New Orleans Red Beans and Rice with Andouille

Why you’ll love it

• Super budget friendly: dried beans feed a crowd for very little.
• Deep, smoky flavor: andouille and a ham hock season the whole pot.
• Better the next day: perfect for meal prep.

Quick facts

Ingredients

• 1 lb (450 g) dried red kidney beans, soaked overnight and drained
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 lb (450 g) andouille sausage, sliced in rounds
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 3 celery ribs, diced
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 smoked ham hock (optional, but traditional)
• 8 cups (2 liters) water or low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 1/2 tsp Cajun or Creole seasoning
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (adjust to taste)
• 1 tsp salt, or to taste
• Hot sauce, to taste
• To serve: cooked white rice, sliced green onions

Step-by-step method

1. Brown the sausage. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the andouille 5–6 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving the fat in the pot.

2. Cook the holy trinity. Add the onion, bell pepper and celery to the pot. Cook 8 minutes, until soft. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute.

3. Simmer the beans. Add the drained beans, ham hock, water, bay leaves, thyme, Cajun seasoning and cayenne. Bring to a boil, then lower to a gentle simmer. Cook uncovered 2 hours, stirring every 20 minutes and adding water if it gets too thick.

4. Make it creamy. When the beans are very soft, mash about 1 cup of them against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon and stir. This is what makes the sauce thick and creamy.

5. Finish. Return the sausage to the pot. Pull the meat off the ham hock, chop it and add it back. Simmer 20 minutes more. Remove the bay leaves and season with salt and hot sauce.

6. Serve. Spoon over white rice and top with green onions. Pass extra hot sauce at the table.

Tips for the best result

• Soaking the beans overnight helps them cook evenly. Quick option: boil 2 minutes, then let stand 1 hour.
• Add salt toward the end: salty broth early can keep beans from softening.
• Shortcut: use 3 cans of kidney beans and simmer just 40 minutes.

Storage and reheating

Refrigerate up to 5 days or freeze up to 3 months. Reheat with a splash of water, since the beans thicken as they sit.