Red beans and rice is a classic Louisiana dish that hits all the right notes for Southern comfort food. It’s rich, flavorful, easy to make, and perfect for a cozy family dinner!
Why You’ll Love This Red Beans and Rice
Being in the thick of winter calls for one thing—pure comfort food. And while I love making a big pot of chili for most weeknights, I also crave Southern flavors from time to time. That’s where this red beans and rice with sausage comes in. It delivers the same comforting and authentic Louisiana flavors that you guys love in my jambalaya, but in a creamy, bean-forward dish with smoky andouille sausage. And I sure do love anything with andouille sausage! I’m also using my homemade Cajun seasoning as an easy shortcut, though you can add individual spices if you’d like. You’ll also love that this recipe is:
- Made in one pot (almost). The beans and sausage are a one-pot meal. Then, just serve it with rice or your favorite side (I have more ideas below).
- Great for using leftover protein. Historically, this dish is a New Orleans “Monday” tradition using leftover pork from Sunday dinner (like ham or sausage). And the Cajun and Creole spices breathe fresh life into it!
- Rich with red kidney beans. Don’t forget that these are a nutritional powerhouse with protein, fiber, and more!
Red Beans and Rice Ingredients
- Red kidney beans: Small red beans (Camellia brand) might be most often used in Louisiana, but red kidney beans are a great substitute and widely available (which is what I’m using).
- Andouille sausage: Adds that smoky, spicy kick that’s essential in classic red beans and rice.
- Holy trinity vegetables: Yellow onion, celery, and green bell pepper form the flavor base for this dish.
- Seasonings: My homemade Cajun seasoning, oregano, thyme, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. This combo builds incredibly deep, savory layers!
- Chicken broth: I recommend using a low-sodium chicken broth to keep the sodium levels lower in this recipe.
- Cooked long-grain white rice: Rice is the perfect bed for the beans and sausage, and what’s typically used in Southern cooking.
- Green onion and parsley: Fresh herbs add brightness and a pop of color before serving.
Find the complete recipe with measurements below
How To Make Red Beans and Rice
Step one: Soak the beans. I cover the dry beans with 3 inches of cold water in a large bowl and let them soak overnight. Drain and rinse before cooking. While I sometimes use canned beans in other recipes, I really want the red beans to shine here (and not be too soft)!
Step two: Sear the sausage. Coat the pot with oil, and sear the sausage for 4 to 6 minutes per side until golden. I also like to work in batches to ensure each sausage slice cooks perfectly.
Step three: Sauté the veggies. Add the onion, celery, and bell pepper to the pot. Cook 8 to 10 minutes until the onions start to caramelize. Then, stir in the garlic, Cajun seasoning, oregano, thyme, salt, and pepper for another minute. It’s going to smell so good at this stage!
Step four: Simmer and cook. Return the sausage to the pot along with the beans, broth, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 1 hour, while stirring occasionally. Then, remove the lid and continue simmering for 30 more minutes, until the beans are tender and the liquid has reduced. I also like to smash a few beans against the side of the pot to thicken the sauce. (Pro tip: cook the rice while the beans are simmering. You have plenty of time!)
Lastly, add greens and serve. Stir in green onions and parsley, taste, and adjust seasoning. Remove the bay leaves, then serve the beans over rice with extra herbs on top.
Ingredient Swaps
- While andouille sausage is classic and delicious, I sometimes swap in other proteins depending on what I have on hand. Leftover chicken, turkey, or beef works great! I’ll dice or shred it and add it during the simmering step. For a lighter version, try turkey sausage, chicken sausage, or a plant-based sausage alternative.
- I like to boost the veggie content by adding extra bell peppers, zucchini, or spinach toward the end of cooking.
- If you forgot to soak red beans overnight, you can always do a “quick soak” with hot water or use canned beans. See my tips in the recipe card below!
- Swap the rice out for mashed potatoes or mashed sweet potatoes (my personal favorite). It’s not quite as authentic, but it sure is tasty!
Storage Tips
I love red beans and rice for meal prep, as it can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 to 5 days. To reheat, gently warm on the stovetop over medium-low heat. I also love freezing extra to enjoy another chilly day during the month. It can be stored for up to 3 months. Just thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat as usual.
More Cajun Recipes
- Cajun Shrimp: Best Cajun seafood dinner!
- Creamy Cajun Chicken: This one will impress.
- Cajun Sheet Pan Sausage: A cinch to make.
