Traditional New Orleans red beans and rice is a savory, spicy, smoky one-pot dish and the ultimate Creole comfort food. Slow-cooked red beans and andouille sausage are served with a generous helping of long-grain white rice. And a nice slow simmer, plenty of pork, and classic Creole seasonings are the key to creating this soul-warming Louisiana favorite.
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The Story
In the days before electric appliances circa the 1800s, the housewives of Louisiana cooked red beans and rice on Monday, or wash day. While the beans simmered, they could venture outside to scrub and hang laundry while dinner cooked itself. Thank goodness for modern laundry appliances. And the fact that many restaurants across the state still serve up discounted plates of red beans on Mondays (my family's favorite is Mother's).
And while the specific steps and seasonings differ depending on the cook, most of us who hail from the Crescent City agree on three things: pork, pork, and more pork. Not to say you can't simmer up a delicious pot of vegan or vegetarian red beans and rice. But cured, smoky pork and classic Creole seasonings are the authentic flavors of any New Orleans red beans and rice.
The Ingredients
Water is the traditional cooking liquid. But you can also use vegetable stock or chicken bone broth to add flavor and nutrients (I often do). Choose a low-sodium or unsalted stock or broth. Or dial down the salt.
The Main Ingredients
- Dried red kidney beans or small red beans. Any recipe for red beans and rice worth making will mention Camellia brand red kidney beans. The New Orleans company is a century-old favorite (you can order them online). And their kidney beans are the creamiest around, chef's promise. Small red beans are a lesser-known authentic choice but even nuttier and creamier than red kidneys (and my personal favorite).
- Andouille sausage. Red beans and rice with sausage are the only ones most Louisiana natives accept as legitimate. But some add cubed ham, too, traditionally leftover from Sunday dinner. Polska kielbasa pork sausage is a less spicy alternative to andouille (pronounced ahn-DOO-ee). Look for vegetarian-fed, humanely-raised, heritage pork, and/or sausage labeled "raised without antibiotics" if your budget allows.
- Smoked ham hock, tasso, bacon, or pickled pork. Or all four (only half kidding). Many NOLA cooks render bacon in the pan before cooking the Creole trinity. But a ham hock and the sausage is plenty of pork to create that signature, smoky, umami. If you can't find a ham hock or tasso, andouille alone lends incredible spice and richness. I recommend a smoked hock without too many mystery ingredients if you can find one.
Creole Seasonings
- The trinity. A trio of onion, green pepper, and celery are considered the holy trinity of Creole cooking. Add in a little garlic if you like.
- Bay leaves. Dried is traditional. Fresh ones are incredibly aromatic.
- Fresh or dried thyme. My Mom adds dried thyme (like her mother and grandmother before her). I went to culinary school and blame that experience for why I use fresh now. Sprinkle in what you have on hand and what you like.
- Creole spices. Many cooks swear by Tony Chaceres seasonings. But fair warning, the spice mix is mostly salt. And you can recreate the popular Creole seasoning with ground black pepper, garlic powder, a little cayenne pepper, and the right amount of salt for your diet and preference.
- Lousiana hot sauce (optional). Tabasco, Crystal, Tiger Sauce, The Original Louisiana Brand, and Cajun Chef are a few of the traditional hot pepper sauces you'll find on local restaurant tables.
Serve the red beans with whatever kind of rice you like however you like to cook it. In my article about rice and a gluten-free diet, I list the cooking formulas and a few cooking tips for different varieties. Purple rice is fun and one of the symbolic colors of Mardi Gras.
On Soaking Beans
To soak, or not to soak beans before cooking? It's a question with more than one answer. Soaking dried beans overnight or employing a quick-soak method makes them more digestible. The extended water bath pulls out a portion of a bean's indigestible sugars and starches. And they will indeed cook faster.
But my New Orleans-born-and-raised mother never soaks her beans (and I seem to have survived my childhood). Better yet, if you skip the soaking, the starch from the beans will naturally thicken the cooking liquid. And you get to dig into a plate of firm yet tender beans swimming in a creamy, gravy-like broth. Which can be sopped up lovingly with homemade Southern buttermilk biscuits (worth a mention).
The Steps
Cook the red beans in a large pot, stock pot, dutch oven (my favorite), slow cooker, or your Instant Pot. If you choose a slow cooker the beans will need much longer to become tender. So plan for at least four hours of cooking time on the high setting. And twice as long on the low one. You'll also want to brown the sausage and sauté the vegetables first in a pan before adding them to the crock pot.
- Prep the sausage, trinity and aromatics. Slice the sausage into half-inch thick pieces. Then chop the onion, celery, green pepper, and garlic cloves. I recommend a quarter-inch dice on the trinity and minced garlic. Tie about ten fresh thyme sprigs together with butcher's twine for easy removal.
