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New Orleans Style Red Beans & Rice

Red beans and rice don't sound exciting. Kidney beans cooked with a couple of common vegetables and spices with a little smoked meat. But, they demonstrate how great the classic Louisiana combination of onions, celery and green peppers with garlic, oregano, thyme, bay leaves and cayenne pepper is.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time2 hours 15 minutes
Soaking8 hours
Total Time10 hours 30 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Main Course, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine: Cajun
Keyword: Beans, Gluten Free, Mediterranean Diet, MIND Diet, Vegetable
Servings: 8
Calories: 360kcal
Cost: 1.60

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch Oven

Ingredients

  • 1 pound kidney beans
  • 1 pound smoked sausage
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 large onion
  • 1 green bell pepper
  • 4 stalka celery
  • 4 clovea garlic
  • ½ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper or more if you like it hot
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 2 teaspoon thyme
  • 4 bay leaves
  • vinegary hot sauce such as Crystal, to taste
  • vinegar to taste (cider, malt or wine)
  • black pepper freshly ground
  • cooked rice or quinoa for serving

Instructions

Soak Beans

  • Place beans in a large bowl and cover with 6 cups (1.5L) cold water. Add 2 tablespoons (30g) kosher salt and stir until dissolved. Set aside at room temperature for 8 to 16 hours.

Prepare

  • Heat a large Dutch over medium-high heat.

Chop Ingredients

  • Slice 1 pound smoked sausage into 1/8" thick slices
  • Stem and seed 1 green bell pepper
  • Finely chop green pepper, 1 large onion, and 4 celery stalks.
  • Mince 4 medium cloves garlic.

Sauté

  • Sauté sausage over medium high heat stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
  • Reduce heat to medium.
  • Add onion, celery, and green pepper.
  • Season with salt and pepper, and cook stirring occasionally, until vegetables have softened and are starting to brown around the edges, about 8 minutes.
  • Add 4 garlic, cayene pepper, 1 teaspoon oregano, 4 bay leaves, and a good dose of black pepper.
  • Cook stirring until fragrant (30 seconds)

Simmer

  • Drain, and rinse the beans, then add them to the pot with enough water to cover the beans by a an inch.
  • Bring to boil.
  • Reduce heat to low simmer and cover until the beans are tender 1-2 hours, stirring occasionally and adding water if it's getting dry.
  • Remove lid and continue to simmer until creamy and thick enough to eat with a fork.
  • Adjust seasoning. Add vinegary hot sauce, such as Crystal, or vinegar to brighten the flavor. Add smoked paprika or ancho chili powder to increase smokiness.

Serve

  • Serve with cooked rice or quinoa, topped with finely chopped green onion, and hot sauce.