Mardi Gras is definitely looking a little (okay, a lot) different this year, but that doesn’t mean people aren’t celebrating! I no longer live in New Orleans, but I still like to celebrate every year with a big pot of red beans and rice. I usually make a traditional pot of my Louisiana Style Red beans using dry beans, but I get so many questions about how to do it with canned beans that I decided to make this Quickie Red Beans and Rice recipe for those who just don’t have time to soak and cook dry beans. It’s not a traditional pot of red beans, but it’s faster, satisfying, and will make you wish you were watching parades and catching beads!
You’ll Still Need a Little Time…
Okay, I’m calling these “quickie” red beans and rice, but they do still need a little time to cook and for all those delicious flavors to blend and develop. But we’re talking more like one hour instead of several hours, like a traditional pot of beans.
What Kind of Red Beans Should I Use?
I used dark red kidney beans for this recipe because that’s the only canned variety that was available when I was shopping. When I make a pot of red beans from dry beans, I prefer small red beans instead of kidney beans because they make a smoother, creamier pot of beans. I usually can’t find small red beans canned, so kidney beans are the next best option. You can use either light or dark kidney beans.
Are Red Beans and Rice Spicy?
You can make these red beans and rice either spicy or mild, according to your preference. If you prefer mild, make sure the sausage you get is not spicy and skip the cayenne pepper in the spices listed below. If you want your red beans to be spicy, use a spicy sausage and increase the cayenne pepper to your liking.
Make Your Red Beans Vegetarian
It’s super easy to make this recipe vegetarian or vegan. Just skip the sausage and use vegetable broth in place of the chicken broth. To make up for the richness of the pork fat that comes from the sausage, use coconut oil in place of the cooking oil listed below, and consider adding a couple extra tablespoons. This will make your red beans super rich and delicious! Here’s a link to my Vegan Red Beans made from dry beans.
Quickie Red Beans and Rice
Servings 6 1.5 cups beans, 1 cup riceIngredients
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.04)
- 14 oz. Andouille sausage* ($2.99)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.32)
- 1 bell pepper ($0.69)
- 3 ribs celery ($0.25)
- 4 cloves garlic ($0.32)
- 2 tsp smoked paprika ($0.20)
- 1 tsp dried oregano ($0.10)
- 1 tsp dried thyme ($0.10)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp onion powder ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper ($0.03)
- 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.02)
- 3 15oz. cans kidney beans ($1.50)
- 1 cup chicken broth ($0.13)
- 3 green onions, sliced ($0.30)
- 1.5 cups long grain white rice ($0.93)
Instructions
- Slice the sausage into rounds or half-rounds. Add the sausage and cooking oil to a large pot and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is browned.
- While the sausage is cooking, dice the onion, bell pepper, and celery. Mince the garlic.
- Add the onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic to the pot with the sausage and continue to cook until the onions are soft and translucent.
- Add the smoked paprika, oregano, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, and black pepper to the pot and continue to cook and stir for a minute more.
- Drain two of the cans of beans. Add the third can to a blender, with the liquid from the can, and purée until smooth. The puréed beans will help thicken the pot and make everything extra creamy. Add the drained beans, puréed beans, and chicken broth to the pot, then stir to combine.
- Place a lid on the pot and allow the beans to come up to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down to medium-low, and let the pot continue to simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- While the red beans are simmering, begin cooking your rice. Add the uncooked rice to a pot with 3 cups water. Place a lid on the pot and turn the heat up to high. Once the pot reaches a full boil, turn the heat down to low and let the rice simmer for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, turn the heat off and let the rice sit, undisturbed, lid in place, for an extra 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork just before serving.
- After the beans have simmered for 30 minutes, give them a taste and add salt if needed (between the sausage and canned beans I didn't find I needed to add any, but salt content can vary so be sure to give it a taste). Serve the beans in a bowl, topped with a scoop of rice, and a few sliced green onions.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
How to Make Quickie Red Beans and Rice – Step by Step Photos
Slice 14oz. Andouille sausage (or any smoked sausage, if you can’t find Andouille) into rounds or half-rounds. Add it to a large pot with 1 Tbsp cooking oil and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it has browned.
