As a lot of you probably know, we moved to Louisiana about a year ago. When we announced that we were moving here, we heard one of two things: 1) “Why?!” and 2) “The food there is absolutely amazing.” Actually, a lot of times we heard both.
I’ll spare you the gory details of our move down here, but I will tell you that it involved a missed flight, a week in an extended-stay hotel that my 3-year-old referred to as the “ho-temple” (and I won’t lie, he wasn’t too far off), and leaving our families on the other side of the country.
Our first night here, we went to an Italian restaurant where the waitress called the little girl at the table next to us “little mama” and I felt so out of place and conspicuous with my “definitely not from here” accent and having NEVER referred to anyone as “little mama.” I was convinced that everyone was going to automatically hate me.
We ate out a lot those first few weeks as we were settling in and after a little while, we decided to step out of our comfort zones and try some of the more regional fare since, supposedly, Louisiana has the most delicious food in the world. That’s when I tried red beans and rice for the first time. I’d never had it before, and I didn’t know what to expect when I ordered it. And I don’t know if it was the loneliness and upheaval that we were feeling in our lives at the time or if it truly was that delicious, but even though it was something new, it tasted like going home. And I have to say that it’s a good thing that red beans and rice was the first Louisiana food I ate here, because my first several encounters with gumbo were unpleasant ones (I was finally converted–this is my tried and true recipe). If you’re curious, okra is a vegetable imported straight from hell and personally hoed by Satan himself (unless it’s fried, and then all bets are off.)
Slowly, we came to discover that no one in Louisiana hated us (at least not to our faces!) In fact, I’d never felt more accepted or loved by complete and total strangers in my whole life, like the ladies at the grocery store who call me “baby” and ooh and ahh over my own “little mama” and “little man.” In the year that we’ve been here, I’ve eaten a lot of red beans and rice; everyone has their own way of doing it, kind of like everyone has their variation of funeral potatoes in Utah. But every pot I’ve ever had has been made with love, and that makes me love it even more–even the ones I ate (kind of) that had a little meat in there that tasted and looked suspiciously like squirrel…
So this is my version–red beans from a Utah girl living in the South and learning from the best…Oh, and if it looks familiar, I borrowed some seasonings from Sara’s black beans.
how to make it
You’re going to need a pound of dry red kidney beans, rinsed and sorted for any inedible things like stones, an onion, a whole bunch of garlic, some Cajun or Creole seasoning (like Tony Chachere’s, which is a national brand, but there are many varieties that are widely available), some cumin, coriander, oregano, and just a pinch of cinnamon (about 1/8 of a teaspoon.)
Also, it’s kind of funny to see your husband’s reaction when he opens up the freezer and sees 8 Talenti gelato lids, pulls one out, and realizes it’s chicken broth.
You’ll also need to cut about about 1/3-1/2 pound of smoked pork sausage. Try and find the good stuff–even if you don’t live in Texas or Louisiana where good smoked sausage is widely available in grocery stores, many butchers around the country smoke their own sausage and sell it in their shops.
Combine all ingredients in a crock pot
and cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low all day. Or you can start on high until it starts to simmer and then switch it to low. If you live at a high elevation, you’ll need to cook the beans longer or soak them overnight before slow cooking the next day.
When beans are tender, mash about 85-90% of them against the side of the crock pot. Give them a taste and add any extra seasonings if you need to, particularly more Cajun seasoning or salt and pepper. Replace lid and set heat to “low.” Or off. Whatever. It’s pretty hard to screw stuff up in the crockpot. In a medium saucepan, bring 4 c. water, 1 Tbsp. white vinegar, and 2 c. of white rice to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and steam for 20 minutes.
Now…this may be heresy to people who grew up eating red beans and rice, but I prefer it with the beans on bottom and the rice on top. I just think it’s prettier.
Serves about 8, with 1 c. beans and 1/2 c. rice per person.
Kate’s Red Beans and Rice
Ingredients
1 lb. dry red kidney beans, rinsed and sorted
6 c. chicken broth
1/3–1/2 lb. smoked sausage (Andouille sausage if you can find it), quartered and cut into thin slices. You can also use a large, meaty ham bone.
