Red Beans and Rice Recipe
Red Beans and Rice is as Cajun as white on rice. It just don’t get more Cajun!
Red beans and rice was often a Thursday dish, because it was usually the day before payday (Friday) and folks were usually broke by then. Another train of thought has Monday being red beans and rice day as it was laundry day. In my opinion, any day is a great day for red beans and rice!
You can feed a big family a fine meal on a just couple of dollars with the Cajun classic red beans and rice recipe.
A bag of Camellia red beans, a ham hock or some sausage, and some rice and you’ve got a dinner fit for a king.
When it comes to Cajun cooking, red beans and rice is in the Top 5 all-time Cajun cuisine favorites.
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Red Beans and Rice Ingredients
1 (16 ounce) package dry red kidney beans (We always use Camellia brand)
1 sweet Vidalia onion – chopped
1 green or red bell pepper – chopped *
2-3 stalks of celery – chopped small *
2 tablespoons fresh or dried parsley – chopped *
2 tablespoons minced garlic
( * Or, you can substitute a 16 oz bag of frozen seasoning blend.)
3 Bay leaves
1 tablespoon Cajun Seasoning (like Tony’s)
1 tablespoon olive oil or canola oil
2 links or 1/2 lb fresh Andouille sausage (or any sausage you like)
1 cup long grain white rice
How to Make Red Beans and Rice
Start your preparation the night before by soaking the dry red beans in a large glass bowl.
Cover the red beans with about 6 cups of water.
Cover and let stand overnight.
Ready to Cook –
Drain the red beans in a colander and place into the crock pot (slow cooker).
NOTE: If you don’t have a crock pot, you can cook the red beans in a stew pot on your stove top.
Cover again with about 6 cups of water.
Turn the heat setting on High.
In another skillet:
Heat the oil on medium heat (#6) and cook the sausage for 15 minutes.
Move to a paper towel to blot off excess oil, then slice into 1/2 inch pieces.
In the same skillet with the sausage drippings, saute the onion, bell pepper, celery, parsley, and garlic.
Stir and cook until onions are translucent – about 2-3 minutes.
Stir the seasoning mixture into the red beans.
Add the sliced sausage.
Add the Bay leaves and Cajun seasoning.
Stir well.
Be sure the mixture is at least covered with water, but leaving room for more liquid to form up from
the slow cooking process.
Cook for 6 hours; only uncovering to stir occasionally.
Note: You will usually need to mash some of the beans to thicken your gravy.
Just mash them against the side of your pot with a spoon, then stir them in.
30 minutes before ready to eat, cook a batch of long grain white rice.
In a medium saucepan, add 2 cups water and bring to a boil.
Add 1 cup rice.
Cover and lower the heat to medium-low (#3).
Set your timer for 20 minutes.
Do not uncover until done.
TIME TO EAT!
Give the Red Beans and Andouille sausage a good stir.
Serve over rice with a sprinkle of parsley for color.
Enjoy!
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Red beans are actually a Monday dish. This was because Monday was the clothes washing day and red beans were an easy dish that required little attention while clothes were being washed. Good recipe though.
This is fantastic and very easy to make. I fixed it for a group get-together at work and there wasn’t one bean left over. I used canned beans because of time constraints, but otherwise didn’t change the recipe at all. I’ll make it again very soon.
I really enjoy your recipes/videos very much and refer to them often. But I must tell you that popular folklore and accepted wisdom has always stated that Red Beans and Rice has historically been cooked on MONDAY not Thursday. As a matter of fact you are the first person I’ve ever heard claim it as a Thursday meal. I was born in New Orleans and lived there most of my life so I know these things LOL! Keep up the good work!
Hi Raymond,
Thanks for your comment.
I’ve heard Monday to be the red beans and rice day also.
I think Beryl’s mom and grandmother made it on Thursdays for some reason.
Thanks for visiting our web site and videos!
Mike
Why don’t you make any more youtube videos?
Hey I love this recipe!!! I made it a few times for my family and they loved it. I just got married and I’ll be making this for my hubby on a Tuesday… Who cares what day it’s made on, it’s delicious any day of the week!!
Hi Thomas,
Thank you for checking on us.
Beryl has been having to work a lot of hours at her job, and has just been too worn out to make any more videos for a while.
We do hope to make some more in the future.
We really appreciate you checking in!
Beryl and Mike
Thank you, Sade.
We appreciate you!
Beryl and Mike
Hi Thomas,
We used to play a radio in the background while we cooked.
Then, YouTube decided that we could not have “copyrighted” music on our videos.
Which in itself was no problem, all they had to do was tell us.
Anyway, if we couldn’t dance and cut up, it was no fun anymore.
You can still get our recipes at the Cajun Cooking TV website.
You can become a free member of our “recipe club” bu just putting in your name and email address on the form on the upper right of our website.
We send out a recipe by email every two weeks.
Beryl is also working on a print Cajun Cooking TV recipe book.
We appreciate you!
Mike and Beryl
I love your recipe. Before, I just threw everything in the crock pot. With your recipe, I found a new appreciation of flavor. I was browning the sausage and then the veggies and the fragrance was amazing. I was transported back to my grandmother’s kitchen in Crowley, La. It was 1975 and I was barely able to see over her cabinets, but I knew by the smell that something amazing was coming. I used Tasso and regular sausage. I have seen that many people use Andouille. Do you think the andouille works better? I really don’t know the difference between the two which is really sad considering that I was raised right here in Acadiana. Thanks again for your wonderful recipe.
a first timer on cooking period…so i’m a total dufus and i’m trying to do this for t giving supper so i;m hopeful i’ll hear from you today. if i’m cooking in a pot on the stove how long to i initially boil the beans and how long do i simmer them and at what setting?