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Southern US · American

Red beans and rice

Non-vegetarian

Creamy, slow-simmered red kidney beans with smoked sausage, the holy trinity and thyme, served over white rice — the traditional Monday supper in New Orleans.

Red beans and rice is a Southern US main course from United States, ready in about 1 hour 30 minutes and made with andouille sausage, kidney beans (canned) and long-grain white rice. It serves 6 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking
Bowl of red beans and rice with spring onions
Photo: Arnold Gatilao from Fremont, CA, USA / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-2.0
Prep
15 min
Cook
1 h 15 min
Total
1 h 30 min
Serves
6
Level
Easy
Calories
543

Ingredients

6 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Brown the sausage in the oil in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion (opens in a new tab), celery (opens in a new tab) and pepper (opens in a new tab) and cook until soft, then stir in the garlic (opens in a new tab).

    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Add the beans, stock, thyme (opens in a new tab), bay leaves (opens in a new tab), cayenne, salt and pepper (opens in a new tab). Bring to a boil, then simmer partly covered, stirring now and then.

    • 60 min
    • low heat

  3. Step 3

    Mash about a quarter of the beans against the side of the pot to make the sauce creamy. Simmer a few minutes more until thick.

    • 5 min
    • low heat
    Potatoes being mashed
    How it looks · Photo: Mateusz Feliksik on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Cook the rice while the beans simmer. Serve the beans over rice with spring onions (opens in a new tab) and hot sauce (opens in a new tab).

    Food safety: Cool leftover rice quickly and refrigerate within 1 hour.

About this dish

Origin
New Orleans, Louisiana, United States · Well documentedMore food from United States
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Main courses · Stews & braises
Cooking method
Simmered, Sautéed
Taste
savoury, smoky, creamy, spicy (chilli heat)
Diet
No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Beef-free · High-protein
Without the optional extras: No added sugarWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
One-pot · Budget-friendly · Freezer-friendly · Everyday · Batch cooking
Cook more with
Andouille sausage · Kidney beans (canned) · Long-grain white rice · Onion · Celery · Green bell pepper
Techniques
Sautéing · Boiling · Simmering

Allergens

  • Contains: Celeryfrom celery, chicken stock
  • May contain: Sulphitesfrom andouille sausage

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

543 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 394 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 16%
  • Carbohydrate 55%
  • Fat 29%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy543 kcal138 kcal
Protein21.9 g5.6 g
Carbohydrate74.6 g18.9 g
Net carbohydrate66.3 g16.8 g
Sugars8.5 g2.1 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre8.3 g2.1 g
Fat17.2 g4.4 g
Saturated fat4.8 g1.2 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol29 mg7 mg
Sodium1204 mg305 mg
Salt equivalent3 g0.8 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
833 mg
Calcium
111 mg
Iron
4.9 mg
Magnesium
65 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
—
Vitamin C
19 mg
Vitamin D
0.5 µg
Vitamin B12
0.3 µg
Folate (DFE)
245 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: spring onion, chilli sauce (sriracha-style).
  • Andouille sausage: Smoked pork link sausage (FDC 174584) used as a stand-in for Cajun-style smoked andouille.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • A smoked ham hock simmered with the beans gives a deeper, traditional flavour.

Serve with

  • Serve with cornbread and a green salad.

Storage

  • Refrigerate the beans up to 4 days; freeze up to 3 months.

Reheating

  • Loosen with a splash of water and reheat until steaming.

Variations

  • Vegetable-only red beans: Skip the sausage, use vegetable stock and add smoked paprika for the smoky note.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2, 4

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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