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Red Beans and Rice Recipe

Red Beans and Rice

This hearty Red Beans and Rice recipe is a Louisiana favorite. Made with smoked ham shanks, red beans, and the classic Cajun trinity of onion, celery, and bell pepper, it's simmered to perfection and served over white rice for a comforting, flavorful meal.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 45 minutes
Soaking Time 8 hours
Total Time 11 hours 5 minutes
Servings: 8 bowls
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Cajun, Southern American
Calories: 323
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Main Ingredients
  • 1 pound dry small red beans
  • 1.5 to 2 pounds meaty ham shanks or ham hocks with sausage added
  • 4 cups water
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 large onion chopped, about 2 cups
  • 1.5 cups celery chopped
  • 1 cup green bell pepper chopped
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 teaspoons Cajun or Creole seasoning or to taste
  • Tabasco sauce to taste
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • Cooked white rice from about 3 cups raw rice

Equipment

  • Large pot (8-quart)
  • Cutting board
  • Knife
  • Large bowl
  • Measuring cups and spoons

Method
 

  1. Place the dry beans in a large bowl and cover with cold water by about 2 inches. Soak for 8 hours or overnight. For a quick soak, pour boiling water over them and let soak for 2 hours. Drain before cooking.
  2. In a large 8-quart pot, combine the soaked beans, ham shanks, garlic, chopped onion, and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 1/2 hours or until the beans are tender.
  3. Remove the ham shanks from the pot and let cool slightly. Shred the meat away from the bones and return it to the pot.
  4. Add the celery, bell pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and Cajun seasoning. Stir well. Cover and simmer for about 1 hour or until the mixture thickens.
  5. Taste and season with Tabasco, salt, and pepper as needed.
  6. Serve hot over a bed of cooked white rice.

Notes

If using ham hocks instead of shanks, you may want to add sliced Andouille sausage to increase the meat content. You can also use smoked turkey sausage for a pork-free version. Leftovers taste even better the next day and freeze well.