Crock Pot Red Beans and Rice is a flavor-packed dish that tastes cozy and comforting, yet is lighter than traditional red beans and rice recipes.
Have you ever taken a trip to a place you knew little or nothing about? Just gotten the urge to go, so you booked a ticket and went with only your bag and a vague idea as to what you were going to do when you got there?
A couple years ago my husband and I did just that when we hopped aboard a plane and headed south to spend a week in the Big Easy, aka New Orleans.
At the time neither of us knew a great deal about the city, and our experience in the south was limited to sunny SoCal, Epcot Center, and watching Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood on repeat in college.
With a why not attitude though, and no expectations, we packed up, headed out, and ended up having the time of our lives!
One of the things we enjoyed most about our trip was of course, the food. There’s no shortage of restaurants in NOLA — more packed into a smaller area than a lot of cities I’ve been to — and if there was a line at the door, you knew it was worth waiting for. Especially if it was a Mother’s Po’ Boy smothered in “debris”.
Or a mouthwatering side of red beans & rice. One week wasn’t nearly enough time to get our fill of this famous Southern side dish. Fluffy white rice engulfed in a savory thick sauce packed with creamy beans, and salty andouille sausage. I mean…
Today New Orleans is celebrating Fat Tuesday during Mardi Gras and, although we can’t be there to join in on the fun, at least we can eat like we’re in the Big Easy with homemade Crock Pot Red Beans and Rice.
Fat Tuesday is traditionally celebrated by eating indulgent, over-the-top foods (hence FAT Tuesday) before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season begins on Ash Wednesday. I took the name a little less literally though, and made a lightened up version for dinner.
No bacon grease nor extra fat here! Just beans, veggies, seasoning and, ok, some decadent andouille sausage. Totally worth it. Each huge serving of the recipe is packed with protein and fiber, and clocks in at just 250 calories (without the rice.) As if it couldn’t get any better, the crock pot did 90% of the work for me!
Start by chopping up what’s called the “Holy Trinity” in Southern Cajun & Creole cooking: bell peppers, celery and onions in roughly equal quantities.
Tip: my trick for not making a mess when cutting bell peppers is to cut each “cheek” off, leaving the stem and seeds neatly intact.
Chop the bell pepper and follow suit with the onions and celery, then toss everybody into the pool, aka a 6 quart crock pot.
Next add 1lb dried red kidney beans.
Then add savory, spicy andouille sausage.
Andouille sausage is a smoked pork sausage used heavily in Cajun cooking. It is delicious, and I add a ton to this recipe!
Finally, add minced garlic,
Creole seasoning,
and lots of water.
Give the whole thing a stir then cook for 7-8 hours on high, cracking the lid open for the last half hour so the sauce can thicken up.
YOUR HOUSE WILL SMELL AMAZING!!!
Cook some fluffy white rice to sit underneath, and soak up all that succulent sauce. Top with green onions for color and crunch, and have at it.
I am not kidding you — this tastes just as good as anything we had in New Orleans. You will not believe it!
Now if only there was a way make healthier beignets at home…
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 green bell pepper, seeded then chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 3 ribs celery, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
- 14 oz andouille sausage, sliced
- 3 Tablespoons Creole seasoning
- 1 lb dried red kidney beans
- 7 cups water
- cooked white rice, for serving
Directions
- Place first 8 ingredients into a 6-quart crock pot then cook on high for 7-8 hours or until the beans are creamy and tender.
- Remove the lid partway for the last 30 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken slightly. Serve over cooked white rice.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
This is my favorite dinner recipe.
I’m thrilled to hear that, Aaron! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
Very easy and amazing.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Aaron!
Second time fixing this and we really like it, however the next time I’ll cut back on the amount of creole spice. It’s also not labor intensive so it works as a great hearty week night meal.
I’m so glad this was good enough to repeat, Rebecca! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
How much is each serving size? 1 cup???
This is the best red beans and rice recipe I’ve ever made. It is on rotation in our family
Oh my gosh, such a compliment. Thank you, Susan, I am thrilled you love this recipe!
CAN YOU USE KIDNEY BEANS FROM A CAN ?
Sure!
Fantastic!
How can I do this without the meat in it? I’m a vegetarian.
Very easy and very yummy! Took some for lunch the next day; even better!
This sounds so easy. One recipe I had, called for mashing some of the beans were cooked and putting them back in the slow cooker.
I don’t really cook but just bought an instant pot. I want to try this recipe but I’m not sure how to adapt it to the instant pot. There’s a setting for beans but also a setting for slow cooking (I’m assuming this is the one I would use?). In addition to that, I don’t think I can ‘remove the lid partway’ on the instant pot. Just seeing if you had any thoughts/suggestions? Thanks.
I love this recipe because it’s easy and my kids ate it and asked for seconds. My husband and I also really enjoyed it… so it got thumbs up from all of us!
I am making this recipe today. However, after 8 hours on low the recipe seems soupy instead of thicker. Any suggestions?