Cajun Red Beans & Rice
This is the perfect “what to feed a crowd” recipe that you can make ahead because it only gets better the next day. Cajun Red beans and rice, spicy sausage and loads of peppers, pour on the Tabasco and call it “done”!
All about this Cajun Red beans and Rice Recipe:
I adore beans and cook with lentils, white beans, lima beans, cannellini beans and red beans often. Beans are packed with protein, fiber and tons of vitamins. Pound for pound you can’t do much better than using beans- especially if you are trying to eat a more plant based diet.
Grammy award winning composer and music artist, Jon Batiste, made his Red Beans & Rice on Instagram. The recipe looked so wonderful, I knew I wanted to give it a try. See Jon make his beans here. Just to listening to his Louisiana accent is enough to inspire you to cook today.
Sodium content and canned red beans:
Check your labels!
My recipe uses canned beans, but beware. When buying beans- check the label to see how much sodium is in the beans. You can see my photos of several national brands of beans. Two “reduced sodium ” cans had MORE salt than organic beans.
Too much salt is NOT ideal for this dish- the sausage has SO much salt in it, so really pay attention to the labels and rinse the beans well. Bushes & Goya “reduced sodium” beans had MORE sodium than Whole Food organic beans
This entire dish can be whipped up in about an hour, but it is even better the next day. Perfect for the weekend.
Ingredients in Cajun Red Beans and Rice:
- 3 cans dark red kidney beans
- beer
- chicken broth
- smoked andouille sausage
- garlic
- green bell peppers
- white onion
- celery
- white rice (not instant)
- olive oil
- black pepper/ kosher salt
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- cayenne pepper
- Old Bay Seasonings
- bay leaf
Equipment needed for this recipe:
- large Dutch oven or soup ot
- slotted spoon
- sharp knife
- wood spoon
- fine mesh strainer
Common Questions about Cajun Red Beans and Rice:
Yes and no- frozen vegetables are processed at the peak of freshness, but there is no substitute for fresh celery, onions and peppers to give this dish the perfect texture. Frozen veggies can sog out a bit.
This recipe is best when made 24 hours in advance. The flavors really soak into the beans. I never make my rice in advance.
Water or chicken or vegetable broth will work fine. Try a non-alcoholic beer as well. the malty hoppy flavors are so special and do burn off in the cooking process.
Typically any good butcher will carry sausage, but I often find it with the cured meats in the grocery store. You can also order extraordinarily good sausage and Cajun goodies from Best Stop.
What to serve with Cajun Red Beans and Rice:
- Perfect White Rice -See my recipe for the perfect rice HERE.
- Southern Cornbread
- King Cake or Key Lime Pie
- Bloody Mary’s
- Cold Beer
- Fried Shrimp
If you like Cajun Red Beans and Rice, try these rice based dishes as well:
- Forbidden Rice & Vegetable Bowl
- Pacific Northwest Wild Mushroom & Rice Soup
- Beef & Cauliflower Rice KETO Protein Bowl
Ingredients
- 3 cans organic dark red beans rinsed well
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 cup white onion chopped
- 1 large green bell pepper chopped
- 2 cloves garlic chopped fine
- 12 oz. Smoked andouille sausage cut into 1/2″ circles
- 1 TBSP olive oil
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp cracked black pepper
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp Old Bay Seasonings
- ½ tsp cajun seasonings
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 can cold beer
- 3-4 cups hot cooked white rice
Instructions
- In a large pot in 1 TBSP of oil, brown the sausage until the edges are crispy. Remove sausage from the pot and set aside.
- In the fat from the sausage, sweat the vegetables- onion, peppers and celery on medium high heat until just softened- about 5 minutes. Add in the garlic. Cook for one minute. Add in the spices- onion powder, garlic powder, cajun spice, Old Bay and Cayenne Peper- Cook until fragrant. Deglaze the pan wih the can of beer.
- Add the andouille sausage back into the pot. Add in the Bay leaf.
- Pour in the chicken stock and let come to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper. Let the vegetables cook with the stock for 10 minutes. Add in the drained beans.
- Let simmer for 20 minutes. With the back of a wooden spoon, smash some of the beans against the pot to thicken the mixture.
- Cook on low heat , uncovered for 30 minutes more until well thickened, stirring often to keep the bottom of the pot from sticking.
- Serve over hot white rice with Tabasco on the side. Remove the bay leaf before serving.
