A Monday night staple in New Orleans, this iconic and easy one-pot dish has deep roots in the city’s history. Much before the time of washing machines, New Orleanians dedicated their Mondays to laundry — a day-long affair that left little time to prepare any meals. So they combined rice and kidney beans with aromatics, spices and ham bone leftover from Sunday supper in one big pot and let it simmer until it was time to eat. This streamlined version of the dish leaves out the ham, but has the rice cooking in chicken stock for extra flavor. The rice and beans get cooked separately to ensure that the grains don’t overcook and hold their shape. Although there’s some debate on the lineage of this dish (some trace it back to enslaved West African people, other’s credit Haitian refugees fleeing the revolution), everyone can agree that red beans and rice is synonymous with the very essence of New Orleans.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 30 min |
| Prep: | 10 min |
| Cook: | 20 min |
| Yield: | 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 large cloves garlic, lightly crushed with the side of a knife blade and minced
- 1 large red onion, diced
- 1 stalk celery, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, stem and seeds removed and small diced
- 2 (1-pound) cans red kidney beans
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce
- 2 1/2 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup white rice
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro leaves
Instructions
- Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large saucepan. Saute garlic, onion, celery, and bell pepper until tender. Stir in kidney beans, onion powder, salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Reduce heat to low and let mixture simmer slowly while you cook the rice.
- Bring the chicken stock to a boil and stir in rice and butter. Return to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes without removing the lid. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes.
- Fold rice and beans gently together and transfer to a serving dish. Serve garnished with cilantro.
Nutrition Facts
| Sugar | 3 grams |
| Protein | 11 grams |
| Dietary Fiber | 9.5 grams |
| Carbohydrates | 43 grams |
| Sodium | 315 milligrams |
| Cholesterol | 4 milligrams |
| Saturated Fat | 1 grams |
| Total Fat | 4 grams |
| Calories | 247 |
Reviews
I made this recipe just like it was written. But used dried cilantro and yellow onion as it was what I had. I left the juice in the canned beans. It was awesome. The minced aromatics were delicious. Will make again.
What a great recipe, made it for my wife and she loved it. Im not a cook and first time making rice and beans, success!!!!!!…Thank u..
my 1 “pot” 4 qt glass bowl 2-4 cups water 1 cup rice / salt. microwave hi for 8 min (boiling ) add can tomato sauce & beans, a few chunks of ground beef & continue on med. for 10-15/ 20 min. when rice is done season with chili powder, garlic, pepper , etc serves 8-12 bowls
I’ve made this recipe several times and last night after making the full version that requires an overnight soak and hours of cooking, I wish I’d just made this one. I’m sure Louisiana cooks might have something to quibble with, but I would have rather had the time savings over authenticity. What’s nice about this recipe is you can easily add some sausage or jazz it up with some of your favorite seasonings.
I used one pan,sauteed veggies and garlic then add rice,liquid and beans.Obviously Roberts not doing his own dishes.Lol
i lUv beAnS aNd RiCe -=<>.*$ -cArTi BiH
This might be the best meatless red beans and rice recipe I’ve ever prepared. I included the liquid the beans were packed in and I’m quite sure it helped get the dish to the proper consistency. The taste is fabulous–I would not hesitate to serve this to anyone, anytime. My new go-to!
Three words “SLAP YA MAMA”
Perfection
I’ve made this with multiple different additions/changes including adding serrano etc for more heat, or using Korean chili paste instead of hot sauce. It is an amazing recipe as it stands, but super adaptable and always delicious! Love it!