New Orleans Red Beans and Rice

Name: New Orleans Red Beans and Rice
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 3 h
Total time: 3 h 20 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Cajun
Ingredients: 1 lb dried red kidney beans, soaked overnight and drained; 1 tbsp oil; 12 oz andouille or smoked sausage, sliced; 1 large onion, diced; 1 green bell pepper, diced; 3 celery stalks, diced; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 1 smoked ham hock (optional); 8 cups water or low-sodium chicken broth; 2 bay leaves; 1 tsp dried thyme; 1 tsp Cajun seasoning; 1/2 tsp black pepper; 1/4 tsp cayenne; salt to taste; hot cooked white rice, sliced green onions and hot sauce, to serve

Creamy red kidney beans simmered low and slow with smoked sausage, the Cajun trinity and bay leaves, then served over white rice. The traditional Monday dinner in New Orleans.

Prep20 min

Cook3 hr

Total3 hr 20 min

Serves8

What you'll need

Enameled cast-iron Dutch ovenFor soups, stews and braises

Amazon Walmart

7-quart slow cookerFor low-and-slow cooking

Amazon Walmart

8-inch chef's knifeFor all the chopping

Amazon

Store links go to the same item at each retailer, checked November 5, 2026. Want to compare? See the Top 50 Kitchen gear rankings.

Ingredients

1 lb dried red kidney beans, soaked overnight and drained

1 tbsp oil

12 oz andouille or smoked sausage, sliced

1 large onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

3 celery stalks, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 smoked ham hock (optional)

8 cups water or low-sodium chicken broth

2 bay leaves

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp Cajun seasoning

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne

salt to taste

hot cooked white rice, sliced green onions and hot sauce, to serve

Steps

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat and brown the sausage, 5 minutes. Lift out and set aside.

Add the onion, pepper and celery to the fat and cook until soft, 8 minutes. Add the garlic for 1 minute.

Add the beans, ham hock, water, bay leaves, thyme, Cajun seasoning, pepper and cayenne. Bring to a boil and boil hard 10 minutes.

Lower the heat, cover partly, and simmer 2 1/2 to 3 hours, stirring now and then, until the beans are very soft. (Or move everything to a slow cooker after the 10-minute boil and cook on low 8 hours.)

Stir in the sausage. Mash about a quarter of the beans against the side of the pot and simmer uncovered 15 minutes, until thick and creamy.

Pull any meat off the ham hock, remove the bay leaves, and season with salt. Serve over rice with green onions and hot sauce.

TipThe 10-minute hard boil matters: it makes dried kidney beans safe to eat, especially if you finish them in a slow cooker.