I went to undergrad at Tulane University of New Orleans. (Roll wave!) My Instagram feed was packed with posts of Essence Festival last weekend, and is currently full of posts of the current weather situation there. Despite the unsettled feeling in my stomach from the weather coverage, I have somehow gotten a craving for red beans and rice. Let us pray for New Orleans and have a delicious Bayou City inspired meal.
I actually didn’t get to eat a lot of red beans and rice when I lived in NOLA because I don’t eat pork, but I’ve recently found the most delicious andouille chicken sausage. I honestly don’t know if it’s a good dupe for regular andouille because I haven’t had that in over twenty years., but you could of course make this recipe with regular andouille. These beans are great alone or served over rice or “cauli-rice” if that’s your jam. Nothing could make this meal better except a side of jalapeno cornbread, which I haven’t yet mastered.
You’ll notice I make my red beans with kidney beans. It’s my preference because they are a little heavier and and are higher in omega-3 fatty acids. You could use little red beans if you can find them. They’d cook a bit faster. I also didn’t add any salt other than the salted ghee. If you want them saltier, add the salt towards the end of the cooking so to not affect the texture of the beans.
Before we get started, let me remind you of something your grandmother would automatically know to do. Soak. Your. Beans. This is not optional. In addition to making the beans cook faster, it’s essential to soak them to get the neutralize phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors and break down hard to digest complex sugars. Phytic acid makes it harder for the body to absorb iron, zinc, and calcium. To properly prepare beans, always soak for at least 12 hours and rinse well. Beans are way easier on the digestive system when properly prepared. If you think eating beans makes you gassy, try them well soaked and you may notice a difference.
New Orleans Style Red Beans
Sierra Dorham | July 11, 2019
- prep time: 10 minutes (plus soak time)
- cook time: 40 minutes Instant Pot/4 hours cooktop
- total time: 50 minutes/4 hours 10 minutes
Ingredients:
- ½ lb soaked and rinsed kidney beans
- 1 package of Applegate Farms Chicken Andouille Sausage
- 3 c. chicken broth
- ¼ cup finely diced green bell pepper
- ½ cup diced yellow onion
- ¼ cup diced celery
- 2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 3 bay leaves
- 4 Tbsp ghee
Instructions:
Instant Pot Method:
Press the saute button and brown the sliced sausage in 2 TBSP ghee for 5 minutes, then remove the sausage. Cook down veggies in the remaining ghee for 3-4 minutes until beginning to get soft. Add spices and saute for one minute. Add chicken broth, beans, and bay leaves.Press manual and cook on high pressure for 30 minutes, use a natural pressure release. Add sausage back to the pot.
Cooktop Method:
On medium heat, sweat the veggies in 2 TBSP ghee until they start to get soft. Add spices and saute for one minute. Add chicken broth, beans, and bay leaves. Simmer on low for 4 hours or until beans are tender. Add sausage back to the pot.Finishing Steps:
Regardless of if you cook in the Instant Pot or on the cooktop, doing these last two things will really set it off.
Take out ¼ c of beans, put them in a bowl, and mush them up really well with fork. Then, add them back to the pot and stir. This will make the liquid in the beans thicken.
Add the remaining 2 TBSP of ghee into the pot and stir. I know what you’re thinking...do I really need to add that ghee? Listen, stir in some grass-fed ghee or butter at the end. It’s great as is but ghee or butter makes it better.
Here’s what I used to prepare the recipe:
FTC Disclaimer: These are affiliate links. I receive a small commission from purchases using these links, but the price you say is still the same.