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This amazing recipe for Red Beans and Rice could not be any quicker or easier! It’s hearty, healthy, and the flavors are incredible.

The Best Red Beans and Rice

This is my new go-to meal, especially when I need something quick, easy, filling and delicious!! My bestie friend Stewy made this for me when I was visiting him in Georgia, and his friend made it for him when he was visting him down in New Orleans (cheering for Auburn in the 2004 season Sugar Bowl!). This is authentic, Nawlins Style Red Beans & Rice. It’s so simple and man pleasin’. Stewy & Kevin approved. And tonight, I’m gonna make it for you.

First, make sure your husband is watching football in the background. This is a must.

Ingredients
1 cup long grain white rice
2 cups hot water
1 teaspoon salt
2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 pkg (14 oz) smoked sausage
1 can red beans
Zatarains Creole Seasoning

Now. A word. See that “Ragin’ Cajun” smoked sausage in the picture up there? Yeah. Kevin thought it’d be fun to try that this time. Well let me tell you. It was HOT! HOT HOT HOT. Way too hot for me. I prefer just the regular, Eckrich smoked sausage, especially for this. Now Kevin liked it, mind you, but wow. My mouth was on fire for like a week. You’d been warned.

The Best Red Beans and Rice Recipe

Onto the good stuff. Start by adding 1 cup of long grain, white rice to a sauce pan with a lid.

Add 2 cups hot water and 1 tsp salt. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil. As soon as it starts to boil, turn heat to LOW, cover with lid and simmer for exactly 15 mins.

Meanwhile, thinly slice the sausage.

Drain the juice from the red beans into the sink.

Add 2-3 tbsp olive oil to to a large skillet and begin heating over medium heat.

Add the sausage, and I usually give a healthy sprinkling of creole seasoning at this point. Stir occasionally for about 7 mins until the sausages start to get sizzly on both sides. Yes, that’s the official term for it. ;)

Add the red beans and stir until warmed through.

About this time, your rice should be done too, so serve it up! :)

I put the creole seasoning on the table- cause everyone likes to add their own amount. At this point, I like to stir mine up real good until my rice gets all brown from the sausage, beans and seasoning. Yummy. Makes about 2-3 servings.

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Red Beans and Rice

  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 5 servings 1x
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Stove
  • Cuisine: American

Description

This amazing recipe for Red Beans and Rice could not be any quicker or easier! It’s hearty, healthy, and the flavors are incredible.

Scale

Ingredients

  • 1 cup long grain white rice
  • 2 cups hot water
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 23 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 pkg (14 oz) smoked sausage
  • 1 can red beans
  • Zatarains Creole Seasoning

Instructions

  1. Add the rice, water and salt to a sauce pan with a lid. Bring to boil, reduce heat to low, then cover and simmer for 15 mins.
  2. Meanwhile, thinly slice the sausage and drain the juice from the red beans. Add 2-3 tablespoon olive oil to to a large skillet and begin heating over medium heat. Add the sausage, give a sprinkling of creole seasoning and stir occasionally for about 7 mins until the sausages start to get browned on both sides. Add the red beans and stir until warmed through.
  3. Serve the beans and sausage over the rice. Add extra creole seasoning if desired at the table.

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49 Responses
  1. Kristan

    When you finish up your can of zararans creole seasoning, try the tony chachere’s.  It’s a Louisiana staple.  

    I am sure your recipe is delicious.  I’d like to add a little constructive advice if that’s ok.  I’m making red beans as we speak, the same way my mom, her mom, her mom’s mom, etc has made it for ages.  No one in Louisiana makes red beans with canned beans.  When you use a bag of dried beans the beans absorb flavor from the other ingredients.  Of course, your recipe is a definite time saver.  You may want to use 2-3 cans of beans for that much sausage.    

