Instant Pot Red Beans And Rice With Sausage Recipe
Bring the flavors of New Orleans to your kitchen with this Instant pot red beans and rice recipe made from scratch. It does not require much of your active time, and yet you will have this really delicious, super flavorful bean gravy perfect to be mopped up with some cornbread and rice!!
Servings 8 people
Equipment
- Instant Pot DUO60 6 Qt 7-in-1
Ingredients
Measuring cup used, 1 cup = 250 ml, 1 tsp = 5 ml
- 1 lb small dry red beans/kidney beans
- 12 oz andouille sausage, substitute with any other smoked sausage
- 1 large onion, diced finely
- 4 celery ribs, diced finely
- 1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced finely
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 4 cup low-sodium chicken broth or water
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tsp oil, or oil spray to grease the bottom of the steel pot
Spice mix
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 to 1 tsp cayenne pepper, adjust as per desired heat
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 tbsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp paprika
Other ingredients
- 8 cups cooked white rice
- Apple cider vinegar, as needed
- Finely chopped fresh parsley, to garnish
- Scallion greens, to garnish
- Hot sauce, as required
Instructions
- Sort the beans, discard any stones or debris. Rinse the beans under running water, soak the beans overnight in about 7-8 cups of water.
- Chop up the veggies.
- Slice the sausage into 1/4 inch thick slices.
- Press the 'SAUTE' button, set it to "NORMAL' and wait until it displays 'HOT'. Add the oil, once it heats up, add in the sliced andouille sausage, and sauté until the edges of the sausage begin to brown.
- Add the chopped veggies, sauté for another 4-5 minutes or until the onions turn translucent.
- Add the minced garlic, and sauté for another 30 seconds.
- Add the spice mix and mix well.
- Drain the beans, discard the water. Add the drained beans to the sausage-veggie mixture, along with the chicken broth, and bay leaves. Mix well.
- Press 'CANCEL', close the lid of the Instant Pot with the valve on sealing position. Press the manual or pressure cook button and pressure cook on high for 15 minutes. It will take some time for the pressure to build up (about 18 minutes), after which the timer will start.
- Let it depressurize naturally for 20 minutes, then do a quick release of leftover pressure following the manufacturer's instructions. Once the silver pin drops, turn the knob to venting and open the lid.
- Discard the bay leaves. There will be liquid in the pot, at this stage you can turn on the saute button and cook uncovered so that the liquid reduces, mash some beans with the back of a ladle to thicken the gravy. Or transfer 1 cup of the cooked beans along with some of the liquid and blend it. Transfer the pureed beans to the pot, and cook for another 4-5 minutes. You will see the gravy thickening up.
- Taste and adjust seasonings as required. Finish it off with a splash of apple cider vinegar or add some in individual serving bowls. Serve over cooked white rice. Garnish with minced parsley, scallion greens, and some hot sauce.
Notes
- Some people prefer adding the sautéed sausage towards the end of cooking. If you prefer it that way, then reserve the sautéed sausage and add it back to the pot after it depressurizes in step 11, cook on sauté, set to normal, for 5-6 minutes or until the gravy reaches the desired thickness.
- Stovetop red beans and rice: Follow the same steps in a heavy-bottomed pot, from step 1 to 8. Cover the pot and simmer for about 2 hours, or until the beans are tender. You may need to add double the amount of broth or water or a mix of both, so keep a check every 10-15 minutes.
- For a vegetarian instant pot red beans and rice recipe | meatless red beans and rice, use vegan sausage or skip it altogether, use vegetable broth or water.
- If using canned beans, use about 3 (15-oz) kidney beans, drained. PRESSURE COOK on HIGH for 8 minutes, with a natural pressure release. Depending on the consistency you prefer, mash some beans, or turn on SAUTE button, set to NORMAL and simmer for a few more minutes.
- You can also use Camellia red kidney beans instead of the small red beans. Pressure cook on high for 25 minutes with a natural pressure release.
- For a low carb version, serve this Instant Pot red beans and rice with cauliflower rice instead.
- Substitute the spice mix with 1/2 tbsp or so to taste, with your favorite Cajun or Creole seasoning.
- I haven't tried making this with unsoaked dried beans, but if you do, you will definitely need to add at least 6 cups of liquid, and pressure cook on high for about 40 minutes. If the beans are not soft enough, pressure cook for another 10 minutes, with a quick release.
- Reheat refrigerated leftovers with more chicken broth or water to loosen the gravy.
- Recipe adapted from here.