This Lousiana style red beans and rice with sausage recipe takes no shortcuts in order to ensure each creamy bite is packed with the bold flavors of New Orleans. One bite and this inexpensive meal will soon be a family favorite. Give it a try and find out why many commenters have called it the best red beans and rice recipe ever!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Bacon grease - Bacon grease adds an additional layer of smoky flavor, however, if you do not have any on hand you can certainly substitute butter or vegetable oil instead.
- Yellow onion - A sweet onion is great as well.
- Green bell pepper
- Celery ribs
- Fresh ground black pepper
- Garlic cloves
- Bay leaf
- Fresh thyme
- Lousiana-style hot sauce - You want a thin vinegar-based cayenne pepper sauce.
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Dried oregano - Fresh oregano can also be used.
- Smoked paprika - Regular or sweet paprika can be substituted.
- Chicken stock - Chicken broth is a good substitute.
- Cayenne - Leave this out if you want the dish to be milder, or substitute crushed red pepper flakes.
- Dry small red beans - Using dry beans are more authentic than canned beans and give the dish a much better texture. Red kidney beans or pinto beans can be substituted.
- Butter
- Andouille sausage - You can substitute smoked sausage or a ham hock (a ham bone adds good flavor) if you want less heat than using a spicy andouille sausage.
- Long-grain white rice - You can substitute brown rice if desired.
How to Make Red Beans and Rice
This red beans and rice recipe is prepared by building layers of flavor. First, we saute the holy trinity (onions, green pepper, and celery) in a large pot or Dutch oven with the bacon grease until the vegetables are tender. Then add the minced garlic and cook an additional two minutes on the stove top.
The chicken stock, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, herbs, and seasonings are then added along with the dry beans, which are simmered for 2 ½ hours to mingle the flavors and soften the beans.
Using a separate frying pan, sear the sausage while the red beans simmer in the pot. Once the sausage is well browned, deglaze the skillet and add the sausage and deglazing liquid to the pot.
Simmer the red beans and sausage for an additional 30 minutes, or until the beans are tender. If the sauce is not thickened to your liking you can mash some of the beans to thicken it further. Stir in one tablespoon of butter prior to serving.
Prepare the rice when the beans are within thirty minutes from finishing by first rinsing the rice in cold water. Then saute the rice in a saucepan with butter set over medium heat. Cook for three minutes, then add water and bring rice to a boil. Stir with a wooden spoon to ensure the rice doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan then cover the saucepan with a lid.
Reduce the stovetop to low heat and simmer until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender. Then serve a mound of rice in a bowl topped with the red beans and sausage mixture.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
This red beans and rice recipe with sausage is fantastic to make in advance because the flavor is even better the next day and it reheats very well. Store the rice and beans separately in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. The leftovers can be reheated in the microwave until warmed through.
The Best Red Beans and Rice with Sausage
Equipment
- Large skillet
Ingredients
Red beans:
- 2 tablespoons bacon grease (or cooking oil)
- 1 medium yellow onion (chopped)
- 1 green bell pepper (chopped)
- 3 ribs celery (chopped)
- kosher salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 5 cloves garlic (minced)
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon Lousiana-style hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 quarts chicken stock (8 cups)
- ½ teaspoon cayenne (optional)
- 1 pound dry red beans (rinsed and picked of debris)
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 14 ounces Andouille sausage (Chopped into beans sized chunks)
Rice:
- 4 cups water
- 2 cups long-grain white rice
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ tablespoons butter
Instructions
Red Beans
- Sautee onion, bell pepper, celery, salt and black pepper in the pot with oil (or bacon grease). Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions and celery are semi-translucent and the peppers are tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Add bay leaves, thyme, hot sauce, stock, Worcestershire Sauce, oregano, paprika, and beans to the pot and increase the heat to high. Cook, stirring frequently until the mixture comes to a boil. Decrease the heat to maintain a simmer, cover and cook for 2 ½ hours, stirring every 30 minutes.
- In a separate skillet brown sausage while the beans are cooking, deglaze the pan with liquid from the bean pot (or ¼ cup water, then add deglazing liquid back to the pot along with sausage and cayenne pepper.
- Increase the heat slightly to maintain a steady simmer and continue to cook for another 30 to 40 minutes or until the beans are tender and the sauce is thickened to your liking. If you prefer an even creamier texture, mash some of the beans with a potato masher at this time.
- Add butter prior to serving.
Rice
- Prepare rice during the last 30 minutes of cooking the beans.
- Rinse rice by placing in a bowl and filling up, and promptly draining, three baths of cold water to remove excess starch which will prevent rice from sticking and becoming mushy. Water should run clear.
- Sauté rice in 1 ½ tablespoons of butter on medium heat for three minutes prior to boiling.
- Add water and bring rice to a boil and briefly stir to ensure rice is not sticking to bottom. Reduce heat to low and simmer until rice absorbs liquid and becomes tender, about 15-30 minutes for white rice.