1 onion, chopped
4–5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. Cajun or Creole seasoning (Tony Chachere’s is the best; omit this if using Andouille sausage)
3/4 tsp. cumin
3/4 tsp. coriander
3/4 tsp. oregano
1/8 tsp. cinnamon (sounds weird, but DON’T leave it out!!!)
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika or liquid smoke to taste
Instructions
Combine all ingredients in a crock pot and cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low all day. Or you can start on high until it starts to simmer and then switch it to low. If you’re at a high elevation, the beans will need to cook longer and/or you need to soak them overnight before you start cooking them in the morning.
When beans are tender, mash about 85-90% of them against the side of the crock pot. Give them a taste and add any extra seasonings if you need to, particularly more Tony’s or salt and pepper. Replace lid and set heat to “low.”
Or off. Whatever. It’s pretty hard to screw stuff up in the crockpot. In a medium saucepan, bring 4 c. water, 1 Tbsp. white vinegar, and 2 c. of white rice to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and steam for 20 minutes.
Serve beans with rice.
Notes
Freezer Instructions: Chop sausage, onion, and garlic and place in a quart-sized freezer bag. In a gallon-sized freezer bag, place the remaining ingredients except the rice and broth. When ready to cook, place the contents of both bags in a slow cooker and add the water. Cook according to the recipe directions and serve with rice.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
I love beans and rice, and this looks delicious!!! I’d make it more often, except don’t y’all need some bean-o or something after eating it; or am I the only one 🙁 ? Kate, does it help to drain the soak water off repeatedly? That would kinda’ nix the easy idea of throwing it all in the crockpot at the beginning, right?
Nope, no need to drain–there’s just enough broth to reach a good consistency once the beans cooked and they’re mashed a little. As for the beano, I don’t ever need such things. KIDDING. It just kind of comes with the territory, lol!
I’ve heard the soaking and disposing of the soaking water helps, but that hasn’t been my experience. Nevertheless, you could try soaking these beans in plain water overnight, then draining before proceeding with the recipe as written.
One of my very favorite recipes from your site! One I come back to often. I served s mission in Louisiana and this is the best recipe I could find for red beans and rice! Yum! Thanks!
Natalie, when were you here?!
I had these at a friend’s house for the first time this week and they are excellent! I’m glad you reposted the recipe for me.
I am having a horrible time trying to scroll through your website. The advertisement are slowing and freezing it constantly. I’ve even tried closing them, only to have the site stop completely. Unfortunately it causes me to leave your site very quickly. Several times, I leave before I even see what you have posted because I’m so frustrated. That said, I enjoy your recipes and I keep trying, hoping the ads have changed.
For fun, take the main picture, rotate it 180 degrees (upside down), then zoom in on the spoon. We can see photographer 🙂
Haaaaa! I wondered if anyone would notice! 🙂
This post is old, so I don’t know if you will even see this comment, but I hope you do.
My family loves these beans. This is one of the only “beans and rice” dishes that certain picky children do not grumble over, and that my carnivore husband eats enough of to not be starving in an hour.
I recently had to go dairy free, and all of the chicken base I have contains whey. Boo hiss. Do you think I could just maybe use chicken broth and decrease the water by that amount instead?
Yep, absolutely! I actually do this pretty frequently! 🙂
Made this today since I was snowed in and had all the ingredients. Oh. My. Goodness. What a delicious recipe! My hubby absolutely loved it. I have tried so many of your recipes and every single dish turns out amazing. So thankful for your blog 🙂
I made this tonight after finding it on Pinterest. All I can say is OMG this is excellent. And the cinnamon adds a wonderful flavor.
ONE more question… sorry to fill your wall. How does one steam rice!?
K, I tasted the soupy part and it’s so good! The house smells of cinnamon which is the reason for my panic! 🙂 I see why you don’t add salt to the recipe! The Tonys is awesome! I had gotten two cans and a bunch of samples from their company and I’ve used it sparingly and don’t cook enough “cajun” flavored foods. Oh God I miss real dirty rice.. I’ll let ya know how it goes in spite of having tampered with the recipe! I bet it’s awesome though! Better if it were properly made I’ll bet! Thank you! 🙂 So happy to have stumbled across your blog and I can’t wait to read more and make more of your recipes!
