by Claire Donovan
Red Beans and rice is one of my favorite dishes to make at home! This recipe makes up to 8 servings, keeps well in the fridge, and makes the best leftovers. I think it’s even better on the 2nd or 3rd day! Red Beans make a great side dish, but this recipe is hearty enough that it can also be a satisfying main dish. The St. Paul Meat Shop & France 44 Cheese Shop carry all the main ingredients needed for this recipe besides pantry staples I keep at home. All the measurements of spices in the recipe are estimations, I don’t use measuring spoons when cooking. For example, I like extra cayenne and garlic in mine! I encourage you to experiment and measure with your heart!
Red beans and rice is a classic Creole dish from New Orleans, Louisiana, with deep roots in the city’s African, Spanish, and French heritage. Enslaved Africans brought with them traditions of slow-cooked beans as an everyday cooking staple, and Caribbean recipes for beans and rice were brought to the city in the late 1700s by Haitians fleeing the revolution in Saint Domingue (modern-day Haiti). When Spanish and French-influenced seasonings were added to the mix, it helped shape the flavors of many classic New Orleans dishes. We see this fusion of cultures in the flavor base of many Louisiana Creole and Cajun dishes called the holy trinity (onion, bell pepper, and celery), which mirrors the classic French flavor base mirepoix (onion, bell pepper, and carrot). Red beans and Rice was often prepared on Mondays, using leftovers from the previous nights’ Sunday dinner.
Note: For this recipe, I used Rancho Gordo Jacob’s Cattle Beans instead of traditional kidney beans. I love Jacob’s Cattle because they are creamy and hold their shape while producing a thick, flavorful gravy. Plus, I love the speckled cow pattern! They offer a slightly different texture than standard red kidney beans but work well for this recipe. Feel free to use whichever bean suits your preference!
Ingredients
- 1 lb Rancho Gordo Jacob’s Cattle Beans
- 1 tablespoon butter for sautéeing veggies (you can also use vegetable oil)
- 1 lb Andouille sausage, sliced into bite-size pieces
- 1 lb bacon, chopped
- 1 smoked ham hock (optional)
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 large white onion, diced
- 1–2 green bell peppers, diced
- 2–3 stalks celery, diced
- 2 bay leaves
- 7 cups vegetable broth or broth of your choice
- 1–2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (adds heat)
- 1 teaspoon paprika (adds smokiness)
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 4–5 cups cooked fluffy long-grain white rice (I use Jasmine)
- Louisiana-style hot sauce for garnish, such as Tabasco or Crystal
- ½ cup chopped fresh parsley (for garnish)
Let's Get Cooking!
- Add the dry beans to a large pot and cover with water by about 2 inches. Cover and soak at least 8 hours, ideally overnight. If you are short on time, bring the beans to a boil, remove from heat, cover, and let soak for 2–4 hours. Drain and rinse before cooking.
- In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, cook the chopped bacon until the fat renders and the pieces begin to brown. Add the sliced Andouille sausage and ham hock to the bacon and fat and cook until nicely browned. This will smell amazing! Remove the meat and set aside, and leave the flavorful drippings in the pot. If needed, add the butter to the pot (you might have enough bacon grease left in the pot for this step). Once melted, stir in the holy trinity of diced onion, bell pepper, and celery. Cook for 7–8 minutes until the veggies are softened and lightly golden brown. Add the minced garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, just until fragrant. Don’t let it burn! Stir in Cajun seasoning, cayenne, paprika, thyme, oregano, salt, and pepper. Cook for another 30 seconds to bloom the spices until fragrant.
- Pour in the vegetable broth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the drained beans, the cooked sausage and bacon, smoked ham hock, and the bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 1½–2½ hours, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender and fork creamy. While your beans are simmering, prepare white rice in your favorite preparation.
- Remove the bay leaves. Scoop out 1 cup of beans, mash them with the back of a fork, and return them to the pot. Stir well, this will thicken up your beans. If the mixture feels too thick, add up to 1 cup additional broth. Shred the tender meat from the ham hock into the beans. Taste and adjust seasoning to your preference. Stir in fresh parsley just before serving.
- Time to enjoy. Serve your red beans over fluffy white rice and if you like it spicy, finish with a vinegar-y Louisiana hot sauce like Crystal or Tabasco.
