This traditional Creole red beans and rice recipe is made extra easy in the slow cooker!
Oh, rice and beans.
These two simple ingredients are such a staple around the world. And I love how it seems like every different country — heck, often every different culture within a country — has their own totally unique way of making them.
When I lived in Costa Rica, for example, they called rice and beans “gallo pinto”, which was white rice stirred together with black beans and a few veggies and salsa lizano, and was served at breakfast, lunch and dinner. When I was in Jamaica, I loved how they simmered their white rice in sweet coconut milk and served it with pigeon peas or kidney beans. When I was in Mexico, I couldn’t get enough of their classic refried beans, and some well-seasoned Mexican rice can’t be beat. And the list goes on and on…
But. I’m pretty sure that my favorite take on rice will forever-and-always be the classic, zesty, Creole dish that I can’t get enough of — Red Beans and Rice.
Even better? Red Beans and Rice made extra-easy in the Crock-Pot®.
Red Beans and Rice Recipe | 1-Minute Video
Mmmm hmmmm.
No boring rice and beans here. Just take a look at all of those vibrant ingredients!
The main ingredients here, of course, are the “trinity” — onions, bell peppers, and celery — which is kind of the Creole version of mirepoix, or sofrito, etc. So delicious. Then I added in some flavorful Andouille sausage (or you can use smoked sausage, if this is unavailable at your grocery store), tons of garlic, Creole seasoning, and bay leaves. And yes, an entire pound of dried red beans.
The brilliant thing about slow cooking this recipe is that you don’t have to babysit a pot on the stove for hours while those red beans cook completely to perfection. Just toss everything in the Crock-Pot® slow cooker (here’s the one I use) and give the mixture a good stir. Then about 6-8 hours later, this big pot of goodness will be yours to enjoy.
Seriously, it’s so simple! I served mine over traditional white rice, but brown rice (or even quinoa or farro) would work well here. Or you can also serve up a little bit of it for breakfast in a mug, which I also did the next day for leftovers. Delicious at all hours of the day!
So if you happen to love red beans and rice as much as I do, give this one a try! And bonus — if you happen to be in the market for a new slow cooker, Crock-Pot® is giving a sweet discount to Gimme Some Oven readers today who click over to their site. This Crock-Pot® 6-Quart Slow Cooker with a Stovetop-Safe Cooking Pot is the one I own and use most, and totally recommend.
Enjoy!
Crock Pot Red Beans and Rice
Ingredients
- 1 pound uncooked (dry) red kidney beans
- 3/4 pound (12 ounces) Andouille sausage, sliced
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 celery stalks, diced
- 1 medium white onion, peeled and diced
- 1 bell pepper, cored and diced
- 2 teaspoons Creole seasoning
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce, or more/less to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 7 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- Kosher salt and freshly-cracked black pepper
- for serving: cooked white or brown rice, thinly-sliced green onions
Instructions
- Rinse the kidney beans thoroughly under water.
- Add the kidney beans, sausage, garlic, celery, onion, bell pepper, Creole seasoning, hot sauce, dried thyme, bay leaves and chicken stock to the bowl of a large slow cooker. Stir to combine.
- Cook on high for 6-8 hours, or until the kidney beans are soft and cooked through*. Taste, and season with however much salt and pepper you’d like. (I used about 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper.**) If you’d like a spicier dish, feel free to also add in more hot sauce. Remove and discard the bay leaves.
- Serve immediately over rice, garnished with green onions.
Notes
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!This post is sponsored by Crock-Pot®, maker of my beloved slow cooker. Thanks for continuing to support the brands who help make this site possible!
Plus do I rinse beans and/or make changes in amount of broth?
How long of a cook time if use canned kidney beans and 1 can or 2?
Hi Allison! If using canned beans for this, you can just add them in the last hour of cooking, and we’d actually suggest 3-4 cans. We hope you enjoy!
This looks amazing!
Thanks, Sara — we hope you enjoy!
One of my favorite meals, beans and rice made the Creole way by my husband, or rice and beans made my Puerorrican way. A better way to thicken the gravu is by mashing the tender beans with a wooden spoon on the sized of the pot, stirring to mis, and when done lift the lid off for another ago or 15 minutes to let some of the liquid reduce. I always end up eating a small bowl of just beans during this last step because I can’t wait. Thanks for posting this very nutritious and delicious recipe. My hubby’s mother in New Orleans made it exactly like that, so it’s the real thing
Thanks for sharing with us, Digna! That sounds like a great way to thicken the gravy! :)
Could a different type of dried bean other than red be substituted? Thanks, I’m loving all your recipes!
Thanks, Sheryl, we’re glad to hear that! And yes, you could try another dried bean.
Do you need to soak the red beans in water overnight before going into the crockpot?
No need to soak them beforehand. We hope you enjoy!
This looks so tasty! Like the ultimate fall comfort food. I’m half Mozambican and over there they have a very similar dish but using black beans, which is really good too.
Thanks, Moira — and that’s so cool, we bet this would be delicious with black beans as well! :)
Can you suggest a way to make this dish just as yummy but vegetarian? Thank you.
Hi Cindy! You can use vegetable stock instead of chicken and just add more beans in place of the Andouille sausage. You also might want to add some smoked paprika to give the dish that smokey flavor that the Andouille imparts. We hope this helps!
I’d add a generous dash of your favorite liquid smoke. Several herb specialty store chains also sell a variety of sausage seasongs (herbs, spices, sometimes with garliic or onion) — you might even luck into an andoiulle blend –to add. I like the sage heavy or hot sausage blends. If texture seems off without the meat grease, drizzle small splash of oil and use back of large spoon to mash a few beans to creamy texture then stir back in (actually every Cajun I know does that to thicken rather than cornstarch).
How tasty does this look?! Will have to try this recipe out sometime this week! Thanks for the share!
Thanks, Kylie — we hope you enjoy!
This looks delicious. Perfect for the chilly weather! x
Thanks, Lola — we hope you love it! :)