Creole red beans rice (Printable)
Tender red beans cooked with smoked sausage and spices, served atop fluffy white rice with a touch of heat.
# What You'll Need:
→ Beans and Protein
01 - 1 pound dried red kidney beans, soaked overnight and drained
02 - 12 ounces smoked sausage or andouille, sliced
03 - 1 ham hock (optional)
→ Vegetables
04 - 1 large onion, diced
05 - 1 green bell pepper, diced
06 - 2 celery stalks, diced
07 - 4 garlic cloves, minced
→ Seasonings
08 - 2 bay leaves
09 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
10 - 1 teaspoon paprika
11 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
12 - 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
13 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
14 - 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
→ Liquids
15 - 6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
16 - 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
→ To Serve
17 - 4 cups cooked long-grain white rice
18 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (optional)
19 - Hot sauce, to taste
# How To Make It:
01 - Heat vegetable oil in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add sausage slices and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until browned. Remove sausage and set aside, leaving rendered fat in pot.
02 - Add onion, bell pepper, and celery to pot. Sauté for 5 to 7 minutes until softened. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Return sausage to pot. Add soaked and drained beans, ham hock if using, bay leaves, thyme, paprika, oregano, cayenne, black pepper, and salt.
04 - Pour in broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1.5 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until beans are tender and creamy. Add more broth or water if needed during cooking.
05 - Remove and discard bay leaves and ham hock. For creamier texture, mash some beans against side of pot with spoon. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt or hot sauce.
06 - Serve hot over cooked white rice. Garnish with chopped parsley and extra hot sauce if desired.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The beans develop this incredible creamy texture that you cannot achieve with shortcuts or canned versions
- Your whole house will smell amazing while this simmers away, making it perfect for lazy weekend cooking
02 -
- Dried beans can vary wildly in cooking time depending on their age, so start checking for tenderness after 1.5 hours
- Mashing some beans against the pot at the end is the secret to getting that authentic creamy texture without adding any cream
03 -
- Sort through your dried beans before soaking to remove any small stones or damaged beans
- If you forget to soak the beans overnight, use the quick soak method by boiling them for 2 minutes then letting them sit for an hour