- Keep lid on as much as possible and refrain from stirring. Stirring releases starches which will cause the rice to become mushy.
- To test doneness, squeeze rice between thumb and index finger. Rice should be soft all of the way through.
Serving
- Serve red beans on a plate on top of a mound of rice.
Notes
Nutritional Information
This recipe was originally published on FoxValleyFoodie.com on January 21, 2017.
Erin
Made this today with a couple variances due to what I did and didn't have on hand and it was fantastic. My 6yr old loved it. The 3yr old liked it and My husband who is not much of a rice and bean fan said he would eat this again, which is good, because I am making it again!! Smelling it cook was so nice and made me really look forward to it!
Adrienne
OMG just made this today and it was SO delicious. The flavors were to die for. My husband asked me to put salt and pepper on the table (apparently the one his mom made was always bland), and he started raving how it was the best he’s ever tasted. And he is not generous with the compliments by any means. Way to go! This one earned you a loyal follower.
Mark K
Amazing. This was so flavorful and delicious.
Tom miller
I love red beans and rice. This is truly a great recipe! I smoked the sausage for about 2 hours at 225deg and added towards the end. Can’t get enough of this stuff! Thank you
Tiffany
This recipe was perfect!! I didn’t have to doctor it all all! By far one of the best recipes I’ve used to make red beans and rice. Thank you!!!
BK
Hey! I’m stoked to try this this week, but I had one question. Can this recipe be frozen once cooked?
Fox Valley Foodie
Yeah, that shouldn't be a problem at all.
Grace
Where do you use the bacon grease? I’m sure
Overlooking but I can’t find it.
Fox Valley Foodie
It is in the first step. You saute the veggies in the grease or oil.
Ray
Thank you so much for sharing your recipe. I made the recipe today, and must say, this is the best red beans and rice I've ever had!!! It is off the chain delicious!!!
Melissa
Great recipe - and very similar to the one I spent a year or more working on lol I'm originally from Louisiana and I've had a lot of red beans and rice. If you can find the Camellia brand of red beans, I recommend trying them. They produce perfectly creamy beans and they are my go-to brand.
Fox Valley Foodie
Thanks for the recommendation. I will look for that brand. I wrote this recipe before I ever stepped foot into Louisiana as an adult, but authenticity was very important to me, so it is great to get so much positive feedback from those of you who know the real deal!
Holly
I’m from Louisiana and this is by far the best red beans and rice recipe I’ve ever tasted! I did soak my beans the night before and therefore needed only 5 cups of stock. I also put my sausage in just about 20 minutes after beans went in. Hands down, THE BEST EVER! Thank you so much for posting this recipe!!!!
Fox Valley Foodie
Thanks so much, it means a lot coming from folks who really know their Red Beans & Rice!
Candice
What kind of hot sauce?
Fox Valley Foodie
Any basic hot sauce will do, but vinegar-based sauces from Lousiana, like Tabasco or Crystal, would be my top picks.
Amber
Wow. This was delicious.
Amber
Will the beans be alright if I don’t soak them a day before? Usually they take longer to cook.
Fox Valley Foodie
I almost never soak my beans in advance. Don't worry about it! You are right, they take longer to cook, but my recipe takes that into consideration. Actually, I think the extra long simmer time is part of what makes this recipe so great!
Jim
I'm a red beans and rice connoisseur (2 hours from Louisiana). You nailed this recipe! I had to cook a little longer than described to get just right consistency but I may have just not had the stove hot enough the first hour.
Katie
I had to come back to say thank you for posting this recipe! My whole family loved it and it will be going into our regular rotation. 🙂
Katie
About to give this recipe a go! I think you may have a typo on #3 watethen?
Fox Valley Foodie
Thanks for catching that!
Crystal
Do you add the sausage after the beans have cooked the 2.5 hours?
Fox Valley Foodie
Yep, you are correct! The long initial cook time is mainly to soften the beans.
Marissa
Do you soak your beans overnight?
Fox Valley Foodie
No, I don't. I never plan that far in advance, and it is not needed if they are cooked long enough.
sue ellen robinson
good recipe, but I had to guess when to put the smoked paprika Worcestershire sauce in....
Fox Valley Foodie
Thanks for catching that Sue. That was an oversight and I have corrected it in the recipe now.
Jackie Blessing
This is a fabulous recipe with layers of flavor. I used a ham hock I had left over from Thanksgiving as well as the sausage. Also the tips on making the rice non starchy were great. I'll be making this for a long time to come.
Fox Valley Foodie
That's what I love to hear!
cooper clifton
First go with this and im pumped. To produce enough for 12 am I ok with a simple x2 approach? using andouille and also some fresh venison/quail sausage i made
Fox Valley Foodie
Yes, that should work well. Venison/quail sausage sounds fantastic too!
Celeste
Hi,
Do you cook uncovered the whole time? Thank you!
Fox Valley Foodie
Step 2 instructs you to cover, however, you can leave it uncovered in step 4 to help it thicken more.