- Cook the sausage and trinity. Preheat the pan, pot or dutch oven over medium heat, and sauté the sausages in a single layer. Cook the slices to a deep golden brown on each side (flip the pieces once). Brown in batches, as needed, then set them aside. Turn the heat down to medium-low and add a little cooking oil if the pot is dry. Cook the onion, green pepper, and celery until they soften, about five to seven minutes. Scrape up the fond from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon (the bits left from browning the sausage). Add the garlic and cook until it's fragrant (about a minute) stirring constantly to keep it from burning.
- Simmer the ingredients until the beans are tender. Add the red beans, water, ham hock (or tasso, etc.), bay leaf, salt, thyme sprigs, and browned sausage to the pot. Bring the water to a very strong simmer. Then turn down the burner to maintain a gentle bubbling (tiny bubbles breaking the surface steadily). Cook for two to four hours over low heat, stirring occasionally until the beans are tender. Small red beans take longer to cook than red kidney beans. Add more water as necessary to keep the level slightly above the beans. You can cover the pot with a lid to prevent excessive evaporation of the cooking liquid. Red beans are done when they are creamy and tender to bite (taste a few to know).
- Shred the ham. Remove the ham hock, thyme sprigs, and bay leaves. Pull the meat off the ham hock, shred it, and return the meat to the pot. Chop larger pieces of ham with a knife.
- Mash a portion of the beans. With a wooden spoon, mash a portion of the beans against the side of the pot to thicken the liquid a bit. You can also blend a cup of beans with some of the liquid to make quick work of it.
- Season and taste. Add the ground spices and taste the beans to check the seasoning. Add more salt and spices a little at a time until you're happy with the flavors.
- Serve with long-grain white rice. Pick the leaves off of a couple of thyme sprigs. Serve the red beans on a plate with a portion of cooked rice set in the middle. Garnish with a few fresh thyme leaves and hot sauce, for a spicier dish.
Chef's Tips
- Add water as necessary. The measure of water you need will vary depending on the size of your pot and the brand of dried beans. Add more as necessary during cooking to keep the water level visibly above the beans. You can always turn up the heat at the end to reduce the water volume.
- Controlling the spice level. Spices like hot sauce and cayenne pepper bloom in a sauce the longer it sits. So go slow with the cayenne pepper if you expect to have leftovers. The beans will be even spicier the day after you cook and season them (but more delicious, too!). And dash the hot sauce on individual plates, not in the pot.
- Seek out Camellia beans. I've been cooking and eating this dish for more decades than I care to admit. And hands down Camellia beans are the best. If you don't live in Louisiana, you can order them online direct, on Amazon, or from Cajun Grocer. This isn't a paid endorsement. I'm just from New Orleans and we natives feel strongly about our Camellia beans. And while the red kidney beans are the absolute best around, my favorite for red beans and rice are the brand's small red beans. The tiny, mahogany beans cook up firm but incredibly tender, nutty, and creamy.
- Cook the sausage with the simmering beans. The sliced sausage or cubed ham in any red beans and rice recipe is meant to cook with the beans. Not be added afterward. Like with the ham hock, the beans will take on its umami and smokiness. For firmer sausage, add it back to the pot about halfway through cooking.
- Use vinegar if you made the beans too spicy. If after a few bites, you realize the spice level is too high for your liking, you can bring it back down a little with vinegar. Shake a few drops over your plate, and/or stir in a few tablespoons to the pot. I like apple cider or white wine vinegar for red beans.
Frequently Asked Questions
Red kidney beans are lighter in color and larger than small red beans with a slightly grainy texture. Small red beans are a deep crimson, relatively small, and incredibly nutty and creamy. Native to the Caribbean, small red beans found their way into New Orleans cuisine by way of enslaved West Africans. The nutty beans are traditional in South and Central American cuisines and many spicy West African soups and stews. Small red beans are the only beans some Louisiana natives cook for red beans and rice. But red kidney beans are also a traditional and popular choice for the New Orleans mainstay dish.
Red beans and rice freeze very well. And you can certainly freeze the beans and rice together. But I recommend doing so separately. The best way to freeze leftovers is in an airtight food storage bag using the water displacement method. Simply fill the bag with your leftovers and submerge it while it's still open in a large bowl of water. Once the water reaches the bottom of the zipper, seal it well, and lay it flat in the freezer.
To make up for the flavors lost from leaving out the smoked pork, add plenty of Creole spices and seasonings when cooking vegan red beans. I recommend choosing a flavorful vegetable stock instead of water. And if you enjoy any brand of plant-based "sausage", browning the links and simmering them with the beans will lend a bit more flavor.
📖 Recipe
New Orleans Red Beans & Rice
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 to 4 hours (20 minutes active)
- Total Time: About 3 Hours (2 to 4 hours inactive)
- Yield: 12, 6-ounce servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: One-Pot
- Cuisine: Creole
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
An incredibly traditional New Orleans red beans and rice recipe. Use whatever seasoned pork you can find locally. And be sure to mash the cooked beans against the sides of the pot for the creamiest, most authentic plate of red beans.
