Ahhh, pink beans and rice. This basic dish has been filling hungry bellies on a dime for hundreds of years. Actually, this explicit recipe has been a reader favourite for nearly 15 years, proving that good meals by no means goes out of favor! It’s wealthy, flavorful, has a TON of fiber and protein, makes a ton of freezer-friendly leftovers, and is principally a finances prepare dinner’s dream. However these basic Louisiana Pink Beans and Rice do take a while to prepare dinner, so plan this one for a Saturday or Sunday afternoon whenever you’ll be chillin’ at residence. Your own home will scent wonderful, and also you’ll have meals for the entire week!


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“This was scrumptious!!! I made it and the spouse went for seconds and thirds. It’s a keeper. Thanks for sharing.”
Juan
Straightforward recipe for Louisiana Fashion Pink Beans and Rice
There’s one thing extremely comforting a couple of massive pot of New Orleans-style pink beans and rice; it’s the type of meal that seems like a heat hug! My recipe retains issues easy with budget-friendly staples like smoky Andouille sausage, creamy pink beans, and the “holy trinity” of Cajun cooking: onion, bell pepper, and celery. Add just a few pantry spices, some recent herbs, and a pot of fluffy white rice, and also you’ve received a meal that’s filled with taste with out breaking the financial institution.
Louisiana Fashion Pink Beans and Rice with Sausage
Traditional Louisiana type pink beans and rice are a naturally finances pleasant meal that provides you with leftovers for days! Freezer pleasant!


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- 1 lb. dry pink beans ($1.96)
- 2 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.08)
- 14 oz. Andouille sausage* ($3.47)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.70)
- 1 inexperienced bell pepper ($0.86)
- 3 ribs celery ($0.56)
- 4 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 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 ($0.04)
- 2 bay leaves ($0.20)
- 6 cups water ($0.00)
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley ($0.20)
- 1 Tbsp salt, or to style ($0.09)
- 1.5 cups lengthy grain white rice, raw** ($0.72)
- 3 inexperienced onions ($0.30)
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The night time earlier than, add the dry beans to a big bowl with double their quantity in water. Enable the beans to soak within the fridge in a single day.
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While you’re prepared to begin cooking, slice the sausage into rounds. Add the cooking oil and sliced sausage to a big pot and prepare dinner over medium till the sausage items are browned. Take away the cooked sausage with a slotted spoon to a clear bowl. Place the cooked sausage within the fridge whilst you put together the remainder of the dish.
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Whereas the sausage is cooking, cube the onion, bell pepper, and celery. Mince the garlic.
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After eradicating the cooked sausage, add the onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic to the pot. You may drain the fats earlier than including the veggies, if most well-liked, however I do not! Sauté the greens over medium warmth till the onions are comfortable, permitting the moisture from the greens to assist dissolve any browned bits off the underside of the pot as you stir.
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Add the smoked paprika, oregano, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, black pepper, and bay leaves to the pot. Stir and prepare dinner for one minute extra.
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Drain and rinse the soaked beans. Add them to the pot together with 6 cups water and provides the pot a quick stir to mix the elements.
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Place a lid on the pot, flip the warmth as much as medium-high, and produce it as much as a boil. As soon as boiling, flip the warmth all the way down to medium-low, and let the pot boil for one hour, stirring sometimes. Substitute the lid each time you stir.
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After boiling for one hour, the beans must be tender. Start to smash the beans with the again of a spoon towards the facet of the pot. Proceed smashing the beans and letting the pot simmer with no lid for half-hour to thicken the pot.
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Whereas the beans are simmering for his or her ultimate half-hour, prepare dinner the rice. Add the rice and three cups water to a sauce pot. Place a lid on prime, flip the warmth on to excessive, and produce it as much as a boil. As soon as boiling, flip the warmth all the way down to low and let the rice simmer for quarter-hour. After quarter-hour, flip the warmth off and let the rice relaxation for five minutes with out eradicating the lid. Fluff the rice with a fork earlier than serving.
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As soon as the pink beans have thickened, add the cooked sausage again to the pot together with 1/4 cup chopped recent parsley. Stir to mix. Style the pink beans and add salt to your liking. Begin with 1 tsp and add extra as wanted. I used 1 Tbsp whole (3 tsp).
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Serve the pink beans in a bowl topped with a scoop of rice and a sprinkle of sliced inexperienced onions.
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Dutch Oven
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White Reducing Boards
**You may swap out the white rice for brown rice if desired. Simply needless to say brown rice takes longer to prepare dinner and requires extra water than white rice, so be sure you comply with the bundle directions in your brown rice.
Energy: 702kcalCarbohydrates: 89gProtein: 33gFats: 24gSodium: 1731mgFiber: 14g
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Find out how to Make Pink Beans and Rice Step-By-Step Photographs


Prep your elements: Collect all your elements. Relying on the place you reside, you might discover small pink beans or kidney beans (darkish or gentle). You should utilize both kind for this recipe. You’ll want one pound of dry beans for this recipe.


