New Orleans Vegetarian Red Beans and Rice

I visited New Orleans when I was 14 years old. I don’t remember much about the city itself or its history. I only vaguely remember the music and the busy streets, and I was certainly far too young to witness the parties. But the food. I remember every single thing I ate during that trip, and I remember it so vividly, as if it was a month ago and not over twenty years. I remember the Caesar salad made table-side at Emeril’s Delmonico, the cherries jubilee at The Court of Two Sisters, and even the simple Dijon vinaigrette that was drizzled over my asparagus. It was on that trip that I first really started to notice and savor the experience of trying new foods. I have been chasing the flavors of New Orleans ever since. I am not, to be clear, an expert on New Orleans cuisine. I am a novice, a traveler, a seeker, but far, far from an expert.

The recipe I’m sharing with you today, red beans and rice, is not a dish I had on that trip; I hated beans at the time and never would have tried it. It is a dish I have fallen in love with since then. The simplicity of this dish is comforting and humbling, and the spice takes me right back to the city.

Red beans and rice is a creole dish that was traditionally served on Monday, which was wash day. As the women spent the day doing laundry by hand, they boiled the beans with ham bones leftover from Sunday’s dinner. To this day, many families and even restaurants in New Orleans still serve red beans and rice on Mondays. 

If I ever get a chance to visit New Orleans again, I will absolutely eat traditional red beans cooked with ham or andouille sausage. But here at home, I have fallen in love with this vegetarian version. My version has been adapted from the cookbook Cool Beans by Joe Yonan. Although his version is also vegetarian, it is still cooked traditionally for hours on the stove. His version is excellent, and I highly recommend you check it out. 

These days though, with two toddlers running around, I can’t easily cook beans for hours on the stove, and so I came up with this modified version of his recipe. It relies on the Instant Pot to cook the beans and the stove to complete the dish. 

You may wonder, as you look at this recipe, why I don’t just do the entire thing in the Instant Pot and skip the stove all together. I have tried that and came across two problems. 

First, the Instant Pot is great for cooking beans, but it isn’t great at thickening beans. When I make red beans and rice, I want them to be thick and creamy. I tried thickening them in the Instant Pot on the sauté setting, but I just find it so much easier to thicken the beans on the stove. 

Secondly, and this isn’t really a problem as much as a personal preference, but if you put the celery and green pepper in with the beans at the beginning, they are pure mush in the Instant Pot by the end. In my method, the celery and pepper are tender but still have a slight bite. Sure, cooking them with the beans all day is the traditional way to do it, but I’m already breaking tradition by using the Instant Pot, so why not change this step too? And I like the slight bite of the vegetables with the creaminess of the beans.

So that’s why I cook the beans in the Instant Pot and then transfer them to the stove. Now let’s talk about the ingredients. 

Onion, Celery, Green Pepper: This is referred to as the Holy Trinity in Cajun and creole cuisine. These three ingredients are key to the base of this dish. 

Red Beans: I’ve been using light kidney beans only because I haven’t been able to get dark red kidney beans from my local grocery stores since the start of the pandemic (anyone else?). But either light or dark red kidney beans work just fine. 

Smoked Paprika: The smokiness from the paprika helps mimic the smokiness found in ham bones and andouille sausage. I use a lot in my recipe, because it really brings so much flavor to a vegetarian version. 

Creole Seasoning: I buy a house blend from a local spice company in Columbus, Ohio, but you can absolutely make your own blend. If you’re using a store-bought blend, check two things: 1) the salt (mine is salt free) and 2) the heat level. You may need to adjust the amount you use based on how salty/spicy your blend is. 

Soy Sauce or Tamari: I would not have thought to add this to the recipe (thanks, Joe Yonan!). It also helps bring flavor to the beans without adding the meat. 

Rice: Joe Yonan uses jasmine rice, and it is so good with jasmine rice. I usually use long grained brown rice, however, because my boys love it. 

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New Orleans Vegetarian Red Beans and Rice

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In this vegetarian version, I use the Instant Pot to cook the dried beans, but then bring the rest of the dish together on the stove. I have found this method allows me to use the best of both worlds: the speed of the Instant Pot and the slow-cooked quality of stove top.

Ingredients

• 1 pound of dried kidney beans, soaked overnight and drained
• 6 cups of vegetable broth or water
• Bay leaf
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 large green pepper, diced
• 2 stalks of celery, diced
• 2 large cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons salt-free creole seasoning
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce or tamari
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce, plus more to taste
• For the rice:
• 2 cups of jasmine or long grained brown rice
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt

Instructions

1

Place the beans, 6 cups of vegetable broth or water, 1 or 2 bay leaves, and a generous pinch of salt (unless your broth is salty) in the Instant Pot. Attach the lid, and set the Instant Pot to pressure cook for 20 - 22 minutes. Do a quick release. You want the beans to be very tender, so tender that they're starting to fall apart. If not tender enough, turn the Instant Pot back on for another minute or two.

2

When the beans are tender, DO NOT DRAIN THE BEANS. The starchy, flavorful bean broth is key for creamy, thick beans. Do-ahead note: The beans can be cooked ahead of time, even a day or two before you want to eat the meal. Just be sure to store the beans in the cooking liquid.

3

Heat a large heavy bottom pot or Dutch oven on the stove over medium low heat. Add a few drizzles of extra virgin olive oil. Once the oil is warm, add the onion, celery, and green peppers. Cook until soft, about 7 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the smoked paprika and creole seasoning and cook for 30 seconds.

4

Now add the beans and all of the cooking liquid, plus the soy sauce or tamari and the hot sauce. Simmer the beans uncovered for at least 30 minutes, or until they’re thick and creamy. The longer they cook, the better.

5

While the beans cook, start your rice. Jasmine and brown rice take different amounts of water or broth (3 cups for jasmine and 4 ¼ cups for long grained brown). I usually use a rice cooker, but stove top is of course a great option too. Add the liquid to your preferred cooking vessel, plus the butter, bay leaf, and a large pinch of salt. Cook according to package instructions (or in the case of a rice cooker, until the timer goes off).

6

Once your beans are thick, taste the beans. Add salt or more hot sauce, to taste. I like to serve the beans and rice with fresh herbs on top (parsley or chives) but it’s also excellent on its own. Enjoy!

Notes

Leftovers: The beans keep very well in the fridge for several days and freeze well too.