Recipe: Perfect Red Beans and Rice

Red Beans and Rice. Red beans and rice is an emblematic dish of Louisiana Creole cuisine (not originally of Cajun cuisine) traditionally made on Mondays with red beans, vegetables (bell pepper, onion, and celery), spices (thyme, cayenne pepper, and bay leaf) and pork bones as left over from Sunday dinner. I grew up in Louisiana and love red beans and rice; these are just like I remember--red beans made with Cajun seasonings and Andouille sausage. All Reviews for Authentic Louisiana Red Beans and Rice.

But until then, I'll be making the creamiest red beans and rice on the daily. I've done a ton of research and development for this, eating so much. Traditional Louisiana red beans and rice also uses Andouille sausage which we did not add, but you could if you wanted. You can cook Red Beans and Rice using 19 ingredients and 8 steps. Here is how you achieve that.

Ingredients of Red Beans and Rice

1. Prepare 1 lb of soaked red beans.
2. You need 3 quarts of chicken stock.
3. Prepare 2 of small white onions, chopped.
4. It's 1 of bell pepper, chopped.
5. Prepare 4 stalks of celery, chopped.
6. Prepare 4 of bay leaves.
7. You need 1 lb of andouille sausage.
8. It's 4 cloves of garlic, finely minced.
9. Prepare 2 of smoked ham hocks.
10. Prepare of chopped parsley.
11. You need 2 teaspoons of ground dry thyme.
12. It's 2 teaspoons of cayenne pepper.
13. You need 1 teaspoon of cumin.
14. Prepare 1 tablespoon of salt.
15. You need 1 tablespoon of fresh ground black pepper.
16. You need of Sliced Green Onions.
17. You need of Cooked Rice.
18. Prepare of Tabasco.
19. You need of Butter.

There was plenty of flavor, and plenty of meat, with the smoked shanks. Red beans and rice is traditionally made with small red beans, but if you can't find them in your area, you can use red kidney beans (dark or light). You'll need one pound of dry beans for this recipe. Soak the beans in water (make sure to use twice as much water as beans) overnight.

Red Beans and Rice step by step

1. Brown andouille in a large crock pot, remove when browned on all sides, reserve..
2. Add onions and sweat with a bit of salt until translucent in butter..
3. Add celery, bell pepper, and garlic. Cook until fragrant..
4. Add cayenne, cumin, dry thyme, and pepper. Stir to combine..
5. Add chicken stock to pot, as well as the ham hocks, bay leaves, and the soaked red beans, bring to a boil and cover, stirring occasionally..
6. When beans are cooked through and tender, remove bay leaves and ham hocks (reserve the hocks), then use an immersion blender or your wooden spatula to break a portion of the beans down to give the dish a creamy texture. Reduce heat to a bare simmer..
7. Slice reserved andouille, and break ham hocks down, removing the meat from the bones. Discard bones and skin. Add meats back to pot and stir to combine..
8. When meat is brought up to temp (about 5 minutes), add chopped parsley, stir, and serve immediately over rice. Top with green onions and tabasco/crystal hot sauce to taste..

Red Beans and Rice is the quintessential New Orleans dish found everywhere from fine restaurants to neighborhood joints. Red beans & rice is a dish composed primarily of red beans and rice. But of course, as is often the case, the resulting dish is greater than the sum of its parts. Red beans and rice is a southern staple! These beans are even better than Popeye's.