Louisiana Red Beans and Rice

by BudgetBites
Prep: 15m
Cook: 2h
pork
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Ingredients
Servings:6
1lbdried red kidney beans
1lbandouille sausage
1yellow onion
1green bell pepper
2celery stalks
4garlic cloves
6cupchicken broth
2bay leaves
1tspdried thyme
1tspsmoked paprika
1/2tspcayenne pepper
1/2tspblack pepper
1tbspcooking oil
salt
1 1/2cuplong grain white rice
Nutrition Facts

Per serving

Calculating nutrition...

Instructions
  1. 1

    Soak the beans

    Rinse the dried kidney beans, pick out any debris, and cover with cold water by a couple of inches in a big bowl. Soak overnight, or at least 8 hours. If you forgot to soak, do a quick soak — cover with water, boil 2 minutes, then let them sit covered for an hour. Drain when ready to cook.

  1. 2

    Brown the sausage

    Slice the andouille into half-inch coins. Heat the oil in a heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium-high. Brown the sausage on both sides, about 5 minutes total, then scoop it out and set it aside. Leave the fat in the pot — that's where the flavor lives.

  2. 3

    Cook the holy trinity

    Dice the onion, bell pepper, and celery, and mince the garlic. Add the onion, pepper, and celery to the pot and cook in the sausage fat until softened, about 5–7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook another 30 seconds.

  3. 4

    Simmer the beans

    Add the drained beans, browned sausage, chicken broth, bay leaves, thyme, smoked paprika, cayenne, and black pepper. Bring to a boil, then drop the heat to low and simmer uncovered for 1.5 to 2 hours, stirring every 20 minutes or so. The beans are done when they're tender all the way through and the liquid has thickened into a sauce.

  4. 5

    Mash and season

    Scoop out about a cup of the beans, mash them with a fork, and stir them back into the pot. This is the trick — it makes the whole thing creamy without adding a thing. Taste and add salt now; the broth and sausage already brought salt to the party, so you may need less than you think. Fish out the bay leaves.

  5. 6

    Cook the rice and serve

    While the beans finish, cook the rice: combine the rice with 3 cups of water and a pinch of salt in a pot, bring to a boil, cover, reduce to low, and simmer 18 minutes. Let it rest off heat for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork. Spoon the beans over the rice in bowls. Hot sauce on the table is non-negotiable.

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Louisiana Red Beans and Rice

Created by: BudgetBites

Prep Time: 15m
Cook Time: 2h
Servings: 6

Ingredients

  • 1 lb dried red kidney beans
  • 1 lb andouille sausage
  • 1 yellow onion
  • 1 green bell pepper
  • 2 celery stalks
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 6 cup chicken broth
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp cooking oil
  • salt
  • 1 1/2 cup long grain white rice

Instructions

  1. Soak the beansRinse the dried kidney beans, pick out any debris, and cover with cold water by a couple of inches in a big bowl. Soak overnight, or at least 8 hours. If you forgot to soak, do a quick soak — cover with water, boil 2 minutes, then let them sit covered for an hour. Drain when ready to cook.
  2. Brown the sausageSlice the andouille into half-inch coins. Heat the oil in a heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium-high. Brown the sausage on both sides, about 5 minutes total, then scoop it out and set it aside. Leave the fat in the pot — that's where the flavor lives.
  3. Cook the holy trinityDice the onion, bell pepper, and celery, and mince the garlic. Add the onion, pepper, and celery to the pot and cook in the sausage fat until softened, about 5–7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook another 30 seconds.
  4. Simmer the beansAdd the drained beans, browned sausage, chicken broth, bay leaves, thyme, smoked paprika, cayenne, and black pepper. Bring to a boil, then drop the heat to low and simmer uncovered for 1.5 to 2 hours, stirring every 20 minutes or so. The beans are done when they're tender all the way through and the liquid has thickened into a sauce.
  5. Mash and seasonScoop out about a cup of the beans, mash them with a fork, and stir them back into the pot. This is the trick — it makes the whole thing creamy without adding a thing. Taste and add salt now; the broth and sausage already brought salt to the party, so you may need less than you think. Fish out the bay leaves.
  6. Cook the rice and serveWhile the beans finish, cook the rice: combine the rice with 3 cups of water and a pinch of salt in a pot, bring to a boil, cover, reduce to low, and simmer 18 minutes. Let it rest off heat for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork. Spoon the beans over the rice in bowls. Hot sauce on the table is non-negotiable.

Notes & Tips

This dish is the reason dried beans deserve more credit than they get. A pound of dried kidney beans runs about $2, a pound of andouille goes for $5–7, and the trinity vegetables are cents on the dollar. You're feeding six people a serious dinner for under $2 a plate, with leftovers that get better in the fridge for two more days. The overnight soak is the only thing that takes planning — once those beans are soft and ready, the rest is just patience. Don't skip the mashing step. That's the line between a good pot of beans and one that actually tastes like New Orleans. If andouille is too pricey or you can't find it, any smoked sausage works — kielbasa, smoked turkey sausage, even leftover ham hock. The seasoning carries the flavor either way.