Louisiana Style Red Beans and Rice

Red beans with sliced sausage and white rice in a red bowl, topped with chopped green onions.

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5 from 3 votes

Red beans and andouille sausage simmered with onion, bell pepper, celery, and smoky spices, served over rice.

Prep Time15

Cook Time2 30

Soaking Time8

Total Time10 45

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Cajun

Keyword: cajun red beans, louisiana red beans, red beans and rice

Servings:

Cost: $

Ingredients

1 lb dry Red Beans or Kidney Beans soaked overnight
2 tbsp cooking oil
14 oz Andouille sausage sliced
1 yellow onion diced
1 Green Bell Pepper diced
3 celery stalks diced
4 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp Smoked paprika
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 bay leaves
6 cup water
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley or dried
1 tbsp salt to taste
3 Green Onions sliced
Cooked rice for serving

Instructions

Sort and rinse the dried red beans. Soak overnight, about 8 hours and at least 5 hours. Drain and discard the soaking water, then rinse. Use fresh water for cooking.
In a trusty pot or Dutch oven, heat up that cooking oil over medium heat. Toss in the Andouille sausage and let it brown to perfection. Once that's done, set it aside for a hot minute.
Now, in the same pot, throw in the holy trinity of Southern cooking—onions, bell peppers, and celery. Sauté until they're dancing in harmony and releasing that aromatic symphony.
Cue the minced garlic for a star-studded performance. Let it sizzle and weave its magic into the mix.
It's spice time! Introduce smoked paprika, dried oregano, dried thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, and black pepper. Stir, and let those flavors mingle.
Add the drained beans, the listed 6 cups of fresh water, and the bay leaves. Bring to a full rolling boil and keep boiling for at least 30 minutes before reducing the heat to a gentle simmer. Add more hot water if needed to keep the beans submerged. Do not taste raw or undercooked kidney beans, and do not replace the full boil with slow cooking.
Simmer until the beans are fully tender, checking after about 1 hour and allowing more time as needed for older beans. Add the listed salt, tasting before adding more. Simmer uncovered until the beans reach the desired thickness.
Return the andouille sausage and stir in the fresh parsley. Simmer until heated through, remove the bay leaves, and serve over cooked rice prepared separately according to its package.
Finish strong with a garnish of green onions, and serve this masterpiece over a bed of cooked rice.

Notes

Drain the overnight soaking water and boil the beans in fresh water for at least 30 minutes before simmering.
Keep simmering until the beans are fully tender; their age and variety can change the cooking time.
Remove bay leaves and store cooked rice separately from the beans.

Estimated per one-sixth recipe before adding rice, using dry beans, a smoked-sausage reference, fresh parsley and the full listed tablespoon of salt. All cooking oil is counted; removed bay leaves are excluded. Adjusting salt or sausage brand changes sodium substantially.

Nutrition