This New Orleans red beans and rice is just like what Mom makes. I recommend cooking it the day before you want to eat it. It is a time-consuming recipe, and the taste gets even better after 24 hours in the refrigerator. For extra spice, add a splash of hot sauce.
Ingredients
- shortening: 1 Tbsp (or as needed)
- white onion: 1 piece (chopped)
- green bell pepper: 1 piece (chopped)
- garlic: 3 clove (chopped)
- water: 8 cups
- red beans: 1 pound (dried)
- smoked ham hock: 1 piece
- smoked sausage: 1 pound (cut into bite-size pieces)
- stalks celery: 2 piece (chopped)
- bay leaves: 2 piece
- Creole seasoning (such as Tony Chachere's®): 1 Tbsp
- thyme: 0.5 tsp (dried)
- sage: 0.5 tsp (dried)
- dash hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco®): 1 piece (to taste, optional)
- white rice: 3 cups (cooked)
Metric Conversion
Stages of cooking
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Melt shortening in a skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir onion, bell pepper, and garlic in hot shortening until tender, 5 to 7 minutes.
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Combine water, red beans, and ham hock in a large pot; bring to a boil. Stir onion mixture into the pot; add smoked sausage and celery. Return to a boil. Stir bay leaves, Creole seasoning, thyme, and sage into boiling water. Reduce heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer until beans are tender, about 5 hours.
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Remove and discard ham hock and bay leaves; stir in hot pepper sauce and serve over white rice.
