Red Beans & Rice

Red Beans & Rice

by Jennifer Cook
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Welcome to one of my favorite Louisiana cuisines!  Red beans and rice have always been a staple in our home.  No matter how long I live in the midwest, I will always love the southern meals that I grew up on.  If you’ve never had red beans and rice, you are in for a treat!  Not only is this an easy dish to make, it’s also quite economical.  If you make this as is, and you already have the spices needed, the ingredients will cost you $20.04 without tax.  This makes at least 12 servings.  It’s also easy to freeze, so you can eat it and then freeze for another night.

Red beans and rice image

Cooking in the south, or at least growing up learning to cook from my mom, grandmother and bigmomma, you cook many dishes ‘low and slow’.  As the dish progresses, you may need to add more liquid.  Red beans are one of those dishes.  This dish can be completed in about 3 1/2 hours, but cooking times may vary.  I’ve added the exact measurements for the spices, but some will be ‘to taste’.  If you like it a bit spicier, you can always add a bit more cayenne.  If it’s not quite salty enough….you get the picture.

I loved learning how to cook from these wonderful women and feel so blessed that they each taught me something different.  They were all so patient and truly raised me to love cooking.  My grandmother also gave me a love for old movies.  We spent so many nights together watching the old movies while making meals, cookies, cakes…you name it!  I look forward to sharing so many of her recipes.

#FrugalFriday #SouthernFavorite #cajun

Recipe highlights:

  • Before the recipe completes, you will need to add more water.  I add 1 cup of water at a time.  The beans will begin to break down.  You want this.
    • Once the beans are soft, if you want to ‘speed’ things up, you can remove from the dutch oven and mash.  Add them back to the bowl after.  This will provide you with the correct consistency a little quicker.
  • Serve this with a nice crisp salad and garlic french bread for the perfect meal.
  • When freezing, I use ziploc bags that I write the name of the dish and date that they were made.  I lay them flat in the freezer to maximize space.
Red beans and rice image

Red Beans & Rice

Red beans and rice is a traditional Louisiana meal. This is the perfect dish for a cozy fall/winter night.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours 25 minutes
Servings 12 people
Calories

Ingredients
  

  • 2 lbs Andouille Sausage sliced
  • 1 medium Onion diced
  • 1 Red Pepper diced
  • 2 Bay Leaves
  • 1½ tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1 tsp Sea Salt
  • ½ tsp Cayenne
  • ¼ tsp Chili Powder
  • ⅛ tsp Paprika
  • 32 oz Chicken Stock
  • 1 Lb Dried Red Kidney Beans

Instructions
 

  • Slice sausage. Dice onion and pepper.
  • Brown sausage in a dutch oven over medium heat. Set aside.
  • Add vegetables to the dutch oven and saute for 10 minutes until onions are translucent. Add dried kidney beans to pan and continue to saute for 5 minutes more.
  • Add sausage to pan and cover with spices. Stir.
  • Add chicken stock and bay leaves, stir. Bring to a boil.
  • Once boiling, cover and turn off heat. Let sit for 30 minutes.
  • Return to boil on high heat, then lower and simmer until beans are tender. Stir occasionally, adding water 1 cup at a time as needed.
  • Serve over rice.

Notes

***For this recipe, do not pre-cook the dried beans or soak the beans.  You will add the dry beans as instructed.  As they cook, the beans will get soft and break down.  This process is what will create the thicker ‘broth’ for the dish.  

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