidney Beans
Reduce the heat and simmer over low/medium heat (this is a 2-3 out of 9 on the stove knob for me) for 1 ½ to 2 hours, checking on the beans and giving them a stir every 30 minutes. Make sure to stir all the way down to the bottom of the pot, checking to make sure that the bottom is not burning.
When you have about 20 minutes left of cooking time, slice up the smoked sausage and saute it in a frying pan and cook white rice.
1 andouille or hot smoked sausage
When the beans are cooked to your liking, remove the beans from the heat and serve over white rice. Garnish with diced pepperoncini peppers, your cooked sausage, and a splash of the vinegar from the jar of peppers.
2 cups white or long grain rice, pepperoncini peppers

Notes

Sausage: we like to use smoked sausage or andouille sausage- try both and figure out what you like best!

Red Beans and Rice Tips

The longer the beans cook, the thicker the broth will get. Our family likes them thick, so we cook them until they are no longer brothy. If you want them to have more of a soupy consistency, you can add more broth or stop cooking them sooner. They are even better the day after you cook them - they will develop such a creamy texture.
Soak beans in cold water so that they don't instantly "cook" - they just slowly soak and soften.
Add sausage to red beans when serving them; that way, everyone can get the amount that they want, and it also keeps the sausage from getting soggy.
Do NOT try to cook red beans faster by increasing the heat. This can cause a few issues -
- The broth can cook off too quickly, so there won't be enough for the beans, and they will actually end up undercooked in the middle.
- The beans can actually burn onto the bottom of the pot.
- And the biggest problem - you won't get that amazing depth of flavor from slow cooking.
When reheating red beans, heat them slowly over very low heat so that they don’t burn, or heat them covered in the microwave. You can also reheat large quantities in a crockpot or slow cooker if you are heating red beans for a large group.

How to Store Leftovers

Refrigerate leftovers for up to a week or freeze leftovers for up to 6 months.

Nutrition