- Or browse through my list of Mardi Gras food ideas for more comfort food inspiration!
If you make this red beans and rice recipe, let me know how it turns out in the comments below! Your review will help other readers in the community. And if you’d like to see more healthy food inspiration and exclusive content, join my free email community here.
Description
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried red kidney beans
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound Andouille sausage, sliced
- 2 celery ribs, diced
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 green onions, sliced, plus more for garnish
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish
- 3 to 4 cups cooked long grain white rice, for serving
Instructions
- Soak the beans. Make sure to soak the beans the night before cooking. Add the dry beans to a large bowl and cover with cold water by 3 inches. Soak overnight, then drain and rinse before cooking.
- Sear the sausage. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the sausage and sear for 4 to 6 minutes on each side, until golden. You may have to work in batches to prevent crowding the pan. Remove and set aside.
- Saute the veggies. Add the onions, celery, and bell pepper to the pot and saute for 8 to 10 minutes, until onions are beginning to caramelize. Add the garlic, Cajun seasoning, dried oregano, dried thyme, salt, and black pepper, and stir for another minute.
- Simmer and cook. Add the sausage back to the pot along with the beans, broth, and bay leaves. Stir to combine, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover the pot and cook for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Remove the lid, and continue cooking for another 30 minutes, until the beans are tender and the liquid has reduced to your desired thickness. Use your spoon to smash some of the beans against the side of the pot, further thickening the liquid. Pro Tip: Cook the rice while the beans are simmering!
- Add greens. Add the green onions and parsley to the pot, and stir to combine. Taste and season with any additional salt, to your liking.
- Serve. Remove the bay leaves, then serve with rice. Garnish with additional green onions and parsley.
Lisa’s Tips
- Andouille sausage can come in different spice levels. I’m using a medium spice level, but you can choose a spicier one or more mild one.
- If you can’t get Andouille sausage, you can swap in your favorite pork or beef sausage.
- If you don’t want to soak red beans overnight, you could do a quick soak with hot water or swap in 3 (15-ounce) cans of drained and rinsed kidney beans in step 5. If using canned beans, reduce some of the liquid (by about 2 cups), so you don’t end up with something too soupy. Canned beans only need to simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes uncovered.
- Store-bought Cajun seasonings can vary widely in flavor and spice level. I love my homemade version, but if you use store-bought, I’d recommend starting with less and adjusting to taste. You could also use individual spices and a little cayenne pepper for heat.
Nutrition
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Behind The Scenes
The first time I made this I felt something was missing. And it wasn’t so much that something was missing, it was just that it needed more andouille sausage! That sausage provides so much flavor on it’s own and I felt the bean to sausage ratio was just very bean heavy. I started with 12 ounces of andouille sausage, as that’s how my sausages are packaged at Whole Foods, but it definitely needed 16 ounces (a whole pound). Which for me was a package and a half. Point being, don’t skimp on the sausage!
I feel in love with this dish. Reminded me of spending a week in Puerto Rico and eating in my friends’ homes. Can wait to make it again – this week!
Wonderful! Glad you loved this red beans and rice, Barb!
Hands down amazing recipe! Super easy to make, affordable and my family requested it be put in the regular meal plan rotation. Win!
Glad this has become a family favorite, Kristen!
I absolutely LOVE red beans & rice but have not found a good recipe until now! This recipe is wonderful. I added even more andouille sausage. Leftovers tasted even better.
I’m so glad you found the perfect red beans and rice recipe, Roberta!
What do you serve with red beans and rice? I want to serve this to my family and friends as a sunday dinner.
Hi Carol – I’ll often just serve a simple green salad, like my kale salad. Otherwise, it’s plenty hearty and filling all on it’s own. Enjoy!
Pro-tip: Soak the beans with baking soda. This makes them easier on the digestive system but also reduces the dramatic red color. Less pretty, still delicious, and easier to digest.
Great tip!
My family loved this recipe. We had it on a cold damp night and it was very comforting and filling. We had cornbread in lieu of rice. Easy to make, not messy and very affordable. Thank you for all your great recipes.
I’m so glad this red beans and rice hit the spot for a cold day, Rose!
Can you freeze this? I am looking forward to making this.
Yes! I’ve been reheating portions from my freezer this week. ;)
Great recipe, I substituted Aleppo pepper for cayenne for a subtle heat. This will be a regular in our house and at the cabin.
