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
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!
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. ;)
Another winner! We made this with smoked turkey sausage and halved the cayenne to make it more kid-friendly, but it was still very flavorful. And it made the house smell awesome!
I used an ordinary sausage and black beans instead of kidney since that’s what I had to hand. Really yummy, but I found that just a squeeze of lemon over the rice lifted it nicely, would recommend.
I use a small bowl as a form for the rice and then ladle the beans and sausage around the formed rice. It’s pretty, especially with green onions (scallions) scattered across the beans and the rice.
Very clever technique. I’ve got clear glass custard bowls that will do the trick nicely. Thanks!
I made this tonight. It’s so yummy and hearty! What’ll I’ll do differently next time is have all my spices and herbs portioned out in advance. I have a stupid question: I didn’t have onion powder on hand and was wondering what it adds since the recipe already calls for one onion. I’ve never used onion powder before. Can’t wait to have leftovers tomorrow!
It just adds more flavor intensity. :)
Coming from a person with Louisiana Creole heritage, these red beans & rice are so very good! I used the Field Roast Spicy Mexican Chipotle veggie sausage and cooked it in 3 tbsp of coconut oil as suggested which turned out very nicely. I’m really impressed with how much flavor there is and how perfect the texture is given how little time and effort it took. I don’t have a blender but using a potato masher worked just fine. You’ve done it again, Budget Bytes! Thank you!
I’m sure it won’t be anywhere as delicious but…how bad/bland/boring do you think it may be without any sausage (veggie or otherwise)? Asking for an old, overweight girl with high cholestorel (me)!!! I am so grateful to you and your wonderful recipes!!! They have helped turn this formerly “eat out 7 days a week” girl in to a home cook!!! THANK YOU!!!
I’ve actually made vegan red beans and rice and they’re quite delicious! There’s a paragraph above the recipe all about making them vegetarian. :)
I made this today for my family as late lunch and we really enjoyed it. Super fulling and delicious! Yet another to add to my favorites list.
This was so good! I used smoked turkey sausage and my boyfriend and I devoured it, definitely adding this to the rotation!
Very Nice Recipe! Thank you
I made this tonight and it is a WONDERFUL “quickie” recipe! Unfortunately for me, I ONLY has sweet paprika on hand and no liquid smoke or anything else to try to compensate. It still came out delicious, but I know the smoked paprika would’ve knocked out of the park! I DID use smoked sausage though, so that definitely helped! Thank you for posting, LOVE IT!
Looks like a great recipe, I will be trying it. Your prices are a bit off, though. Red beans, 3 cans for $1.50?? Hmmm where I live they are $.99 to $1.40 per can, depending if I go store brand or name brand. Thanks for posting, though.
I bought my beans at ALDI that particular day and they were $0.50 per can, which I agree, is an awesome price. If I happen to shop at Kroger, beans are usually closer to a dollar. It’s not that my prices are “off” it’s that prices vary from city to city, store to store, and even day to day. The prices shown aren’t meant to be what you will actually pay, it’s an example to show how different ingredients affect the total cost of a recipe and what is possible by cooking at home compared to eating out. You might pay more, you might even pay less than what I paid. It’s just an example. :)
Made this tonight. Came out perfect! Such a warm hearty and delicious meal.
This can also be made vegetarian by using vegetarian “sausages”. Here in Spain there’s a great brand of veggie “meat” products in Lidl.
Thank you for posting this recipe, so timely and helpful! Will definitely be making this for dinner tomorrow!
I love andouille sausage in beans because it adds some fat and smokiness. I usually use an Easy Beansy spice mix that I get at a local farmers market and it’s been great in beans, chili, falafel. I might trying using that here with the andouille sausage.