Red beans and rice is a staple dish in Lousiana cuisine. Typically served on Monday’s, this dish would slowly cook away on the stove. Ham was traditionally served on Sunday and the ham bone was used to provide a wonderful flavor in the dish. Monday was laundry day and a pot of red beans and rice was perfect, as it was left unattended while the the clothes were washed and hung to dry. This laundry day tradition is part of the culture in Louisiana and today many homes still prepare this classic dish, although people make it any day of the week. It is also available at many restaurants in New Orleans, throughout the state of Louisiana and beyond.
Red beans and rice is slow cooked so that the flavor of the meat penetrates the kidney beans. Also, the bean get nice and soft through this prolonged cooking time. Some of the beans are broken and mashed to help thicken the broth into a nice creamy gravy. There are different options for meat in the dish, although it is typically pork, ranging from ham or tasso, to smoked sausage like andouille.Served on rice, this dish is economical but tastes incredible!
I received a pressure cooker a month ago and I was interested to see how this dish would fare in a machine that speeds up the cooking time. Since red beans and rice takes so long to cook, many people do not have the time to make it. If the pressure cooker can make this dish well, in a fraction of the time, it can become a far more manageable dish to prepare.
The pressure cooker that I use can brown food, so I fried up the onion, pepper and celery (aka the trinity in Louisiana). Then I added some cubed ham and garlic.
Add the rest of the ingredients (dry red kidney beans, water, and spices) to the pressure cooker. Close the lid and make sure the vent is also closed. Set the pressure cooker to high pressure and select 60 minutes. Then, walk away and let the pressure cooker take care of the rest. The 60 minutes should be enough to cook the beans until they are tender, but it is possible they may need a bit more time. Try using a wooden spoon spoon to press a kidney bean against the side of the pot. It should mush up easily and if it seems a little hard, then set the pressure cooker to cook for another 30 minutes. That should be plenty of time to soften those beans up.
Mash up about 1/3 of the beans and stir to thicken the sauce. My pressure cooker has a simmer function, so I let the red beans and rice simmer for a bit until the rice was cooked and we were ready to eat.
Even though these red beans and rice were cooked in under 2 hours total time, they had a full and rich flavor. If you did not know, you would assume that a pot had been simmering on the stove all afternoon! Serve with white rice and a side ofcollard greens for the full Louisiana experience!
Get the recipe for collard greens here! –Collard Greens with Ham Hock
Red Beans and Rice Pressure Cooker Recipe
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Make this classic Lousiana dish in a fraction of the time by using a pressure cooker like an Instant Pot. Kidney beans, ham, sausage, onions, pepper and celery make this great dish served on rice.
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours hours
Total Time: 2 hours hours 15 minutes minutes
Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 onion , diced
- 1 pepper , diced
- 2-3 celery stalks , chopped
- 3 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 1/2 pounds ham , smoked sausage, tasso, cut into cubes
- 1 pound dry red kidney beans
- 5 1/2 cups water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or more if you want it spicier)
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
Heat oil on medium high and add onion, pepper and celery. Cook until they start to get tender, about 5 minutes.
Add garlic and chopped meat and cook for another 3-4 minutes, stirring often.
Rinse the kidney beans and drain.
Add all the ingredients (except the rice) to the pressure cooker. Close the lid and the vent.
Set the pressure cooker to high and select 60 minutes cooking time.
After the 50 minutes, let the pressure cooker release the pressure naturally. It should take 10-15 minutes.
Remove the lid and use a wooden spoon or potato masher to mash about 1/3-1/2 of the beans.
Stir thoroughly and the mashed beans should thicken the broth into a nice creamy gravy.
Serve with rice.
Notes
If after the 60 minutes the kidney beans are still not soft, you may need to cook them a bit longer. If needed, set the pressure cooker to high and select 30 minutes cooking time. After this, the bean should definitely be tender.
Course: Main
Cuisine: southern
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FAQs
Cook on High Pressure for Following Times:
- Black Beans--30 Minutes on High Pressure.
- Chickpeas--40 Minutes on High Pressure.
- Kidney Beans--35 Minutes on High Pressure.
- Pinto Beans--25 Minutes on High Pressure.
- Navy Beans**--25 Minutes on High Pressure.
- Butter Beans--40 Minutes on High Pressure.
