New Orleans Red Beans and Rice (Printable)
Creole comfort featuring creamy red beans, smoky turkey sausage, and aromatic vegetables simmered to perfection over fluffy white rice.
# What You Need:
→ Beans and Sausage
01 - 1 pound dried red kidney beans, rinsed and sorted
02 - 12 ounces smoked turkey sausage, sliced
03 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
→ Aromatics & Vegetables
04 - 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
05 - 1 green bell pepper, diced
06 - 2 celery stalks, diced
07 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
→ Liquids & Seasonings
08 - 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth or water
09 - 2 bay leaves
10 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
11 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
12 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
13 - 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
14 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
15 - 1 teaspoon salt
→ To Serve
16 - 3 cups cooked long grain white rice
17 - 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
18 - 2 green onions, sliced
19 - Hot sauce, optional
# How-To:
01 - Soak beans overnight in a large bowl of cold water, then drain and rinse. Alternatively, use quick-soak method: cover beans with water, bring to boil, boil 2 minutes, remove from heat and let sit 1 hour, then drain and rinse.
02 - Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add turkey sausage and cook until browned, approximately 5 minutes. Transfer sausage to a plate and set aside.
03 - In the same pot, add onion, bell pepper, and celery. Sauté for 5 to 7 minutes until softened. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
04 - Add soaked beans, sausage, chicken broth, bay leaves, thyme, paprika, oregano, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and salt. Stir well to combine all ingredients.
05 - Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1.5 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until beans are tender and mixture achieves creamy consistency. Add additional broth or water if mixture becomes too thick.
06 - Remove bay leaves from the pot. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed for salt and spice levels.
07 - Ladle hot bean mixture over cooked white rice. Garnish with fresh parsley, green onions, and hot sauce if desired.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The beans develop this incredible creamy texture while still holding their shape, something I discovered happens naturally when you resist the urge to rush the cooking process.
- Using turkey sausage gives you all that wonderful Creole flavor but leaves you feeling satisfied rather than weighed down - a trick I wish someone had taught me years ago.
02 -
- Adding salt too early can make your beans tough - I learned this the hard way after ruining an entire batch by salting at the beginning instead of halfway through cooking.
- The consistency should be creamy but not soupy - if needed, smash some beans against the side of the pot with your spoon during the last 30 minutes of cooking to naturally thicken the mixture.
03 -
- For an even creamier texture without mushiness, remove about a cup of beans after theyre tender but before theyve fully broken down, mash them with a fork, then return to the pot.
- The cooking liquid should start about one inch above the beans - too much and youll have soup, too little and theyll stick to the bottom of the pot.