Hands down, the best Red Beans and Rice Recipe! It’s rich, hearty and so flavorful! The beans are perfectly tender, served with rice and smoky sausage. It’s a comforting meal in a bowl, that’s bound to please!
The smoky flavors and satisfying textures will have you coming back for more than one bowl of red beans and rice. This is perfectly hearty Louisiana style comfort food at its best! Red beans and smoked sausage are cooked low and slow with flavorful spices, then served with fresh cooked rice to create a homestyle dinner recipe you’ll want again and again!
How To Make Red Beans And Rice
- In a dutch oven, add the sliced bacon and olive oil. Then onion, green pepper, celery and smoked sausage, until veg has softened and sausage has browned. Add a bay leaf and season with paprika and hot sauce.
- Then, add the beans and ham hock to the pot. Pour in chicken stock, bring to the boil then simmer. Stir the pot often, being sure beans aren’t sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Serve with Rice and garnish with scallions and chopped cilantro.
- Enjoy!
Can I Cook Red Beans And Rice In A Crock Pot?
Yes, this can also be made in the crockpot. To do so cook all ingredients, + 2 cups water, in a slow cooker on high heat 6 – 8 hours. If time allows brown the sausage first for best flavor and for this method you don’t even need to soak the beans first. Follow this Crockpot Red Beans and Rice recipe for more specific instructions!
Can I Freeze It?
Yes. Freeze red bean mixture and rice separately up to 3 months. Thaw overnight (or even 2 days for a full batch) in the refrigerator.
What To Serve With Red Beans And Rice?
This really is a meal in a bowl, delicious, rich and hearty, but you can also serve up some awesome sides with it, here are a few:
- Garlic Cheesy Cornbread Drop Biscuits
- Mexican Corn On The Cob
- Mind Blowing Grilled Corn Salad
- Spicy Cheese Broccoli
- Easy Cheesy Garlic Bread Recipe
Top Tips For Red Beans And Rice
- Avoid canned red beans. That’s not authentic red beans and rice. They’d end up way overcooked with this method anyway.
- Adjust spice level to taste. Some sausage is spicy (like Cajun), you can replace with another mild sausage if preferred and cut back on hot sauce.
- Allow time to simmer. Beans won’t be cooked through if you don’t allow enough time for simmering and liquid won’t reduce down.
- Let sausage brown. With just about any dish browning the meat really adds so much flavor. Don’t toss the sausage constantly, let it rest a bit between tossing so it can brown. For maximum browning you can even brown in two batches.
Recipe
Best Red Beans and Rice Recipe
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 3 hours 30 minutes
Total: 3 hours 40 minutes
Serves8 people
Hands down, the best Red Beans and Rice Recipe! It's rich, hearty and so flavorful! The beans are perfectly tender, served with rice and smoky sausage. It's a comforting meal in a bowl, that's bound to please!
Ingredients
For the Beans:
- 1 cup dried red beans Rancho Gordo or Camellia, if possible
- 1 smoked ham hock about 6 ounces
- 4 slices bacon cut into ¼” slices
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 7 ounces skinless smoked sausage, cut into 1-inch slices
- 1 cup diced yellow onion about ½ medium onion
- ½ cup diced green bell pepper
- 1 celery stalk diced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1½ teaspoons sweet paprika
- 1½ tablespoons hot sauce like Tabasco
- 1 quart chicken stock
- 3 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Garnishes:
- Sliced scallions green and white parts
- Fresh chopped cilantro
For the Rice:
- 1/3 cup canola oil
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- ¼ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cups uncooked jasmine rice
- 3 cups chicken broth
Instructions
- Read through instructions and notes before starting.
For the Red Beans:
- Set a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed, large pot over medium heat. Add the sliced bacon and olive oil and cook about 5 minutes or until the fat is rendered.
- Add onion, green pepper, and celery. Cook 4 minutes, stirring often.
- Add smoked sausage and cook, stirring often, 2-3 minutes, until sausage has begun to brown, onion is translucent and the green pepper and celery have softened.
- Add bay leaf, paprika and hot sauce. Stir and remove from the heat.
- Drain and rinse the soaked beans, and remove any pebbles or impurities. Add the beans and ham hock to the pot.
- Add chicken stock, being sure the beans are covered with enough stock.
- Increase heat to high, and bring to a boil. Skim off any foam that might boil to the top of the mixture.
