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The best homemade New Orleans Red Beans and Rice recipe made with andouille sausage, ham, red beans, rice, and a trinity of traditional vegetables such asChachere Creole Seasoning, plus more to taste2 teaspoon Tony Chachere BOLD Creole Seasoning, plus more to taste1 bunch green onions, dicedseveral dashes hot sauce, to each bowlChachere Creole Seasoning, plus more to taste2 teaspoon Tony Chachere BOLD Creole Seasoning, plus more to taste1 bunch green onions, dicedseveral dashes hot sauce, to each bowlComments We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing. “Red beans and
rice on Monday” is one of the dependable workday cornerstones of New Orleans cuisine, a hearty dish rooted in the city’s 300-year history. Originally an ingenious, low-maintenance way to feed a house on pre-machine laundry day, “red beans and rice” worked its way into classic status through the region’s home, restaurant, and lunchroom menus. As luck would have it, when I moved to New Orleans in 2001, I was looking for a way to feed a bunch of folks. A new transplant to the
city, I had inherited my grandmother’s kitchen table — a hulking, Formica-topped chunk of maple that served as one of the centers of our family’s emotional universe. Two generations of my mama’s family grew up around that table, so filling it once a week with clatter and food seemed like the right thing to do. I adapted the Monday-night red beans tradition and filled the table with an ever-changing group of pals, family, friends-of-friends, travelers, and other ne’er-do-wells. In 15 years, it’s never been the same group twice, yet the conversations and energy help propel us through the week. Simple food, simple rules — red beans and cornbread on the menu, come casual, bring whatchawannadrink, no phones at the table, whiskey for dessert — works every time on a typically odious Monday night. Everybody wants to eat hearty and drink wine after a day back at work. The magic is in the simplicity and the kismet of the big table. After a while, visiting guests started asking for a version in their hometowns (“You wanna come up and do it at my place?”). Friends in the restaurant business (many of them chefs who worked in New Orleans or loved the city) volunteered their spaces, and the Red Beans Roadshow took to the road in 2015. It’s all focused on the same elemental ritual: good food, good conversation, and minimal distractions. It’s a chance to share a laugh over a bowl of red beans and share a little bit of New Orleans before Tuesday morning rolls around. Here’s how to bring it to your home. (Image credit: Lauren Volo)Choose the Right BeansIn such a simple dish, the right bean (and in this case, there is a correct choice) can make all the difference. For decades, New Orleans grandmothers consistently used dried kidney beans marked with a big red blossom — Camellia Brand — as their go-to brand. “Camellias” inspire fierce loyalty among traditional New Orleans cooks because of their famously high standards (the Camellia family has an FDS “better than A” grade named after them), consistent flavor profile, and affordability. And because everybody buys them, store inventories cycle through frequently, eliminating the bane of the dried-bean cook — old, stale beans that never quite “cream out” and stay crunchy even after hours of cooking. Find Camellia Kidney Beans OnlineCamellia beans are available in select grocery stores, through online outlets like Amazon, or via the company’s website. Use Actual Honest-to-God Andouille SausageAlthough a meaty hambone is the traditional way to add porky goodness to the dish, I usually turn to andouille from Jacob’s World Famous Andouille in Laplace, Louisiana, just outside New Orleans. Jacob’s makes their distinctive andouille in the traditional style — chunks of pork shoulder simply spiced with salt, peppers, cayenne, and garlic and then smoked for hours over oak or pecan wood. This technique makes for an amazingly flavorful, chunky sausage that’s like the spicy core of God’s own Easter ham. Pro tip: If you can only get mushy emulsified “andouille” from your local grocery, it’s best to substitute a diced ham or an aggressive kielbasa. Most grocery store sausages are basically hot dogs with Cajun spices added. (Image credit: Lauren Volo)
Add Some Cajun SpiceAnd speaking of “Cajun spices,” just about every Louisiana cook uses a pre-mixed seasoning blend to build layers of flavor during the initial aromatic sauté of the “Holy Trinity” — onion, green bell pepper, celery — and garlic. There are tons of varieties of Louisiana/Cajun/Creole seasonings available in the modern grocery world, but my go-to has always been Tony Chachere’s (pronounced SHASH-er-eez), a staple in most southern Louisiana home kitchens. The Method: A Note from KitchnPableaux cooks his red beans in a simple slow-simmering stovetop method, which is ideal for perfuming the house on a Monday evening. We’ve adapted it for faster cooking in an electric pressure cooker. Less romantic, perhaps, but the pressure cooker allows for enjoying this traditional New Orleans dish even on the most hurried Monday evenings. olive oil or
vegetable oil good smoked sausage, preferably andouille, sliced into 1/2-inch-thick rounds medium yellow onions, chopped Creole seasoning, such as Tony Cachere's Salt freshly ground black pepper cloves garlic, minced medium celery stalk, diced medium green bell pepper, diced dried basil dried sage bay leaves Camellia dried red beans scallions, thinly sliced Leaves of 1 bunch fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped Crystal hot sauce Cooked rice, for serving Equipment
InstructionsInstructions for the electric pressure cooker or Instant Pot:
Instructions for Dutch oven/stovetop:
Recipe NotesStorage: Store leftover beans in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Want More?Get the Kitchn Daily in your inbox. |