Quick(ish) vegan red beans and rice

Red beans and rice in a bowl

Alright, y'all. Here's one that really shows off what's great about a home-cooked pot.

When I'm making beans, I'm usually shooting for the edge of their structural integrity: pillowy soft, but still contiguous and bean-shaped.

But red beans and rice is all about the gravy. We want our beans to break down and thicken the broth. The thick, rich gravy, moreso than the meat, is what makes this dish awesome. And if you use home-cooked beans, you're halfway there, because you're starting with a broth that's already somewhat thick and very flavorful.

I wasn't planning to write this up for Bean Tips. Last night I was in a hurry and had half a pot of cooked red beans in the fridge, so this was my quick(ish) dinner fix. But it was so tasty I figured it was worth sharing.

Also, FWIW, my go-to recipe for non-vegan RB&R is Kenji's at Serious Eats. It's the original inspiration for this recipe and worth the read, even if you plan to keep it vegan. His explanation of the technique is excellent.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 batch red beans (what kind? see below), with broth
  • 1/2 onion
  • 2 ribs celery
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 teaspoon ground sage
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Wine or cider vinegar
  • Soy sauce (or tamari, for the gluten-free among us)

For the rice:

  • Rice
  • Salt
  • Olive oil or butter
  • Bay leaves

Tools

  • A medium-sized pot
  • Whatever you like to use to cook rice

Steps

First, cook a pot of beans

If you're living the #beanlife, this is a quick(ish) recipe. I cooked up a pot of beans on Sunday, and drained half the beans to make a salad. That left a half batch of beans plus a full batch of broth for this dish — the ideal situation for a great gravy. So now, all we have to do is sauté our veg, herbs and spices, and give everything a good simmer to make that gravy happen.

If you've already got cooked beans on hand, this'll take maybe an hour and a half. And most of that time is on the stove. If you've got a day and wanna start from dry, take a look at Kenji's recipe above for his process.

What kind of beans? I'm usually not too particular about the variety or source, but in this recipe it makes a difference. Red kidney beans are the standard for a reason. Their broth is rich and dark, and when you cook them down, they make a really nice gravy. You can get similar (and delicious!) results with pintos, but it wouldn't taste like red beans and rice. Sometimes I'll switch things up and use beans labelled simply "small red beans". They're also great, and some people prefer them, but red kidneys are readily available and great.

What about that salad you mentioned? Soooo, yes, I made a red bean salad this week. It's a recipe I'll write up soon. But I ran into a problem — it was tasty, but not awesome, and kinda ugly. Let's learn from my mistake!

Camellia brand red kidney beans are a popular choice for red beans and rice in Louisiana, and for good reason. They're thin-skinned and cook up super creamy, so they make a killer gravy, buuuut not the best salad, for the same reasons. I mean, look at this:

Red bean salad

For a salad, I don't want to see broken beans, and the sauce should be glossy, not grainy. It was good. We ate it. But it wasn't the right bean for the job.

Anyway! Back to the recipe!

Chop and sauté

Dice your onions and celery, and thinly slice the garlic. Heat some olive oil over medium heat and cook the veg with salt and a generous amount of pepper, until soft. Add the sage, paprika, thyme and bay leaf and cook a couple minutes longer.

You could also chop up some bell pepper (or better, poblano) and cook that with the other veg, but I don't always have a pepper in the kitchen, and to my taste, the paprika does the job, while also adding the smokiness that's missing by not using smoked meats.

If you like 'em spicy, add some cayenne pepper! But I've got a kid to feed so I just hit 'em with some hot sauce at the table.

Cook down the beans and broth

Add the beans and broth to the pot, along with a splash of vinegar, and bring up to a hard simmer. You don't need a rolling boil, but you want it bubbling so that it reduces. Plus the friction of the bubbles will help break apart the beans into gravy. This is the rare bean recipe that calls for a little violence in the pot.

Red beans simmering

Stir the beans as often as you like, scraping the bottom of the pot to prevent everything from sticking and burning. Cook for an hour or so. You might also just transfer the pot, uncovered, to the oven at 300-350-ish. It could take a little longer, but you won't need to worry about sticking as much.

Cook your rice

Meanwhile, make your rice! I haven't included quantities above — follow the directions on your rice, or the guidance of your rice cooker.

In my Zojirushi cooker, two cups (like, the small cups that come with the device, not a standard measuring cup!) of rice needs 1.5 tablespoons of salt (Morton kosher, with other brands the quantity will vary) and at least a tablespoon of oil or butter. Long grain white rice would be the most traditional, but basmati is an awesome choice, and last night I cooked up some medium grain (sushi-ish) rice. It's all pretty good.

Eesh! This is getting long. But one more note on rice... I really like tossing a couple bay leaves in my rice pot. If you have ever wondered what flavor bay leaves contribute to a recipe, add some to your rice. You'll notice the difference!

Taste, adjust and serve

Once your beans have cooked down into a perfect, creamy gravy, taste 'em! They should be rich and a wee bit vinegary. If you can't taste the vinegar, add a little more.

This is when I like to add a little soy sauce. It may seem out of place, and isn't traditional as far as I know, but the beany flavor of the soy sauce goes really nicely, and adds some extra umami flavor alongside the saltiness. After adding soy and/or vinegar, I like to simmer everything for a few more minutes to spread the flavors around and let them mellow a little.

Serve your beans with rice! And if you want it to be prettier than my photo, thinly slice a green onion and sprinkle on top. And some Louisiana-style hot sauce (Crystal is my brand, but I'm not religious about it) wakes everything up!

What's next?

I'm not sure what beans will hit the stove this weekend. Got any requests? More vegan maybe? Drop me an email!

Thanks again for reading and please share with friends!