Louisiana red beans and rice: rich, creamy, and full of protein. This classic should be a staple in your kitchen.
This Day Lilly recipe is adapted from my mom’s, and her mom’s, and her mom’s. As a kid, I loved coming home to the smell of andouille and warm, buttery rice on Mondays. The best part was that she always doubled the recipe so we could have leftovers all week. These beans are so good fresh, but trust me, save some for Day 3.
Monday Tradition
In the 19th century, Mondays were traditionally laundry days. Washing the family’s clothes and hanging them up on the drying line was an all day affair. And after a big Sunday feast, Monday dinner had to be a low-maintenance, keep-it-on-simmer all day kind of meal. Soak the beans the night before, throw in the trinity mix, add in a Sunday ham hock, and voila. Perfect Monday meal.
Soaking the Beans
Soak your red beans overnight! Let them become what they are meant to be. Trust me, their highest calling is a creamy red bean dish. If you are using a pressure cooker you don’t necessarily need to soak before hand but I still recommend for a creamier consistency! I use Camellia Red Kidney Beans
Holy Trinity Mix
Repeat after me: onions, bell pepper, and celery. This is the soul of Southern cuisine. Chop ’em fresh! This mix is the foundation of southern staple dishes. It’s called trinity due to its high importance in building flavors in your dish.
Ingredients you”ll need for Red Beans & Rice
- Dried Red Beans
- Sausage
- Ham (optional)
- Onion
- Bell Peppers
- Celery
- Garlic
- Bay Leaf
- Parsley
- Green Onions
- Hambone (if you have one)
- Water
- Cayenne Pepper
- Garlic Powder
- Dried Thyme
- Dried Sage
- Tony Chachere’s No Salt
- Salt/Pepper
- Cooked Rice
- Cornbread to serve on the side(optional)
How to make Red Beans & Rice
- First of all you’ll need to soak the red beans in water over night – this is key
- When you are ready to get cookin’, cut up all the veggies and sausage so you’ll have it ready to throw in the pot
- Next you’ll start to cook the sausage until its started to brown on both sides, then take out of pot and set aside
- Keep the leftover sausage grease from the pot and throw in your trinity mix
- Once the trinity has cooked down some add in the garlic and parsley
- After the mixture has cooked down some more you can your sausage back into the mix along with our already soaked red beans and ham if you choose to add
- Stir in water, throw in the hambone, bay leaf and all the spices
- Simmer for a few hours, stirring occasionally until nice creamy consistency
- Serve over rice, top with fresh green onions and a side of corn bread
- Enjoy!
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Louisiana Red Beans & Rice
Equipment
- Large Pot
Ingredients
- 1 1 lb Package Dried Red Beans
- 1 1 lb Package Sausage
- 1 cup Ham, cubbed Optional
- 1 White Onion
- 1 Bell pepper I used 1 half green and 1 half red
- 1 cup Celery About to stalks
- 6 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup Fresh Parsley
- 1 Hambone or ham hock I used mine from a leftover Honey Baked Ham
- 8-10 cups Water
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 1 tsp Cayenne Pepper
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/2 tsp Dried Thyme
- 1/2 tsp Dried Sage
- Dash Tony Chachere's I use the No Salt version
- Salt/Pepper to taste
- Cooked Rice
- Green Onions
Instructions
- First of all you'll need to soak the red beans in water over night - this is key. Pour beans into a bowl and fill with water til all the beans are covered.
- When you are ready to get cookin', cut up all the veggies and sausage so you'll have it ready to throw in the pot
- Next you'll start to cook the sausage until its started to brown on both sides, then take out of pot and set aside.
- Keep the leftover sausage grease from the pot and throw in your trinity mix
- Once the trinity has cooked down some add in the garlic and parsley
- After the mixture has cooked down some more you can your sausage back into the mix along with our already soaked red beans and ham if you choose to add
- Stir in 8-10 cups of water, throw in the hambone, bay leaf and all the spices
- Simmer for a few hours, stirring occasionally until nice creamy consistency (always tastes better the next day in my opinion)
- Serve over rice, top with fresh green onions and a side of corn bread
- Enjoy!
Notes
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