It is no secret that I love beans. Beans are nearly a perfect food—full of protein, fiber, and nutrients. Plus, they are incredibly tasty, readily available, and one of the most affordable forms of protein around. You can easily feed a family on $1 worth of beans. Try doing that with meat!
Beans and spicy flavor are a match made in heaven. Many of the biggest bean-loving cultures have cuisines that use robust and bold flavors. And of these bold-flavored dishes, one of my favorites is red beans and rice.
I can’t (even a little) claim to be a Louisiana culture expert, but I do know that what we called “red beans and rice” growing up here in rural Indiana was decidedly not the same stuff you get in Creole country. It was more like a red bean and sausage casserole—delicious, but not the real deal.
My first experience with the spicy, beautifully simple flavors of a more authentic red beans and rice was when a Cajun/Creole restaurant opened up in my college town. It was love at first bite! And that restaurant is what I miss most about my college years, even more so than really good delivery pizza!
The recipe I’m sharing today is a more authentic take on red beans and rice than what I grew up with (although still not completely, because, a: I made it plant-based and it’s typically…um…not and b: hello, as a born and raised Indiana girl, I don’t have the cultural heritage to make it authentic).
How do you get that traditional beans and rice flavor if this is vegan?
Smoked meat (like say, a smoked ham hock leftover from a ham dinner the day before) is a staple of the smoky flavor of traditional red beans and rice. To get that smoky flavor without the meat, I stuck to a genius suggestion from Susan over at Fat Free Vegan Kitchen—use chipotles in adobo sauce.
Chipotles in adobo add a great spicy kick and a ton of smoky flavor that really makes this dish taste hearty and meaty without any animal products. It’s pretty easy to track down chipotles in adobo in most supermarkets nowadays—just check the international foods section. A little goes a long way, and for this recipe, we’ll just use a little from the can—I like to freeze extra peppers (in their sauce) in ice cube trays for future uses.
Do you have to soak your beans for red beans and rice?
For beans cooked on the stove top, technically no—but if you don’t, expect the beans to take significantly longer to cook. If you plan to make your red beans in the crock pot, you will need to boil the beans for ten minutes on the stove. Drain the beans before adding them to the slow cooker. The boiling will kill the kidney bean lectin that can make some folks feel sick.
How do I know when my red beans are done?
Even if there are some non-traditional elements of this recipe, the texture is spot on. If anything, this dish is more like a bean sauce with rice—which is exactly how red beans and rice are supposed to be.
You want to cook the dickens out of those beans until the line between bean and sauce is so fuzzy that you’ve got a big ole pot of creamy, thick, stick-to-your-ribs-y goodness.
What do I need to make this red beans and rice recipe?
You’ll need:
- Avocado or olive oil. Vegetable oil will also work in a pinch.
- Aromatics: Onion, garlic, celery, green bell pepper
- Dried herbs: Bay leaves, thyme, oregano, paprika, cayenne pepper, black pepper
- Red kidney beans
- Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- Hot sauce
- Vegetable broth
- Cooked long grain rice and sliced green onions, for serving
How do I make vegan red beans and rice in the slow cooker?
When I originally posted this recipe back in 2011, I recommended folks do it in the slow cooker. That’s still a fine method (and I give you instructions on how to do it in the recipe notes), with one important adjustment I neglected to include originally: you must boil your dried kidney beans vigorously on the stove for 10 minutes. This will subsequently kill a toxin (phytohaemagglutinin, AKA: kidney bean lectin) in dry kidney beans that causes some folks digestive issues. Most slow cookers do not get to a high enough temperature to kill the toxin.
If you’re sensitive, as few as four undercooked kidney beans can make you feel ill. Some folks (like me) don’t have any issues with the toxin, but others do, so, in my opinion, it isn’t worth the risk to save 10 minutes. Boil those beans! Enjoy.
Vegan Red Beans and Rice
This Vegan Red Beans and Rice recipe may not be traditional (see also: it's vegan), but it certainly is tasty, bold, and easy! Modified from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons avocado or olive oil
- 1 large onion, finely diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 5 celery stalks, finely diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1 large green bell pepper, finely diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1 pound dry red kidney beans, soaked in water overnight, drained, and rinsed
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped
- 2 teaspoons hot sauce (such as Tabasco), more to taste
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- Salt, to taste
- Cooked rice and sliced green onions, for serving
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or stockpot over medium high heat. Add in the onion and cook until very tender and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes.
- Add in the garlic, celery, and bell pepper, and continue to cook until just softened, about 3 minutes.
- Add in the soaked and drained kidney beans, bay leaves, thyme, oregano, cayenne pepper, black pepper, chipotle peppers, red pepper sauce, and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for about two hours, or until the beans are very tender and mushy (see notes about bean cooking time).
- Season with additional salt and hot sauce. Serve with cooked rice and top with sliced green onions.
Notes
- The age of your beans can greatly affect your cooking time. Older beans take longer to soften (and if they are too old, they might never soften to the point you’re looking for). If your beans seem like they’re never going to get to the tender/mushy stage—just go at them with a potato masher. I won’t tell anyone.
- This dish is supposed to be spicy, but if you’re a heat-wimp, leave out the cayenne pepper and hot sauce to begin with—you can always add more later!
- Slow Cooker Method: Place the soaked, drained, and rinsed beans in a large stockpot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and boil vigorously for 10 minutes. Drain and rinse. Add to slow cooker with all remaining ingredients (except the rice and green onions) and cook on high for 4-6 hours or low for 6-8, or until the beans are very tender and mushy. Season with additional salt and hot sauce. Serve with cooked rice and top with sliced green onions.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1 servingAmount Per Serving: Calories: 202Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 849mgCarbohydrates: 35gFiber: 7gSugar: 4gProtein: 9g
At Wholefully, we believe that good nutrition is about much more than just the numbers on the nutrition facts panel. Please use the above information as only a small part of what helps you decide what foods are nourishing for you.