    My dad adds a secret ingredient to his red beans.  It’s a can of mild rotel.  It’s added with all the other ingredients, to the dry beans and allowed to simmer for hours to the point that you can’t tell there’s tomatoes in there.  They cook down and simply become this flavor enhancing magic ingredient that nobody can put their finger on.  
    I’ve never made red beans without rotel since the night I had red beans made by my dad.  I moved away from the New Orleans following Katrina but lived there for 21 years.  My dad is a native and will never leave.  

    It helps to soak your dry beans over night the night before you plan to cook and serve.  Drain the bean water and refill with fresh, then add all other ingredients except sausage and simmer for 3-5 hours.  Add the sausage on the last 30mins -hr of cooking to avoid soggy sausage.  

    I hope that on a day that you can start the beans early and let it cook all day, that you will try these alternatives.  I just might try your recipe on a day that I’m in a time crunch.  I have a 6 year old and am expecting in February so that just might happen sooner than later!  Your site is beautiful.  Thanks!  

  2. Jerri

    Question, doesn’t pouring off the sauce make it kind of dry. One of the things I like about Red Beans & Rice is the gravy from cooking the dried beans?

  3. Fabiana

    I have actually tasted a version of thise recipe and loved it. But never asked my friend how to prepare it. I am going to try this for sure.

  4. Amanda

    I just want to let you know that I LOVE the recipes on your site! I have a family of picky eaters, but have no trouble getting them to eat recipes I’ve found on here! My fave is the Cheesy Sausage Tortellini. Thank you for taking the time to share!

  5. Athena

    Hello Kevin and Amanda, I have made this for my large family at least 3 or 4 times. Everyone loves it. I have enjoyed your site. Thanks, Athena

    PS Honestly, I am not 100% up to par on blog etiquette. I just wanted to you to know I was pinning your pin on my blog. I am doing a weekly menu today and I always use pins from Pinterest for my own personal use. It helps me out so much. Thanks again. I would be happy to send you the link. If you would choose not to publish my comment or cut the last paragraph out that is fine. I just wanted to let you know and I thought this was the best route. Thanks again for the yummyness.

  6. Susan

    Made this today and it was so good and simple. 20 minute dinner is perfect. I used Louisiana Cajun seasoning (I grabbed the wrong one but it was good). Thanks

  7. Bekah

    Ooh I’m going to have to try this. I have had a few cans of red beans just sitting on my shelf for months and I have been unsure how to use them (at least in a way my husband would actually eat). I love the serving size- with just two of us most recipes make way too much, but this will be just right, but also could be doubled easily if we have company. Do you think it would be good to sauté an onion and some garlic, then add the sausage? (To up veggie intake). Thanks!

  8. Tonya

    I just had a friend from Texas visit last weekend and she made this from which she got the recipe when she lived in new orleans. A couple differences, she used dry kidney beans and soaked them in sugar water over night, sauteed green peppers and onions and threw it all together in the crock pot among a few similar seasons/spices and andoullie sausage. I am from Portland, and this was the perfect meal for our rainy fall evening. I am going to try it with canned beans next time. Thanks for the recommendation!

  9. Nelle

    I just made this except I used vegetarian Italian sausage (Tofurky) sautéed onions and garlic before adding the sausage. After putting it on the rice, I gave it a good splash of hot sauce – it is TASTY! I didn’t have any vegetarian smoked sausage (Lightlife) in the house but am going to try it next time!

  10. Jennifer

    I love this recipe i found it on your site over a year ago and we’ve been making once a week since then it is so good and a total comfort food! We use Eckrich skinless smoked sausage (easier and less hot for the kids) and one can of light red and one can of dark red kidney beans (i think these taste better than red beans for some reason lol) and then top it off with Tony Chachere’s seasonings. Thanks so much for the recipe!

  11. KatBird

    My sister turned me into obsession mode with your site! Making the Red Beans and Rice for a concert weekend with The Temptations!

  12. Edward Vu

    Aloha yall, just gotta share this quick red beans rice recipe I just accidentally made tonight. Awesome part, it’s vegan!!!

    I AM HE-MAN, meat eating, bone licking…but hot yam!!! This some good eats…I was stuck with some dried beans, rice & some spice, then the light above my head went bam!

