Louisiana Red Beans and Rice Recipe
An authentic Louisiana Red Beans and Rice recipe made with red kidney beans, smoked ham hocks, andouille sausage, bell pepper, celery, and onion. It's cooked with Creole spices and served with white rice.
Servings: 8
Calories: 562kcal
Ingredients
- 10 cups water
- 2 smoked ham hocks
- 3 tablespoons chicken base or chicken bouillon powder
- 2 bay leaves dried
- 3-4 serrano chiles left whole with stems removed optional for spicy flavor
- 1 head garlic peeled and chopped
- 1 pound dried red kidney beans
- 1 pound andouille sausage sliced into coins
- 1 tablespoon Creole seasoning e.g. Tony Chachere
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 ribs celery diced
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- ½ large yellow onion diced
- Cooked rice for serving
- Chopped parsley for garnish optional
- Chopped green onion for garnish optional
Instructions
- Combine water, ham hocks, Better Than Bouillon, bay leaves, serrano chiles, and garlic in a large pot over high heat. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 1 hour (recommended). This helps the broth get really flavorful. You can do 30 minutes or skip it and put the beans in right away if you're short on time.
- Add dried beans, andouille sausage, and Creole seasoning. Taste the broth and adjust, if needed, with additional Better Than Bouillon (or bouillon powder) and Creole seasoning. Cover and continue simmering.
- Meanwhile, heat butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Saute celery, bell pepper, and onion until softened, about 6 minutes.
- Add the vegetable mixture to the pot of red beans. Cover and continue simmering for 2 to 3 hours, or until the beans are tender and the ham hocks are falling apart.
- Turn the stove off and let the beans rest for about 15 minutes. You can also mash some of the beans up to enhance the texture.
- Serve red beans with a bit of the ham hock meat and a scoop of rice. Garnish with parsley and green onions, if desired.
Video
Notes
- Soaking not required: You can cook dried beans straight from the bag! Soaking isn’t necessary, but if you want to shorten the cooking time, letting the beans soak for a few hours can help.
- Adjust the heat: Serrano chiles add a nice kick, but if you want less spice, leave them out. For more heat, try jalapeños or habaneros.
- Sauté the holy trinity: Cooking the celery, bell pepper, and onion before adding them to the pot softens them up and starts to caramelize them, which adds a flavorful base for the beans.
- Mash beans for texture: For a thicker, creamier dish, mash some of the beans against the side of the pot just before serving.
- Ham hock meat: Don’t forget to pull the tender meat off the bones and stir it back into the beans for extra flavor and texture!
- Smoked meat: Smoked neck bones, ham bone or ham shank, tasso, and pickled pork are common substitutes for smoked ham hocks. For a non-pork option, smoked turkey legs or smoked turkey wings work well.
- Bouillon: Use chicken-flavored bouillon powder or bouillon cubes instead of Better Than Bouillon.
- Peppers: Substitute serrano peppers with jalapeños for less heat or habaneros for more heat.
- Beans: Kidney beans can be replaced with small red beans, also known as Caribbean red beans.
Nutrition
Serving: 6g | Calories: 562kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 103mg | Sodium: 1069mg | Potassium: 1228mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 508IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 91mg | Iron: 6mg
