Authentic Louisiana Red Beans and Rice

I found a Red Beans and Rice recipe about 20 years ago: which included Ham with it. I since lost that recipe and tried this one. Not as good as my old one, nor as spicy. I also miss the Chorizo sausage, but the Andouille is great. I do like my Cajun foods, and always looking for new ones to try: considering it’s just myself to cook for now.

The only change that I made was using red beans instead of kidney beans. After assembling the ingredients, I thought that this was a rather bland dish. However, after it finished simmering, it could not have been better. This was my first time for Red beans and rice.

I made this last night with beans I soaked for another recipe then changed my mind to try this one. I did it in a cast iron Dutch oven. I was not sure if the lid was to be on or off during the 2.5 hour simmer so I kept it slightly off. Next time I will not use the cast iron Dutch oven – it got too hot and the temperature was difficult to keep to a simmer. I also think I did not have enough beans. However, it was delicious and will definitely make again. The only change I made was that I browned the sausage first, removed it, then did the vegetables in the oil from the sausage. I also added a ham hock that I had in the freezer. Should the lid be on or off during simmering?

I doubled the recipe, throw in 3 smoked ham hocks, browned the sausage then add the trinity and spices. Soak beans overnight, and smash some of the beans against the side of the pot as its nearing the end. A little chopped unsliced bacon adds a little more of the ham type flavor to the dish ….mmm,mmm, good !

I made it twice. It’s absolutely delicious.

This is my 1st time making home made red beans and rice I’ve made other home made beans & rice recipe before all came out great! But this recipe will also be a hit w/my family as well. I did twick it just a tiny bit by adding diced tomatoes & using chicken stock instead of water and I had Cajun sausage it came out really good as well.

I was short on time so I used canned beans with liquid & cooked it on the stove top.

This tastes better than the red beans and rice with andouille sausage that I’ve been buying from the Cajun restaurant where I live… I’m on my second huge pot, I double the recipe… I love it. And the family loves it. And yes I did some minor modifications but I’ll leave that up to each cook to decide for themselves.

This recipe is definitely not authentic. It’s good for people who know how to improvise. First off, I brown my andouille, add the holy trinity and add my herbs and spices to allow them to bloom. I’ve never heard of putting sage and thyme in red beans & rice, so that was odd. In addition, for more flavor (this was a little bland), I used chicken stock to substitute for water to cook the beans in. I also used fresh parsley and chives for a garnish at the end. Toward the end of cooking, I took out a cup of the beans, mashed them and returned to put to create the classic creamy texture of the dish. You can also add butter to add to the creamy, silky texture. As far as cayenne pepper? I used it, but I don’t normally put it in my RB&R.

This is a very good recipe that is fairly easy to make. I used 2 cups of chicken stock with 1 cup of water and a chicken bouillon cube to cook the beans, which I did prior in my insta pot. This reduced my cooking time by over an hour.

Have never been this disappointed. Absolutely not “Authentic Cajun flavor!” I’m sorry it just was not good.

I am sorry this recipe is not authentic, I am from Louisiana. Born and raised in New Orleans Opelousas Lafayette My Momma cooked red beans and rice and either hot water cornbread or cornbread baked in the oven. I have been cooking red and rice for over 40 years. No sage no thyme, no cayenne pepper in red beans. Sorry, this is not authentic from New Orleans.

Makes a LOT, but it was so good.

I have made this recipe often. Very good recipe!

Awesome recipe! I had to substitute smoked pork sausage for the andouille and I doubled the cayenne. Very yummy!!

It must be Monday! Folks here know that’s Red Beans’n’Rice for supper along with Spoon Bread, a simple lettuce & tomato salad and gooey chocolate chip cookies with whatever fresh fruit is available to whip into homemade ice cream. Y’all come!

I Make This Recipe All Of The Time For My Son. He Loves It! Good Stuff!

This one is my go-to one-pot dish (assuming that I have the time for it). I used to add a hamhock to it, but I’ve found that I can get an even better burst of flavor by adding the one thing that this recipe lacks, which is a tablespoon of kosher salt (hence the 4 instead of 5). That’s key, in my opinion. I’d been making this recipe for years, and it was good, but the kosher salt takes it from a solid 85 to a 95-100. I have no particular knowledge of cajun food and cannot speak to its authenticity. What I can say is that it’s delicious, filling, and keeps for a long time. Just make sure to throw that salt in.

I made it with ground beef and extra vegetables by accident and brown rice it was delicious.

I hate to give a subpar rating because this recipe produced decent results albeit with a lot of modifications, however it’s far from what you’d get in New Orleans or from a respectable cook in the tradition. More seasoning overall, and more meat and types of meat (bacon? Salt pork pickle meat etc) and other items that bring depth to a dish like this need to be included, lots of steps in between are omitted. I think this is the type of recipe that is friendly and well-loved by people trying to make red beans and rice because it is relatable and simple, it’s also similar to recipes that everyone on the internet has adopted as “authentic”, and it’s good, but it’s honestly absolutely 100% not authentic

Made this tonight.! I don’t read reviews until after I try the author’s way. This was def a 4-star. The husband thought it was a lil dry. I only used 7 cups of water but should have used a little more. I did everything in one pot. I used a lb of turkey sausage which I sauteed in the onion and garlic mixtures at the bottom, ( removed sausage) then added the beans and cooked for about 2h 45 min. I will remake, and use chicken stock in place of water. I also will soak the night before. the flavor was nice, and I made it with cornbread and lemonade.