Description
Make rich, flavorful New Orleans-style red beans and rice with minimal effort using your slow cooker. This set it and forget it recipe delivers tender beans and deep Cajun flavor perfect for an easy weeknight meal.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 pound dried red kidney beans, rinsed and picked over
- 1 pound smoked andouille sausage, sliced into rounds
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped (part of the Holy Trinity)
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped (part of the Holy Trinity)
- 2 celery stalks, chopped (part of the Holy Trinity)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 cups chicken broth or water
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (adjust to your spice preference)
- 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- Cooked white rice, for serving
- Chopped green onions, for garnish
Instructions
- Place the rinsed red kidney beans into your slow cooker.
- Add the sliced andouille sausage, chopped onion, bell pepper, celery, and minced garlic to the slow cooker.
- Pour in the chicken broth or water. Stir all ingredients gently to combine.
- Add the bay leaf, thyme, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper. Stir again.
- Cover the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours, until the beans are very tender.
- About 30 minutes before serving, remove the bay leaf. If the mixture seems too thin, remove the lid and let it cook on high for the last 30 minutes to allow some liquid to evaporate.
- Use the back of a spoon to mash some of the beans against the side of the pot to naturally thicken the sauce.
- Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
- Serve the red beans and rice hot over mounds of cooked white rice. Garnish with fresh chopped green onions.
Notes
- For the best texture, soak the dried red kidney beans overnight in water, then drain and rinse them before adding them to the slow cooker. If you skip soaking, increase the cooking time by about 1 to 2 hours on LOW.
- If you do not have andouille sausage, you can substitute smoked sausage or ham hocks for a similar smoky flavor.
- This recipe is great for meal prep; it freezes well and reheats nicely.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 8 hours
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: Cajun
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1.5 cups
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 5
- Sodium: 750
- Fat: 15
- Saturated Fat: 5
- Unsaturated Fat: 10
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 60
- Fiber: 18
- Protein: 25
- Cholesterol: 30