Creole Red Beans and Rice
Creole red beans and rice is an easy recipe to make when you are craving some authentic soul food from New Orleans. Let these creamy red beans simmer for hours on your stovetop. What’s stopping you from serving your family a healthy side dish of red beans and rice for dinner tonight?
Servings: 16 servings
Calories: 472kcal
Ingredients
For the Red Beans
- 2 pounds Camellia dried red beans soaked, drained, and rinsed
- 4 tablespoons fat like bacon grease, lard, or vegetable oil
- 3 cups yellow onion diced (2 large onions)
- 1½ cup red bell pepper chopped (1 large pepper)
- 1 cup green bell pepper chopped (1 medium pepper)
- 1 cup celery diced (5 celery stalks)
- 4 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
- 4 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ¾ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 smoked meaty ham hocks
- 2 cups chopped meat from the ham hocks
- 4 cups reduced sodium chicken stock
- 4 cups filtered water
- 1 large carrot peeled (optional)
- 6 bay leaves
- 4 teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons sugar
For the Rice
- 1 tablespoon fat like bacon grease, lard, or vegetable oil
- ½ small onion diced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups long-grain white rice
- 3 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
For the Garnish
- 1 bunch spring onions green part only, sliced diagonally
- 1 handful flat leaf parsley rinsed, stems removed
- pickled pearl onions
- white vinegar
- vinegar based hot sauce such as Tabasco
- a fresh grind of black pepper
Instructions
Preparing the Dried Red Beans
- In a large Dutch oven, cover the legumes with water and bring it to a boil and cook for 10 minutes. Shut the heat off, but keep the pot on the element with the lid on tightly. Let them soak for a minimum of one hour to a maximum of overnight, then drain and rinse the legumes in a colander.
Making the Red Beans
- Heat the fat in a large soup pot over medium-high heat for 2 minutes.
- Once the fat has heated up, add the holy trinity (onions, celery, bell peppers) and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the dried spices and cook for 1 minute.
- Stir in the soaked red beans, chicken stock, water, and bay leaves, then add the carrot and nestle in the two ham hocks and cover. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to medium low and simmer for 3 hours. Stir occasionally so they don't stick to the bottom of the pot.
- After two hours, remove the 2 ham hocks and place them on a large plate. Wait for them to cool, roughly 45 minutes, before cutting the meat off the bones and adding it back into the pot. Stir until well combined.
- During the last 15 minutes, remove 3 cups and mash with a potato masher, then return back to the pot. This gives the mixture a more creamy texture. Mix in the salt and sugar and adjust seasonings to taste. If necessary, add some water to get the desired consistency. Serve hot.
Making the Rice
- In a medium saucepan, heat the fat over medium-high heat, then saute the diced onion. Add a bay leaf and the salt, then cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Stir in the 2 cups of rice and pour in the chicken broth. Cover and bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes, then remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes.
- Remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork. Serve warm.
Serving
- Keep the red beans and rice separate so each guest can serve themselves. In a bowl, place the desired amount of rice (roughly ½ cup), then ladle the red beans on top (roughly 1 cup). The basic ratio is double the red beans to rice.
- Sprinkle with green onions and parsley, and have the hot sauce and vinegar available for guests to add to their bowls. Add the vinegar 1 teaspoon at a time to your bowl. Also, add pickled pearl onions. Enjoy!
Notes
- Want a creamy texture? Fifteen minutes before serving, mash some of the beans with a fork, wooden spoon, or potato masher.
- Want to adjust the spices? Fine tune the seasonings in the last 15 minutes, and add the salt at this time.
- You'll know when they're done when they are a consistent, creamy texture and they have broken up. If your they are still hard after soaking and cooking it could be due to age, hard water, or altitude.
- Don't eat pork? Use smoked turkey neck or smoked turkey drumstick instead.
- If you want to add Andouille sausage, brown it first until it's crispy and the fat has been rendered out before you saute the trinity. (It's not traditional to add Andouille to red beans and rice, ham hocks and leftover ham bone are.)
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 472kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 1052mg | Potassium: 1150mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1245IU | Vitamin C: 33mg | Calcium: 85mg | Iron: 5mg