Hi Rick – Aleppo pepper is a great swap! Hope you enjoy it again and again. :)
Made this last night and loved it! Couldn’t help thinking that adding some shrimp at the end would be a hearty addition. Looking forward to my leftovers tonight. Your recipes never disappoint.
That would be a wonderful addition to this dish, Ellen!
Excellent dish! The entire family loved it, even my 2, 3 and 8 year old children! It brought back great memories of my grandma and mother making a very similar dish from the Cape Verde Islands. I used Chourico and it complimented all the spices. Thank you!
Amazing to hear the whole family loved this recipe, Vanusa!
This was delicious!! I will definitely make it again. I didn’t have fresh parsley so I used dried. Came out perfect.
Wonderful! So glad you enjoyed it!
What does Cajun seasoning have it in? I like to make my own seasoning mixes. Thx
Hi Helene – I actually linked my Cajun seasoning recipe in the recipe card!
Lisa, I’m loving your recipes ! Made this tonight and it was flavorful and delicious! Since I only had canned beans I cut the liquid back to 3 1/2 cups and smashed some of the beans against the pot to make it nice and thick. Can’t wait to have the leftovers for lunch today :)
Wonderful! I’m so happy you loved it, Michelle. And thanks for sharing your tweaks with using the canned beans. Enjoy those leftovers for lunch!
This is a pretty good recipe for Red Beans and Rice. I’m a Cajun and was raised by my grandmother in a little town on the outskirts NOLA (New Orleans Louisiana). Well as a very little girl I was in Bayou County. Anyway this is very similar to my Grandma’s recipe! If you don’t mind, I’d like to share her recipe here, for the sake of preserving a Cajun woman’s memory of yummy meals.
Everything is the same as your delicious recipe, except she didn’t use oregano and sometimes she used smoked beef sausage. Also different is that olive oil wasn’t a big thing in her day and the Cajun Seasoning she used was her own blend of spices and herbs. She used cayenne pepper of course, but not as much as some folks use today. In the 1980’s said all that overly spicy stuff was “nouvelle” i.e. new and that traditional Cajun food wasn’t that spicy. So she used salt, pepper, granulated onion, granulated garlic, cayenne pepper, thyme, and a few bay leaves. And here’s something that was big back then… She used what is called Light Red Beans, from Camelia Brand. That wasn’t a secret to her or anyone from southeast Louisiana or the greater New Orleans area. But it was a secret to people in northern Louisiana and in other states. And some folks in the most southern parts of Mississippi and Alabama knew to use Light Red Beans too. That bean is easier to get your red beans and rice creamy! You only need to mash a little bit during the last few minutes to get Deliciously Creamy Red Beans.
So I hope what I shared is helpful. In some areas of the country and in other countries, it can be hard to find Cajun Spice, so now people can know what spices to use to get that authentic Cajun flavor in this dish. Now, I didn’t put amounts of spices because she never measured using measuring spoons. My grandma poured salt and spices in her hand. And of course she tasted her food while it was cooking to see if she needed to make adjustments. When it comes to cooking the foods I grew up eating, I do just as my grandmother did. For all other recipes, I usually follow a recipe, but also follow my own changes to make adjustments for family preferences.
I love making new recipes, but some of the repeats I are often recipes from Downshiftology!
Thank you for all the yummy recipes. And I truly hope my long commitment helps some people that can’t find a Cajun Spice mix or perhaps they just want to make it to their own taste. Food is meant to be pleasurable and it’s meant to be shared. So recipes should be adjusted, when needed, for you and your family and friends to enjoy together.
Big Hug,
Cajunmama Debbie
Hi Debbie – thanks so much for sharing your background and grandmother’s tweaks to this recipe. I always love to hear how others make it, as well as those tips that stand the test of time. I’m also thrilled to hear you’re enjoying so many of my recipes and I agree wholeheartedly that food is meant to be pleasurable and shared. :) Thank you!
Good to know there’s a smoked beef sausage. I don’t do pork so I’ve been wondering about the sausage. I’m in central MS and everyone here uses “red beans”, which are smaller and not tough skinned like kidneys. My fam is from NC and beans there are cooked with ham hocks but sometimes a turkey neck so I’ve subbed smoked turkey leg and had good results. It tastes alot like ham. What store has smoked beef sausage? We prob have same store as I’m not that far from u. Thx for ur info. My gma didn’t own measuring spoons I don’t think lol – what I wouldn’t give for one more piece of fried chicken, blueberry pie, fried ham or mess of greens that she cooked!