    It really was BAM! from Emeril’s Essence, 1/2 bottle to be exact, & 2 bay leaves, funny how things workout.

    I must confess I’m born & raised in New Orleans, so I’ve got red beans & rice in my blood from all those years of school lunch.

    My best pot of beans came from Cook’s Illustrated, before that it was Paul Prudhomme recipe tweaked with fried bacon(Wellshire black forest bacon), key ingredients for good beans=paprika, thyme & bay leaf, of course standard garlic & onions, no need for holy trinity or anything fresh for that matter, dried onions & garlic actually taste better than fresh.

    The paprika should be majority of the spices, usually it would come from the tasso…but Emeril’s Essence works out fine because major spice is paprika…finally on to the recipe.
    1 pound dried beans
    1/2 bottle Emeril’s Essence
    2 bay leaves
    some cooked rice

    Bring to boil beans & water 4 inches above beans, 2 tablespoons of salt, turn off heat, cover 1 hour to soak.

    Drain beans, replace with fresh water 4 inches above beans, bring to boil & BAM!BAM!BAM! 1/2 bottle Emeril’s Essence & 2 bay leaves, let simmer uncovered for 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes to bust up beans for thick gravy. Add more water if necessary, you can always add but hard to take out, but with water in this recipe you could cook it longer to evaporate & soften beans even further, even to gravy stage(better than loose watery stage), hey, it’s all gravy, no worries. Enjoy yall.

  13. Lindsey

    This has become a weekly meal at our house! You just can’t beat a delicious meal thats done in 15 minutes!

    Thank you for sharing!

  14. Tena

    I just made this for my daughter because I’m going out for dinner tonight. I think I’ll stay home and eat this with her instead! Thank you!

  15. Leigh@sweetlittlebytes

    I was using Stumble Upon, came across this recipe, and suddenly had a major hankering for red beans and rice! This happened maybe a little over an hour ago. Now I’m sitting here enjoying an amazing dinner! Thank you so much for sharing! I’m sure I’ll make this pretty often. =)
    <3 Leigh

  16. Liana

    hi amanda,
    i really love this recipe, because i really like red beans and i also a sausage lover.. :)
    but, in my country i cannot found Zatarains Creole Seasoning..
    would you tell me about another choices for changing Zatarains Creole Seasoning?
    thank you! :)

    1. Emily

      Liana,

      You can make your own Creole seasoning instead of using Zatarains. I made this recipe using Emeril Lagasse’s recipe for seasoning. It’s easy to make and I usually always have all the required ingredients.

      2-1/2 tablespoons paprika
      2 tablespoons salt
      2 tablespoons garlic powder
      1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
      1 tablespoon onion powder
      1 tablespoon cayenne
      1 tablespoon dried oregano
      1 tablespoon dried thyme

      I usually only make half a batch of seasoning at a time since it makes almost 2/3 of a cup and I rarely use creole seasoning.

  17. Karen

    Hello, I discovered your recipes blog, when I peeked on your scrapbooking site. Absolutely love the Red Rice and Beans. Made it yesterday for Fat Tuesday, hope you don’t mind that I linked your recipe blog on my post! Thank so much. I actually have been making your other recipes too! Karen

  18. Cooking Lady

    I applaude you very well done. My family is from New Orleans so I cook this meal often. Your recipe is much easier and faster than mine. Thanks for sharing.

  19. Kerry

    Amanda – I made this recipe tonight for my boyfriend and he LOVED it! Which makes this the perfect recipe – because he loved it AND it took no time at all to put together! Perfect weeknight meal! Thank you – your recipes are amazing!

  20. Steve

    Hi you two! What a great recipe! I stumbled across this while looking online for a great quick red beans & rice recipe and I loved it. My one minor mod was that since they were out of smoked sausage, I grabbed a package of Chorizo. Kevin would love it cause it made the dish nice & spicy. I’ll definitely be coming back to try other recipes.

