This Louisiana Creole dish is bold, yet comforting, with perfectly cooked beans and smoky sausage. Learn How To Make Red Beans and Rice, like it's done in the south!
For the Rice: In a medium saucepan, cook the rice according to the package instructions. (Usually 4 cups water to 2 cups rice. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.)
For the Red Beans: Place a large saucepot over medium heat. Once hot, add the oil and sliced sausages. Stir and brown for 5 minutes. Then remove the sausages with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Add the onions, bell peppers, celery, and garlic. Sauté for 4-5 minutes.
Rinse and drain the beans. Pour them in the pot with 2 ½ cups water. Add the parsley, hot sauce, tomato paste, bay leaves, vinegar, and creole seasoning.
Stir the sausage into beans, and simmer for 30 minutes, covered. Stir occasionally. Taste, then season with salt, pepper, and additional hot sauce if needed.
To Serve: Ladle the beans into bowls and top with a hearty spoonful of rice. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Notes
Vegetarian Red Beans and Rice: For a vegetarian version, simply remove the sausage.Stovetop With Dried Beans: Don’t like buying canned beans? You can save money and cut sodium with dried beans. Substitute 2 ¼ cups dried kidney beans, that have been soaked in water overnight. At step 4, add 4 cups water (total) and simmer on medium-low for 2 ½ -3 hours before adding in the sausage. Then simmer another 30 minutes.Slow Cooker with Canned Beans: Yes, you can make this in the crockpot! The rice will still need to be cooked on the stovetop. Also, you need to sauté the sausage and vegetables in a skillet before adding them to the crockpot. However, you can then dump all the ingredients into a slow cooker and cook for 2-3 hours on high or 4-6 hours on low.Slow Cooker with Dried Beans: If slow cooking, you do not have to soak the beans. Yet they will take double the time... 5-6 hours on high or 10-12 hours on low heat.Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice: Yep... It's even possible to make Easy Red Beans and Rice in your Instant Pot! However, it only makes since to do this, if you plan to use dried beans. Otherwise, it's faster on the stovetop.
Make the rice on the stovetop.
Then follow steps 2 and 3 on the IP Sauté setting.
Add 2 ¼ cup soaked dried beans, 4 cups of water, and all remaining ingredients to the IP. Pressure Cook on High for 33 minutes.
Perform a natural release and wait for the valve button to drop, about 20 minutes. Then scoop and serve over rice.