Description
Discover the secrets to perfectly creamy Red Beans and Rice with this authentic Southern recipe – smoky, hearty, and bursting with Creole flavor.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 pound (454g) dried red kidney beans, rinsed and sorted
- 1 tablespoon (15ml) olive oil
- 1 large onion (about 2 cups/300g), finely diced
- 1 green bell pepper (about 1 cup/150g), diced
- 2 ribs celery (about ¾ cup/120g), diced
- 4 cloves garlic (about 2 tablespoons/12g), minced
- 8 ounces (227g) andouille sausage, sliced into rounds
- 1 ham hock (about 8 ounces/227g) or 4 ounces (113g) diced ham
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon (5g) dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon (5g) dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon (2.5g) cayenne pepper (adjust to taste)
- 2 teaspoons (10g) Creole seasoning
- 4 cups (946ml) chicken broth
- 2 cups (473ml) water
- 3 cups (585g) cooked long-grain white rice, for serving
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced, for garnish
- Hot sauce, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Soak beans overnight or use quick-soak method: boil for 2 minutes, remove from heat, cover, let sit for 1 hour. Drain and rinse.
- Heat olive oil in large pot over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and celery. Cook 8-10 minutes until softening and starting to caramelize.
- Add garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant, stirring constantly.
- Add sliced sausage and cook for 5 minutes until it begins to brown.
- Add beans, ham hock, bay leaves, thyme, oregano, cayenne, and Creole seasoning. Stir to combine.
- Pour in chicken broth and water. Bring to boil, then reduce to gentle simmer.
- Cover partially and simmer for 1½-2 hours, stirring occasionally, until beans are tender.
- About 30 minutes before beans are done, mash ¼ of beans against side of pot to create creamy texture. Continue simmering uncovered to thicken.
- If using ham hock, remove it, shred meat, return meat to pot, discard bone.
- Remove bay leaves and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if needed.
- Serve hot over white rice, garnished with green onions and optional hot sauce.