Soak the beans: Soak the beans in water (make certain to make use of twice as a lot water as beans) in a single day. When you forgot to soak your beans, use one of many different strategies described in this text. (this photograph is after the beans have been soaking in a single day)


Cook dinner the sausage: Slice the sausage into rounds and add them to a big pot with 2 Tbsp cooking oil. Cook dinner over medium warmth till the sausage is effectively browned. Take away the sausage with a slotted spoon to a clear bowl and place it within the fridge whilst you put together the remainder of the recipe. If you wish to cut back the fats in your pink beans, you possibly can drain off a lot of the fats left behind by the sausage. I left the fats in, although, as a result of it’s tremendous flavorful!


Cube the veggies: Whereas the sausage is cooking, cube one onion, one inexperienced bell pepper, and about three ribs of celery. This trio of flavors (onion, bell pepper, celery) is named “holy trinity.” However I additionally like so as to add 4 cloves of garlic, so mince these up as effectively.


Sauté the veggies: Add the onion, celery, bell pepper, and garlic to the pot after eradicating the sausage. Sauté the greens over medium till the onions are comfortable. Use the moisture from the greens to dissolve the browned bits of meat off the underside of the pot as you stir.


Add the seasonings: As soon as the greens have softened, add the Cajun seasoning (2 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp dried thyme, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, and about 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper) and two bay leaves. Cook dinner and stir for a couple of minute extra.


Cook dinner the beans and veggies: Drain and rinse the soaked pink beans, then add them to the pot with 6 cups of recent water.


Give the pot a quick stir to distribute the spices and different elements. Place a lid on the pot, flip the warmth as much as medium-high, and produce it as much as a full boil. As soon as boiling, flip the warmth all the way down to medium-low and let the beans simmer for one hour, stirring sometimes.


Smash the beans: After boiling the beans for one hour, the beans must be tender however the pot as a complete will nonetheless look fairly watery. To thicken the pot, start smashing the pink beans towards the facet of the pot together with your spoon. Smash the pink beans and let it proceed to simmer with no lid for an additional half-hour. I stood and smashed my beans for about 10 minutes, and let it maintain simmering for an additional 20 (half-hour whole).


Cook dinner the rice: Whereas the pink beans are of their ultimate 30 minute simmer, prepare dinner your rice. Add 1.5 cups lengthy grain white rice to a saucepot with 3 cups water. Place a lid on prime, flip the warmth as much as excessive, and permit it to return as much as a boil. As soon as boiling, flip the warmth all the way down to low and let the rice simmer for quarter-hour. After quarter-hour, flip the warmth off and let the pot relaxation for an extra 5 minutes with out eradicating the lid. Fluff the rice with a fork simply earlier than serving.


After smashing and simmering for a bit longer, the pink beans can have thickened fairly a bit. They’ll proceed to thicken much more as they cool a bit.


End and serve: Lastly, add the cooked Andouille sausage again to the pot together with about 1/4 cup chopped recent parsley. Stir to mix. Style the pink beans and add salt to your liking. You’ll need not less than SOME salt to make the flavors come out on this dish. I added 1 Tbsp for the entire pot, however I recommend beginning with 1 tsp and including extra to your liking.


Serve the pink beans with a scoop of cooked rice, and sliced inexperienced onion sprinkled over prime!
Are Pink Beans and Kidney Beans the Identical Factor?
Nope! They’re each pink, however they’re two totally different beans, however you need to use both one on this recipe. Right here’s a photograph of pink beans and kidney beans facet by facet for reference:


- Do I’ve to soak the beans in a single day? No, there are different choices. There are two different “fast soak” strategies, however each nonetheless take an hour or extra. To learn extra about different strategies of soaking your beans, learn Find out how to Soak Your Beans from Camellia Beans. When you’re on the lookout for a recipe for pink beans and rice utilizing canned beans, try my “Quickie” Pink Beans and Rice.
- Use a distinct sausage. Historically, this recipe is made with Andouille sausage, which is a smoked pork sausage originating from France, but in addition common in Louisiana. When you can’t discover Andouille sausage, you need to use any kind of smoked pork or beef sausage that’s out there to you.
- Management the spiciness. The warmth degree on this recipe will rely upon the kind of sausage you employ and the way a lot cayenne pepper you add. The Andouille sausage I used had a “medium” spice degree, and I used 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, so my pink beans have been reasonably spicy. Use a light sausage and no cayenne pepper to make your pink beans delicate.
- Make it vegetarian and vegan pleasant. I have efficiently made a really scrumptious pot of pink beans and rice with out the smoked sausage. To see the way it’s completed, make certain to go to my recipe for Vegan Pink Beans and Rice. (It’s routinely vegan as a result of the one animal product within the recipe is the sausage.)
- Season to style. Be happy so as to add roughly seasoning, relying in your preferences. This recipe is very easy to customise and make your personal!
Find out how to Freeze Pink Beans and Rice
As with all meals, you need to chill your cooked pink beans and rice as shortly as doable after cooking to keep away from meals issues of safety. I like to recommend dividing it into single parts earlier than refrigerating. This can make it calm down quicker, and also you’ll have already got single parts that may be reheated shortly within the microwave straight from the fridge, or freezer. As soon as the beans and rice are fully cool, you possibly can switch them to the fridge for 3-4 days or the freezer for long run storage (about 3 months).
Our Louisiana Fashion Pink Beans and Rice recipe was initially revealed on 3/14/10. It was retested, reworked, and republished to be higher than ever 3/13/25.