  21. Amy

    I made this for dinner tonight. My boyfriend and I loved it! Thanks for sharing the recipe and I am loving your website! I plan on trying many more of your recipes!

    Amy

  22. Elizabeth

    Hi Kevin and Amanda! I’m new to your site and want to tell you that I love it! The recipes are quick & easy and look very tasty. Going to try the Red Beans & Rice soon. I’m also loving the FREE fonts you guys make available to download. Thanks!

  23. Mrs. McGoo

    Sweet. Just stumbled upon your blog while looking for a simple red beans and rice recipe. Sending the hubby to the store this afternoon to get the ingredients. Excited to try. Thanks.

  24. Amanda

    @chandani
    Any mega mart will have creole seasoning- Zatarains is one brand, Tony Chachere’s is another I can think of right off the top of my head.

  25. chandani

    great recipe i am defiantly going to make it,just one question where can i get creole seasoning? Or is it something i can put together at home?

  26. Sue

    Any idea what the sodium content of this recipe is? A box of Zataran’s reduced sodium Red Beans and Rice is around 720mg per cup which is very high and not too healthy. I’m trying to reduce sodium intake but I love this kind of food. Thanks.

  27. DianeM

    I made this tonight and it was delicious! I had “skinless” smoked sausage and could only find a can of pinto beans instead of red beans, but, I added Creole Seasoning, ground cumin, paprika, cayenne, and some chili powder. It turned out very, very good, and was totally quick and easy. Thanks for the great recipe!

  28. Kim

    I made this for dinner tonight and it turned out great. Very simple and quick to make. We all loved it! Thanks for the great recipes.

  29. Heather R.(Groovy Girl Thoughts)

    I happened to surf to your site today…omg I have been surfing around it for hours. I thought that I was weird cuz I love fonts too. I didn’t know that there are others out there. I want to add pretty ones to my blog… http://groovygirlthoughts.blogspot.com/
    maybe tomorrow I can learn how! I will now be perusing you regularly! thks for such a fun site to share.

  30. Lynn

    This was good and really EASY! I sizzled my sausage a little too long, but it was still good. Even Mr. Picky (Randy) said it was good!

  31. Recipe man

    this is such a good recipe. many times i look for food that is healthy and easy enough to cook.
    beans+meat+rice. ideal combination for a full tummy. thanks!

  32. Ali

    Yum! I made this last week and we loved it, not that it was a surprise. Thanks for all of the awesome recipes. My hubby and I love them, even if our waists don’t. LOL.

  33. Jennifer

    YUMMMMM! I made this and loved it! I doubled the recipie and didn’t have 2 cans of red beans so I used a can of black beans and it was super! Thanks sooooo much! :D

  34. Jen@Balancing Beauty and Bedlam

    As someone who cooks with rice and beans often (much to my kiddos chagrin), this has a fun twist. Love the photos. :)

  35. Joy Gross

    I love the recipe… thank you… My sweetie will love it. I love the photography you did with the meal also. Thank you so much for sharing.

  36. MaryRuth

    Thanks for the recipe! We lived in Louisiana for several years and loooove Red Beans and Rice but ours is a slow cooker recipe and takes hours to cook so I was so excited to see your recipe for a quick easy dinner… yuummmy… my mouth is watering!!!

    Love your blog!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  37. Sg. - "Stewy"

    The sausage you use really makes this recipe, and over the years I’ve tried many different kinds. For my two cents, Eckrich Farms Smoked Sausage is the winner.

  38. Joann

    Hi Amanda;
    I just love your site and your recipes are so awesome and simple. Have you ever thought about doing some tuts on scrapbooking, tuts on blogging etc I just can’t say enough about your site it’s so pretty and the way you put things together is just wonderful – blessings, Joann

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Meet Kevin & Amanda

Kevin and Amanda

We love to travel and to eat! Here we share our favorite quick and easy recipes, plus travel tips and guides for our favorite places around the world. If you have any questions about what camera I use or how I edit my photos, check out my photography tutorials.

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