Creole Red Beans Rice (Printable Version)
Hearty red beans simmered with smoked sausage and spices, served over fluffy white rice with a Creole touch.
# What You'll Need:
→ Beans and Protein
01 - 1 pound dried red kidney beans, soaked overnight and drained
02 - 12 ounces smoked sausage or andouille, sliced
03 - 1 ham hock (optional)
→ Vegetables
04 - 1 large onion, diced
05 - 1 green bell pepper, diced
06 - 2 celery stalks, diced
07 - 4 garlic cloves, minced
→ Seasonings
08 - 2 bay leaves
09 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
10 - 1 teaspoon paprika
11 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
12 - 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
13 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
14 - 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
→ Liquids
15 - 6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
16 - 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
→ To Serve
17 - 4 cups cooked long-grain white rice
18 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
19 - Hot sauce, to taste
# Step-by-Step:
01 - Heat vegetable oil in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add sausage slices and cook for 3-4 minutes until browned. Remove sausage and set aside, leaving rendered fat in the pot.
02 - Add onion, bell pepper, and celery to the pot. Sauté for 5-7 minutes until softened. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Return sausage to the pot. Add soaked and drained beans, ham hock if using, bay leaves, thyme, paprika, oregano, cayenne, black pepper, and salt.
04 - Pour in broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1.5 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until beans are tender and creamy. Add more broth or water if needed during cooking.
05 - Remove and discard bay leaves and ham hock. For a creamier consistency, mash some beans against the side of the pot with a spoon and stir back into the mixture.
06 - Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt or hot sauce as desired. Serve hot over cooked white rice, garnished with chopped parsley and extra hot sauce if preferred.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The beans transform into something impossibly creamy without any heavy cream, just time and patience doing the work
- One pot feeds a crowd and tastes even better reheated the next day
02 -
- Dried beans must be soaked overnight, or you'll be cooking forever and they'll still be stubbornly crunchy
- The final texture should be creamy and thick, not soupy, so don't add too much liquid early on
03 -
- Mash about a quarter of the beans against the pot at the end for that authentic creamy consistency without any added cream
- Make it a day ahead, the flavors develop and it reheats like a dream