OH DEAR!!! I’ve made 2 lbs of beans and thinking of doubling it, and SO excited to try this recipe, I added about a half a teaspoon of cinnamon BEFORE I read the following posts. 🙁 I only worry as I didn’t have the proper sausage or ham hocks etc.. I’m even out of bacon! And no one bash me please.. tried a small bit of… *blush* a breakfast type sausage. I think I went insane and was just SO excited about having beans and rice I just jotted the recipe down and went to town lol I never cook with cumin, my family won’t eat it.. which is a shame as I’m dying to try curry. (I ADORE the Two Fat Ladies cooking show and learned about it from there)
I too, lived in Louisiana. We moved there with some excitement though as we’ve lived all over the U.S. and just moved from West Texas and I was SO desperate for trees and green! EVERYONE was so sweet and friendly. The more East you go in the South, the sweeter people get. MHO. But people in La. are lovely. Of everywhere we’ve lived Bossier City was my favorite place ever.. and one day we’ll move back. I sure miss the shopping!!
FYI I LOVE Popeye’s Red Beans and Rice. 🙂 Which is how I found your blog, searching for a copy cat type recipe. We don’t have them where we live. Which is back in Texas. North Central-ish. My family’s from the north. And my husband and I debated (him being a born Texan and southern boy) what red beans were. He said they’re found as “Red Beans” I always thought they were pinto beans. :/ Just until I read above.. Had I known I’d have run out and got some and proper sausage too. I live in the country and it’s a pain to drive into town when it’s onlya couple of things. I thought I could improvise. I won’t do that again.
I laughed about your okra statement. 😀 I loove okra as well as gumbo. A favorite food, aside from potato soup (made the southern way 🙂 ) I have no recipes for it though. I think my sons old enough now he’d try it and like it. We have an herb and vegetable farm, with my own private gardens for family and kitchen use. This year my husband planted a whole row of okra just for me 🙂 He said there’s no way he’s harvesting them though! lol I’ve never grown them but hear they will bite ya. Anyways, I wish I could feed you some of my brother-in-laws mom’s gumbo (that was kinda funny) it’s amazing. I wish I had the recipe. It was mostly seafood and other meats and you can’t stick a spoon in it and not find shrimp. Yum… I need to go beg for that recipe now…
I’ll report back! NEXT time I promise to follow your recipes to a tee. Thank you mama 😉
I am making this tonight so I will let you know how it turns out!
I made this on a desperate whim during tax season this year because I needed something different to cook in the crock pot while I worked all day. Neither my husband nor my kids are beans and rice fans – but I was desperate for a crock pot meal! When I got home, the house smelled SO GOOD! We all ate our first bites with trepidation, but holy cow! YUM! My husband even said we could have this more than once a week and he’d be completely happy! That is a HUGE compliment! I made the recipe exactly as you said, except I soaked the beans overnight because I was afraid of getting “bullet beans” in the finished product. I also used brown rice instead of white because that’s how we roll in this house ;). Thank you so, so much! I’m also now hooked on this Tony Chachere’s seasoning. That stuff is really good! 🙂
Have this simmering on the stove top & love the aroma! Used small red beans instead of kidney. Can’t wait for supper!
I lived in Gonzales LA for 5 years and ohh those cajon folk were so friendly and loving! I ate my first red beans and rice at some hole in the wall under an interstate underpass. I thought I was in heaven. You forgot to tell everyone to serve it with corn bread…preferably crumbled into the red beans and rice. mmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!
Just tried this yesterday! AWESOME! Thanks so much! I have always tried to “recreate” Popeye’s red beans and rice and failed…this is spot on!
We love this recipe!!! So good, made it for my extended family too and the kids turned their noses up till they tried it, they all wanted seconds!!! Tomorrow though hubby has asked that I sub Black beans but keep the rest the same (reminds him of Brazil a bit) so I hope it’s as good!
