Louisiana Red Beans and Rice
This is probably the most famous Monday dish in New Orleans - it's cheap, filling, and uses up leftover ham from Sunday dinner. The beans get creamy from long cooking and all that rendered pork fat makes everything taste incredible.
Ingredients
Ingredients (~9 servings)
- 1 1/2 lbs dried red kidney beans
- 8 strips thick cut bacon, diced
- 1 1/2 lbs andouille sausage, cut into rounds
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 4 ribs celery, diced
- 1 large green bell pepper, diced
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 1/2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 8 cups chicken stock
- 1 large smoked ham hock
- 2 Tbsp sherry vinegar
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- Green onions, sliced
- Hot sauce for serving
- Steamed white rice
Instructions
- Soak kidney beans overnight in salted water, then drain and rinse.
- Cook diced bacon in Dutch oven until crispy, remove bacon but keep fat.
- Brown andouille sausage in same pot, then set aside.
- Sauté onion, celery, and bell pepper in bacon fat for 8-10 minutes.
- Add garlic and spices, cook 2 minutes.
- Return bacon and sausage to pot with chicken stock, beans, ham hock, bay leaves, and Worcestershire sauce.
- Simmer covered for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Uncover and cook 30-45 minutes until beans are creamy.
- Remove ham hock, shred meat, and return to pot.
- Remove bay leaves and season with salt, pepper, and sherry vinegar.
- Serve over white rice with green onions and hot sauce.
Notes
Soaking beans helps soften skins and reduce cooking time.