Chef-tested recipe
Creamy slow-simmered red beans with andouille, smoked pork and the Creole trinity
Red beans and rice are a New Orleans Monday tradition built for an unhurried pot and a hungry household. Dried red beans simmer with smoky pork, andouille, onion, celery, green bell pepper, garlic, thyme and bay until creamy. Mashing a portion of the beans thickens the gravy naturally, while the rice stays separate for clean meal-prep portions.
Recipe at a glance
- Servings
- 10 servings
- Prep Time
- 25 mins
- Cook Time
- 3 hours 30 mins
- Resting Time
- 8 hours for soaking.
- Total Time
- 11 hours 55 mins
- Cuisine
- Louisiana Creole
- Course
- Main dish
- Cooking Method
- Soaking, browning, simmering and mashing
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Best Served With
- Louisiana hot sauce, skillet cornbread, collard greens, a green salad, or pickled vegetables.
Before you begin
Ingredients & equipment
Gather what you need first, then cook through the method with confidence.
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Equipment
- Large Dutch oven with lidpaid link
- Large soaking bowlpaid link
- Medium saucepan with lidpaid link
- Wooden spoonpaid link
- Ladlepaid link
- Chef’s knifepaid link
- Cutting boardpaid link
- Digital kitchen scalepaid link
Ingredients
For the red beans
- Dried small red beans or red kidney beanspaid link: 700 g
- Cold water: 3 litres, for soaking
- Andouille sausage: 700 g, cut into 1 cm rounds
- Smoked ham hocks: 2, about 900 g total
- Neutral cooking oilpaid link: 30 ml, if needed
- Brown onions: 400 g, finely diced
- Green bell peppers: 300 g, finely diced
- Celery: 300 g, finely diced
- Garlic: 35 g, finely chopped
- Fresh thyme: 20 g, tied in a bundle
- Bay leaves: 3
- Ground cayenne pepper: 2 g
- Freshly ground black pepper: 5 g
- Fine sea saltpaid link: 12 g, plus more after tasting
- Water: 3.5 litres, plus more as needed
For the rice
- Long-grain white ricepaid link: 700 g
- Water: 1.2 litres
- Fine sea saltpaid link: 10 g
- Scallions: 80 g, sliced, for serving
Preparation Overview
Sort and rinse the beans, cover with cold water, and soak for 8 hours. Drain before cooking. Dice the onion, bell pepper and celery evenly to make the Creole trinity. Keep the rice separate until the final stage.
Method
Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Brown the andouille in batches and transfer it to a bowl.
Add oil only if the pot is dry. Cook onion, bell pepper and celery for 8 minutes, scraping up the browned sausage fond.
Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Add drained beans, ham hocks, thyme, bay leaves, cayenne, black pepper and water. Bring to a strong simmer, then reduce to gentle bubbling.
Cover partially and cook for 2–3 hours, stirring every 30 minutes and adding hot water to keep the beans barely submerged.
When the beans are creamy, remove the ham hocks, thyme and bay. Shred the ham-hock meat and return it with the browned andouille.
Mash roughly one-quarter of the beans against the side of the pot. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, then taste before adding salt.
Rinse the rice. Combine with water and salt, bring to a boil, cover, and cook over low heat for 15 minutes. Rest off the heat for 10 minutes.
Serve the creamy beans around or beside the rice and finish with scallions.
Beginner Technique Notes
Wait until the beans are tender before making final salt adjustments because the smoked meats season the pot.
Maintain a gentle simmer. Hard boiling breaks the skins before the centres become creamy.
Mash beans, not sausage, to thicken the cooking liquid without flour or roux.
Tips and Variations
Cook the beans a day ahead; they become creamier and more integrated after chilling.
Small red beans produce an especially creamy texture, but red kidney beans are also traditional.
Freeze beans and rice in separate containers for the best reheated texture.
Offer Louisiana hot sauce at the table so each person controls the heat.
Serving Ideas
- Spoon the red beans into shallow bowls with a mound of rice in the centre, making sure each portion includes sausage and shredded smoked pork.
Storage
Refrigerate beans and rice separately for up to 4 days. Freeze the beans for up to 3 months and the rice for up to 1 month. Reheat both to 74°C, adding water to loosen the bean gravy.
Nutritional Value
Allergen Notes
Contains celery. Andouille may contain milk, mustard, soy or gluten depending on the producer, so check its label carefully.
Frequently Asked Questions
Must the beans soak overnight?
No, but soaking shortens the simmer and makes the batch easier to schedule. Unsoaked beans require additional water and cooking time.
What makes the beans creamy?
Slow cooking releases starch, and mashing part of the pot thickens the liquid naturally.
Can another smoked sausage replace andouille?
Yes, but the seasoning and smoke level will change. Choose a firm smoked pork sausage.
Why should the rice be stored separately?
Rice continues absorbing moisture and can become soft if left in the bean gravy for several days.