I know that some people don’t cook the okra enough to get rid of the slime effect. Try cutting up okra,celery and onions with a little cooking oil and baking them together for a few hours. You will need to stir this every now and then and it will cook down perfectly. No slime but nicely browned. We also usually don’t use roux and okra in the same gumbo. They are both used for thickening but I have had it both ways and I love gumbo. That being said the people in other parts of the state don’t smother the okra down like we do and you have all these big chunks floating around. My way is the old cajun down the bayou way and of course I think it is the best way.
Hi! Just wanted to say I loved your red beans and rice, and I’ve had plenty over the years. Dry beans always seem to take forever for me, so I did soak the beans, but otherwise I stuck to the recipe exactly and had perfect results. Thanks!
Ahhh! Thanks for this recipe. We did the same thing…. moved from the west to L.A. (lower Alabama). I love the south and was looking for a good Red Beans and Rice recipe. I don’t like Gumbo either! Love this site! Do you have a good Etouffee recipe?
I’m a country boy from Illinois. Been eating ham’n beans with cornbread my whole life. Went to NO for a couple of weeks last year and been doing some Cajun cooking. You really can’t mess up beans in the crock pot I’ve thrown about every spice in the cupboard in there and also some brown sugar. I pretty much always put in the trinity, green pepper, onion, and celery. Minced garlic a must also. Cinnamon just a pinch is good. Saute’ the sausage and throw it in for the last half to one hour of cooking. Beans are a very healthy food.
Okay, I’ve totally come to discover that red beans are a highly personal thing, haha! I personally don’t think these are chili-y. I’ve had friends who grew up here who love these and others who think they’re an abomination, but to me, they kind of taste like the red beans from Popeye’s. So use that as your barometer–if you hate the flavor of Popeye’s red beans, these might not be for you. 🙂
Seriously, if they even kind of taste like Poyeyes I’m in. I’m gonna follow you blindly. Because if you can closely replicate Popeyes beans with only 4 WW points (I’ve heard they put, or used to put, lard in there). Sorry to be a PITA. We’ ll see.
Okay, I was seriously mocked by someone who lived here for loving Popeye’s red beans, so now I feel completely vindicated! 🙂 The flavor of these beans will differ so much depending on the sausage you use, but I really think the cinnamon is the thing that makes them taste Popeye’s-ish. You just need a little pinch–start out very small and then add a little more if you need it.
Oh, and you’re not a PITA. Promise. 🙂
So since finding your blog, I have made a few of your recipes, all yummy I might add. I am making red beans this week and I said I was going to give your recipe a try because it is so different from mine, but now I’m scared my kids won’t eat them. Can you tell me, with the cumin and the cinnamon (and this might sound strange) are they chili-tasting? I have had Houston (the city) red beans and they are different from new Orleans red beans, and I think these maybe more like that- they put the green onions on top. As you can see I’m having second thoughts now that the time is here…my kids usually devour beans and rice, I don’t want them to turn on me.
Ok I have never ever heard of putting cinnamon in red beans, cumin either or even smoked paprika. I don’t know I been making beans for years and I don’t put any of that in there. I am curious to try it though, that might be a central LA thing maybe because I don’t think that is a New Orleans thing. Also don’t give up on gumbo you just have to find a okra less one, I don’t put okra in mine because it is slimy and yucky. Ok my next pot of beans is going to be this recipe…
I tried this and sadly it was not a recipe I would make again. I’ll just go back to traditional New Orleans Style Red Beans and ham. No cinnamon.
So, so, so good. Next time I will have my rice prepared before I taste the beans – once I started “tasting,” I couldn’t stop!
P.S. Every recipe I’ve tried from this site has been not just good, but stellar. Thanks so much.
I made this for dinner last night. Not only was it simple to make, both of my kids LOVED it!
I made this for dinner tonight. Loved it! My kids even ate it, and that is what I consider success.
Had to come back with the results. They came out delicious! I didn't change anything to the recipe and loved it! Thanks for the recipes ladies!
So excited about trying this recipe! The red beans are simmering as I type. I'll report back when it is all said and done.