beans, red beans, rice, new orleans, monday dinner
Ingredients
1 pound dried red beans, rinsed and picked through for stones
1/3 cup diced pancetta (or 2 slices of bacon)
1 large yellow onion, diced
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 green or red bell pepper, deseeded and diced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
pinch cayenne or a few dashes of Tony Chachere Seasoning
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, roughly chopped
1/2 pound cooked smoked sausage cut into 1-inch pieces
about 10 cups chicken stock
2 bay leaves
6 cups cooked white rice
chopped green onions, garnish
Categories
dinner
Steps
Place clean dried beans in a medium pot and cover with room temperature water. Allow to soak overnight before making the beans.
If you don’t have time to soak the beans overnight, don’t fret. Place the clean dried beans in a medium pot and cover with room temperature water. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil. As soon as the beans boil, cover, remove from heat, and allow to soak for 1 hour. Carry on with the recipe.
In a large soup pot over medium heat, cook pancetta until very well crisp, about 6 minutes.
Add the onions, celery, and bell pepper and cook until vegetables are very well done, about 8 minutes.
Add salt, pepper, and cayenne or Tony Chachere Seasoning and stir to combine.
Stir in the garlic, parsley, thyme, and sliced sausage. Increase heat to medium-high and cook until the sausage is well browned, about 5 minutes. Stir frequently.
Add the softened beans to the pot, the stock, and bay leaves. Reduce heat to low and allow to simmer for about 2 hours, uncovered, until the beans are well softened.
Taste and season with more salt or pepper.
For a slightly smoother consistency, blend about 1/3 of bean and sausage mixture in a blender or food processor and return to the pot. This way, some of the beans will be ground smooth and some will be kept whole, creating a really lovely consistency. You can also smooth out some of the beans by mashing them against the side of the pan once they’re softened, but I like the bender method best.
Serve beans with white rice and a hearty garish of green onions.
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 6
Reviews
Kristin on 2023-01-03 (5 stars): Joy's Red Beans & Rice Nachos are another delicious option! I've also successfully frozen the leftover beans! (sans rice) for future.
Leah on 2020-02-25 (5 stars): These are THE BEST red beans and rice I've ever had... even reheated!!!
Jill on 2020-12-01 (5 stars): This recipe is amazing! I was transported back to my childhood growing up in E. Texas! I made it with chicken thighs in my slow cooker because my husband hates sausage (he's from California, 'nuff said. It tasted just like I remember it...will be adding this to my meal rotation.
Raquel on 2022-06-02 (5 stars): These beans were so good, deeply savory and aromatic. I loved it!
Carey on 2023-10-24 (5 stars): This was delicious! In lieu of the green bell peppers, I used several (10 or so) small sweet heat peppers from my garden. They are a bit like jalepenos, but less spicy. Similiar perhaps to poblano, but the spice level really added a great element. Also used closer to 12 oz. smoked German style pork sausage. Will definitely make again!
Bean on 2024-10-06 (5 stars): I have been making this for years. It's amazing! I skip the pancetta because it's impossible to find in rural America and I don't use bacon because pancetta isn't smoked (use a bit of olive oil). I use turkey/chicken andouille (both Jennie-O and Amylu's are very good), I only use 5 cups of stock for a full recipe so that it's not so watery. Everything else I keep the same - it's so savory and delicious. Serve with coleslaw and cornbread!
