🍛 Red Beans and Rice
A hearty, flavorful dish rooted in New Orleans Creole cuisine. Traditionally served on Mondays (wash day), it’s slow-cooked red beans with spices, sausage, and rice.
🛒 Ingredients (Serves 4–6)
- 1 lb dried red kidney beans (soaked overnight)
- 1 smoked sausage (Andouille preferred), sliced
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 bell pepper, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
(This trio is known as the “holy trinity” in Louisiana cooking.) - 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2–3 cups chicken broth (or water)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- ½–1 tsp cayenne (optional)
- Salt & black pepper
- 2 cups cooked white rice
- Green onions or parsley (for garnish)
🍳 Instructions
1️⃣ Cook the Sausage
In a large pot, brown the sausage slices. Remove and set aside.
2️⃣ Sauté the Vegetables
In the same pot, cook onion, bell pepper, and celery until soft (5–7 minutes).
Add garlic and cook 30 seconds more.
3️⃣ Simmer the Beans
Add soaked beans, sausage, bay leaves, thyme, cayenne, and broth (liquid should cover beans by about 1–2 inches).
Bring to a boil, then reduce to low and simmer uncovered for 1½–2 hours, stirring occasionally.
4️⃣ Creamy Texture
Mash some beans against the side of the pot during the last 20 minutes to thicken naturally.
5️⃣ Serve
Remove bay leaves. Adjust seasoning.
Spoon beans over hot white rice and garnish with green onions.
🌶 Flavor Profile
- Smoky
- Savory
- Slightly spicy
- Comforting & rich
💡 Tips
- Even better the next day.
- Add a ham hock for deeper flavor.
- For a vegetarian version, skip sausage and use smoked paprika.
If you’d like, I can give you an authentic Creole-style version, a quicker weeknight method, or an Instant Pot version.