- Reduce heat to LOW, cover and simmer 3-4 hours or until beans are tender and liquid has reduced and thickened.
- Remove the ham hock (pulling the meat from the bone, and adding it to the beans, if desired. The meat can be kept refrigerated, up to 5 days, for a different use.)
- Stir the pot often, being sure beans aren’t sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Discard the bay leaf.
- Season the beans with salt and pepper and add the sugar. Stir well and simmer another 10 minutes.
- Taste the beans and season with additional salt, pepper and hot sauce, if needed.
- Serve with Rice and garnish with scallions and chopped cilantro.
- Enjoy!
For the Rice:
- Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat and add the oil. When the oil is hot, add onion, butter, bay leaf, salt and black pepper. Cook while stirring often 6 minutes or until onions are cooked through and translucent.
- Add rice and stir well.
- Add broth and bring mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and cook 15 minutes.
- Remove from the heat, leave covered and let stand 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, fluff the rice with a fork.
- The rice can be made ahead, cooled uncovered, and reheated when ready to serve.
- Enjoy!
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Becky’s tips
Note to prepare the beans:
At least 4 hours and up to 24 hours in advance, rinse the beans, place them in a large bowl and cover the top of the beans with at least 1-inch of water. Cover and let the beans soak.
Avoid canned red beans. That’s not authentic red beans and rice. They’d end up way overcooked with this method anyway.
Adjust spice level to taste. Some sausage is spicy (like Cajun), you can replace with another mild sausage if preferred and cut back on hot sauce.
Allow time to simmer. Beans won’t be cooked through if you don’t allow enough time for simmering and liquid won’t reduce down.
Let sausage brown. With just about any dish browning the meat really adds so much flavor. Don’t toss the sausage constantly, let it rest a bit between tossing so it can brown. For maximum browning you can even brown in two batches.
Nutrition Information
Did You Make This?I want to see! Be sure to upload an image below & tag @thecookierookie on social media!
Have made this recipe several times. We love it
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your success with us!
I made this but my beans didn’t stay very red and my rice was a little yellow! Was wanting my picture to be as pretty as yours! Overall tho the taste is amazing 👏! Best meal hands down!!
Thanks for stopping by, Caye!
Perfect 🤩 thanks for sharing 👍🏽
Thanks for letting us know how it went!
Is there nutritional info for this recipe?
We will need to fix that error!
I made this last night and it was GREAT! I also couldn’t find sweet paprika so I used smokey paprika. It certainly was creamy and not liquidy. Definitely reccommend!
Thank you for sharing, James!
I used smoked paprika as well. Added in 3 teaspoons of Slap Yo Mama Cajun Seasoning. Used Cajun ham hocks. Loved the recipes.
Because of the quarantine, I used what I have. I substituted with little smokies and it came out delicious! I also did not include celery, peppers, nor hot sauce but regardless it was excellent!! For the rice, I cooked half white rice and half multi colored quinoa. Thank you!! Once the quarantine lifts off I will be remaking this with some good sausage :)
That still sounds super yummy, great job!!
For the Crock-Pot method, do you do the rice and the beans all at the same time, or do you still come the rice separately?
I would still cook them separately!
I made this in my crock pot yesterday. I have to say, personally, this was the best I’ve ever had or made! I could not find ham hocks or sweet paprika, so I used smoked pig tails, and spanish paprika. n
Not sure how different the tastes are between the paprikas, but overall, it was absolutely delicious!!!
Great ideas! I’m glad you loved it!
There is nothing to compare with a pot of Red Beans and Rice! This recipe may have similar ingredients, but not the red beans and rice I grew up eating in New Orleans. Most red beans purchased outside Louisiana and Gulf Coast are not the same kind of kidney beans. If you have had red beans in New Orleans you know they are creamy. From the picture, these are more liquid. I agree with most canned kidney beans are not ones for cooking a pot of beans; however, Blue Runner red beans are my kitchen stock since Camillia Red Beans are more difficult to find beyond the Louisiana and Gulf South area, so I have to order them. Red beans and Rice on Mondays are a tradition in New Orleans because Monday was wash day.
Is the number of servings correct? Doesn’t seem like enough for 8 people(not my family anyway!LOL)>
I didn’t do it yet, but I will sure do it. That’s sound very good.
I would double it! I did.