Some beans will be overcooked and completely decimated, while others are still gritty or firm in the center. Soaking the beans not only helps them to cook more evenly, but it also helps make them more digestible.
Do you have to soak your beans for red beans and rice? ›
Some recipes suggest that you can cook the beans straight from dried without an overnight soak. You can, but it extends the actual cooking time by several hours, and I found that the results were not quite as creamy or evenly cooked. For the best results, soak the dried beans overnight in salted water.
What happens if you don t soak beans before pressure cooking? ›
If you're the impatient, bean-hungry type, you can cook your beans from dry without any soaking at all. Here's the thing: Beans that have not been soaked ahead of time will always take longer to cook, but they will, indeed, cook.
How much water do you put in 2 cups of beans in a pressure cooker? ›
What is the Ratio of Beans to Water in the Instant Pot? When cooking beans in the Instant Pot, you'll use 2 1/2 cups of water for every 1 cup of dry beans. I've tried using less than that, but since beans expand as they cook, the ones that aren't fully submerged in liquid will cook unevenly.
How many cups of water do I need to cook beans in a pressure cooker? ›
Rinse the beans well. Place beans in electric pressure cooke and cover with about 6 cups of fresh water. Make sure there is at least 2 inches of water above the beans and the pressure cooker is not more than ½ full. Add 1 to 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil and up to 1 tablespoon of salt to 1 pound of beans.
How do you reduce gas in pressure cooking beans? ›
But most people can enjoy more beans with less gas with the help of these tips: Soak beans overnight in water, then drain, rinse and cook in fresh water. This decreases the oligosaccharide content. Cooking the beans in a pressure cooker may reduce the oligosaccharides even further.
Is it better to slow cook or pressure cook beans? ›
Both methods were ranked as easy, however, considering the amount of cook time required for slow cooker beans, the Instant Pot method comes out on top. The stovetop and oven methods result in beans that were unevenly cooked– some had hard spots while others were mushy.
Is it healthy to cook beans in a pressure cooker? ›
Pressure Cooking Beans From Soaked
Reduces indigestible sugars by over 75%. Removes a majority of the anti-nutrients, allowing the digestive process to absorb more iron, for example. The beans cook evenly. They're nice to look at and also eat, because they're evenly cooked so no more crunchy beans.
What happens if you don't rinse red beans? ›
Rinsing Canned Beans, From a Nutrition Perspective
If you're a relatively healthy person though, enjoying canned beans without draining or rinsing them first is fine. That's because our bodies require sodium to function. It's only when we go above and beyond what we need that it becomes a problem.
Fluff the rice with a fork just before serving. After smashing and simmering for a bit longer, the red beans will have thickened quite a bit. They'll continue to thicken even more as they cool a bit. Finally, add the cooked Andouille sausage back to the pot along with about 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley.
Is red beans and rice healthy? ›
One of the significant benefits of rice and beans is their high protein content. They provide you with healthy plant-based protein, coming in at around 12 grams of protein per cup. These winning sides contain amino acids that blend together to make complete proteins.
Do Mexicans soak beans before cooking? ›
Mexican cooks don't pre-soak beans. They just add beans to water and get on with the cooking. No soaking or draining for them.
Can I pressure cook beans instead of soaking? ›
Forget pre-soaking. Forget hours of gentle simmering. Beans on the stovetop are fantastic for a lazy weekend afternoon, but with a pressure cooker, you can go from opening a bag of dried legumes to plump, tender beans in under an hour.
Why are my beans still hard after pressure cooking? ›
This is because without enough liquid your Instant Pot will not come back up to pressure and that causes a whole new set of issues. To solve it, add some liquid and try again. If the beans are extremely hard or barely cooked, I might set it for 8 or 9 minutes.
What is the ratio of dry beans to water in a pressure cooker? ›
– Traditional soak: For each 2 cups of dry beans, add 10 cups of water and let soak overnight or for at least eight hours in the refrigerator. Drain beans and rinse thoroughly. Place beans in pressure cooker and cover with about 4 cups of fresh water.
Does pressure cooking reduce gas in beans? ›
But most people can enjoy more beans with less gas with the help of these tips: Soak beans overnight in water, then drain, rinse and cook in fresh water. This decreases the oligosaccharide content. Cooking the beans in a pressure cooker may reduce the oligosaccharides even further.