While the sausage is cooking, dice one yellow onion, one bell pepper, and three ribs of celery. Mince four cloves of garlic. Add the onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic to the pot with the sausage and continue to stir and cook until the onion is soft and translucent.
Next, add 2 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp dried thyme, ½ tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp onion powder, ¼ tsp cayenne pepper, and ¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper. Continue to stir and cook for about a minute more.
No, this is not a photo of a strawberry smoothie, but this is where the recipe gets a little interesting. Drain two 15oz. cans of kidney beans. Pour the third can, including the liquid from the can, into a blender and purée until smooth.
Add the two cans of drained beans and the one can of puréed beans to the pot. The puréed beans are going to help thicken the pot and make everything nice and creamy.
Finally, add 1 cup chicken broth to the pot and stir everything to combine. Place a lid on the pot and let it come up to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down to medium low, and let it simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes. (Photo above is before simmering)
While the beans are simmering, begin the rice. Add 1.5 cups long grain white rice to a pot with 3 cups water. Place a lid on top and turn the heat on to high. When it reaches a full boil, turn the heat down to low and let the rice simmer for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, turn the heat off and let it rest, with the lid in place, for an additional 5 minutes. Fluff just before serving.
Once the beans have simmered for 30 minutes, give them a taste and add salt if needed. Between the sausage and canned beans, I didn’t find that I needed to add any salt, but if your beans are tasting bland try adding a little. Salt doesn’t just make things salty, it actually helps our tongue distinguish different flavors, so it can really make a dish pop when used correctly!
Serve your red beans in a bowl topped with a scoop of rice and a few sliced green onions. Cornbread or corn muffins are also a nice side with red beans. ;)
My friend is from Louisiana and he told me don’t put pureed beans in . 🤦🏼♀️
Just use bean paste !
LoL
Also don’t use chicken stalk he said beef !
Btw a quicker version is in a insta pot .
But ty sweet lady !
I made this last night for my family, and everyone loved it. My girls will not eat anything that is mildly spicy. Me on the other hand I want to be crying, and I really enjoyed it. Has a really good flavor, I followed the recipe pretty much exactly including the frozen vegetables because I was in a hurry. I did use 1 can of charro style pinto beans HEB brand with the Blue Runner and because andouille sausage comes in 12oz packages I used 2. Everything else I kept the same and it was awesome! I make red beans and rice quite a bit, the all day method, but this will be a new go to for me because of the ease of it. I work shift work and this was about a 30 minute meal with cooking the rice, and I spent just under 14$ including a loaf of french bread to go with it. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe and giving me a quick meal for my family.
I followed the recipe exactly and it was SO good! I used beef polska kielbasa instead of andouille sausage, but it was fantastic. I have to say that the vital step that I had never done before was to puree the 3rd can of beans to give it that creamy texture. I can’t wait to eat the leftovers because I know it will taste even better.
Really had a craving for red beans & rice & this was my first attempt at making them myself & this recipe was perfect! I followed it almost exactly and the flavor was perfect and super flavorful. My husband loved it too! Thank you
Mind what she says when she states to be careful of how much broth you put in. I was combining two different recipes and thought this recipe was for 4 servings and I wanted 6-8. I didn’t notice until too late that the recipe I followed was for 6 servings. Now, an hour later, I’m still trying to simmer off some of that extra broth fluid.
Excellent flavoring. This one is a WINNER, WINNER forget the chicken dinner!
My son is obsessed with Red Beans and Rice. I was VERY skeptical, but I now make this every Monday.
It would be helpful if the equipment needed (“Dutch oven) was listed at the beginning of the recipe instead of the end (after we’ve already used another pan).
My husband wanted a “soul food” meal. I normally use the traditional dried bean recipe, but only had a few hours. I did find canned red beans at Lidl. This is so easy and served with fried fish, was perfect! Thank you!!! If it were a large weekend meal, with family, I would have made collard greens and cornbread, but it was a weekday- make something different kind of day. Thank you for a wonderful meal!!
Followed the recipe with no changes. Super yummy! Thank you.