Ingredients
- 1 pound of small red beans or red kidney beans*
- 2 to 3 quarts of water or chicken stock (8 to 12 cups)
- 1 smoked ham hock, tasso pork, or pickled pork
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 bunch of fresh thyme sprigs
- 14 ounces or 1 package of andouille or smoked pork sausage, cut cross-wise into ¼-inch slices
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 3 to 4 ribs of celery, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced (remove the seeds and white pith)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon of ground cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon of ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon of kosher or flake salt
- Lousiana hot sauce such as Tabasco or Crystal, optional
- Cooked long-grain white rice, for serving
Instructions
- Prep the sausage, trinity, and aromatics. Slice the sausage and chop the onion, celery, and green pepper into quarter-inch pieces. Mince the garlic, and tie about ten fresh thyme sprigs together with butcher's twine (if you like).
- Cook the sausage and trinity. In a stock pot, dutch oven, or shallow pan if you're using a crock pot, sauté the sausage over medium heat. Cook the slices to a deep golden brown on each side (try to flip the pieces only once). Brown in batches, as needed, then set it aside. Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the onion, green pepper, and celery. Cook gently, stirring and scraping up the fond (bits left from browning the sausage), until the vegetables soften. Add the garlic and cook until it's fragrant (about a minute) stirring constantly to keep it from burning.
- Simmer the beans. Add the red beans, water, ham hock, bay leaf, salt, thyme sprigs, and browned sausage to the pot. Bring the water to a very strong simmer. Then turn down the burner to maintain a gentle bubbling (tiny bubbles breaking the surface steadily). Cook for two to four hours over low heat, stirring occasionally until the beans are tender. In a crock pot, the beans take about four hours on high. Small red beans take longer to cook than red kidney beans. Add more water as necessary to keep the level slightly above the beans. Cover the pot to prevent excessive evaporation of the cooking liquid. Beans are done when they are creamy and tender to bite (taste a few to know).
- Shred the ham. Remove the ham hock, thyme sprigs, and bay leaves. Pull the meat off the ham hock, shred it, and return the meat to the pot. Chop larger pieces of ham with a knife.
- Mash a portion of the beans. With a wooden spoon, mash enough beans against the side of the pot to thicken the liquid. You can also remove a cup of the beans and blend them with a little cooking liquid (but be sure not to blend any of the sausages).
- Taste and season. Remove the ham hock, bay leaves, and thyme stems. Add the ground spices and taste the beans. Add more salt a little at a time if necessary (it probably won't be with all the salty pork).
- Serve over long-grain white rice. Pick the leaves off of any reserved thyme sprigs for sprinkling on the plates. Serve the red beans on a plate or shallow bowl with the white rice set in the middle (for a truly authentic experience). Garnish with fresh thyme leaves and hot sauce, for a spicier dish.
Notes
On Buying Beans
Any authentic, traditional recipe for Cajun, Creole, Louisiana, or New Orleans red beans and rice should mention Camellia's brand red kidney beans. And the brand's darker, nutty, incredibly creamy small red beans. But the latter can be hard to find outside the Southeast. So substitute your favorite dried red kidney beans or order the Camellia brand online.
Soaking Beans
If you want your beans to cook faster, soak them in plenty of water overnight, then drain. But you don't have to soak beans, and if you don't their starch will seep out into the cooking liquid and create a more velvety liquid.
On Making a Roux
Growing up we added a little flour to the sausage drippings to make a roux, then stirred it into the beans to thicken them. I leave it out because you can accomplish the same creaminess by mashing or blending some of the beans a the end of cooking. And without flour, red beans are safe for a gluten-free diet (a need in our house). But for creamier beans without smashing, stir in a tablespoon of all-purpose flour to the fat left in the skillet after browning the sausage. Then cook it for three to four minutes over medium heat before adding the water, beans, etc.
On Cooking Vessels
This one-pot red beans and rice method makes for easier cleanup. But to speed up the process, you can first begin simmering the red beans, water, ham hock, bay leaves, and thyme sprigs in a large pot. Then in a skillet or large sauté pan, brown the sausage and then sweat the vegetables. Add the sausage and trinity to the pot with the beans as you go.
Keywords: new orleans red beans and rice recipe, traditional red beans and rice recipe, red beans and rice with sausage
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Meet Chef Christina
Chef Christina is a private chef who previously worked at award-winning restaurants, including Thomas Keller's Bouchon Bistro. She graduated at the top of her class from the Culinary Institute of America. She's cooked for affluent celebrities in Southern California and hard-working young families in both Los Angeles and Boise, Idaho.
But she's also a mom. And is most passionate about empowering families to cook at home, eat lots of vegetables, and enjoy the experience.
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Todd
Flavor is excellent! Love all the ham that came off of the ham hock. Had never cooked one before, definitely will make again.
★★★★★
Chef Christina
Love it, Todd! Thanks for reading.
Michel Marine
They look like Maw-Maw's beans. She'd be proud. (Aunt Neldie)