Authentic Cajun Red Beans and Rice Recipe

Y’all in for a real treat, cher! This here’s a red beans and rice recipe, shared to you from the heart of my Louisiana roots, guaranteed to get your taste buds dancin’ all the way to N’awlins. 

Ingredients: 

• 1 lb of dem dry red beans.
• A good handful of onions, chopped (One big’un, two middlin’, or three petite).
• One green pepper, chopped right nice.
• Five celery ribs, chopped up.
• Six cloves of garlic, minced to perfection.
• One hefty ham hock or two, smoked for that deep flavor.
• Six to Eight strips of bacon, and don’t you dare throw away that grease. There be gold in that pan!
• Two plump andouille sausages, sliced about half-inch thick. They be easier to slice when a bit frozen.
• 1 tsp dried thyme leaves, crushed like ya mama taught ya.
• Two or three bay leaves, for that special someone.
• A healthy splash of Tabasco (2 Tbsp, but who’s measurin’?)
• A sprinklin’ of Worcestershire (1 Tbsp be make it right).
• A shake of Cayenne pepper to keep it honest. ¼ tsp for city folk, more for those from the bayou.
• A pinch of da’ White pepper (1 tsp)
• Some crack of da’ Black pepper (1 tsp)
• A small mound of Kosher salt, about the size of a muskrat’s heart (2 Tbsp).
• Rice for da’ city folk.

Preparation: 

1. Beans Pre-Soaking:
   Soak dem beans overnight in a big ol’ pot of water. For extra flavor, throw in a few dashes of da’ black, white, and red pepper and Tabasco sauce to the water.
   
2.  Cook beans:
   The next day, bring dem beans to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat. Let ‘em bubble softly for ‘bout an hour. If eatin’ beans make your tummy talk back to ya, ya will want to drain and rinse dem beans ‘fore moving on. Put do ham hock in da’ pot, dem drained beans on top, and carry on to the next bit.
   
3.  Prepare the “Holy Trinity”: 
   Grab another skillet and sauté the “Holy Trinity.” Dey be ya onions, green peppers, and celery. Start wit’ dem onions. Let ‘em turn gold and sweet. Then add the celery and green pepper. Stir as appropriate so it does not burn. Sweat dem celery and get da pepper turning soft. Right at the end, grab the garlic and toss it in the skillet. Sauté for just a few more minutes. Do not burn da garlic! 
   
4.  Combine Ingredients: 
   Into the pot with the beans geaux da’ Holy Trinity, ham hocks, crushed bacon, bacon grease, andouille sausage, thyme, bay leaves, Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce, and all dem cracked pepper and salt. Cover with 2-3 inches of water, turn on da flame, and let it simmer real slow like. 
   
5.  Simmering: 
   Keep da heat real low when it simmers for 2-3 hours, stirring now and then to keep from stickin’. This is where the bayou magic begins to happen. The more da’ bayou magic, da more it will want to stick. Give it a gentle stir, keeping a close eye every now and then to keep it from stickin’.  It be done when everything becomes thick and creamy. 
   
6.  Resting: 
   Once done, let dem red beans cool, then tuck dem away in the fridge overnight. Dis allows all dem flavors to party and know each other real well.
   
7.  Reheat and Serve: 
   Ya be ready to eat? Warm da red beans up slowly, adding a bit of water when you need to thin it some. Dem beans like to soak up all dem juices! Taste and adjust dem seasonings to how you like it. Once back up to a gentle simmer, dey be ready.
   
8.  Rice Preparation: 
   Make da rice for da city folk. Prepare da rice per package instructions or ya desired method. 
   
9.  Serving Suggestions: 
   Be polite wit ya company, serve a dollop of some fluffy rice over da red beans to make dem feel welcome, and enjoy with a side of cornbread. To make ya bowl of red beans extra, serve with a link of your favorite sausage or pork chop.

Yum Yum! Get Me Some!

This traditional Cajun red beans and rice recipe is guaranteed to become a family favorite. The slow cooking process allows the flavors to develop fully, resulting in a rich and creamy dish that will satisfy your Cajun cravings. Give it a try with skillet-made cornbread, and let us know what you think! 

Jesus helps me understand the world. I am Iz. My goal is to share my daily fight in the hopes of being an example. An example of what exactly? Of someone who is trying live victoriously in Jesus. I fail often. Just as often, the Holy Spirit provides comfort as Jesus advocates for me before God the Father’s throne. It is my constant reality. It is a liberating reality.

My Copyright Policy:

All content on this website, including text, images, and videos, is protected by copyright laws. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from Israel Shaw and/or ID Shaw, Inc is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided full and clear credit is given to Israel Shaw and jerusalemshaw.com with appropriate and specific directions to the original content.

Bible Translation:

All Bible translations are mine unless otherwise noted. My copyright policy extends to my translation work. Any use of bible translations for a site that generates revenue is denied without express and written permission from Israel Shaw and/or ID Shaw, Inc.

ESV Copyright Disclaimer:

Posts prior to 2024 use the ESV Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated into any other language.

Users may not copy or download more than 500 verses of the ESV Bible or more than one half of any book of the ESV Bible. 

Subscribe for Updates!