Veggie Packed Red Beans and Rice
Do you love spicy comfort food? Do you also like getting your vegetables in? If the answer is yes, then this veggie-packed recipe is for you. It is high in fiber and protein, and the carbs are complex and balanced. Grab a bottle of hot sauce and tuck in to this tasty meal!
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What is Red Beans & Rice?
RB&R me ASAP!
Red beans & rice is a delicious creole dish that has a bad reputation as a carb-fest, and in most cases that’s true. But with a few tweaks, you can reduce the carbs and increase the protein and fiber to create a more balanced dish.
In this recipe, you’ll find more vegetables than the traditional recipe, done without sacrificing flavor or texture. The secret? Extra veggies in the red beans and a 3:1 blend of riced cauliflower cooked and jasmine rice — just enough to give a starchy texture, and the fact that it’s full of cauliflower is unnoticeable!
Eating beans and rice together creates a complete protein out of two incomplete proteins, and the (optional) andouille sausage adds animal proteins, which have a complete amino acid profile. If you’d like to add even more protein, this recipe is also great with a fried egg or two on top. Great news if you like inexpensive, satisfying, nutritious and tasty meals!
As with any food, it is important to eat mindfully. One of my favorite mindfulness practices is contemplating the history of the dish I’m eating. It is an opportunity to honor that history and connect with humanity on a deeper level. Through the process of researching this recipe, I discovered that red beans & rice has a complicated, inspiring and painful history.
Origin and History
Red beans & rice originated from the spicy bean and rice dishes Haitians brought to New Orleans after they were displaced as a result of the Saint-Domingue Revolution. During the late 1700s and early 1800s, Africans kidnapped into slavery successfully overthrew their colonial administrators, formed a new country, and abolished slavery. Unfortunately, the economic fallout left many Haitians seeking better lives elsewhere.
These Caribbean bean and rice dishes were often cooked on laundry day by the Creole workers who did rich people’s laundry for a living. Bean & rice recipes are easy to prep and can be simmered for hours, allowing people to sit down to a hot meal after a hard day’s labor. Caribbean, Spanish, and French flavors are the backbone of Creole recipes, which evolved to become this classic.
It didn’t take long for red beans & rice to become mainstream, due to how ridiculously delicious it is. Today, there are many iterations, twists, and family recipes. Here’s how I like to make it.
How to Make It
This recipe has two parts —the bean part and the rice part. You’ll make them separately and then eat them together topped with your favorite hot sauce.
Red Beans
Ingredients:
16-oz. red beans or kidney beans, soaked for 6-8 hours, then drained (you can also use 4 15.5-oz. cans)
4-6 cups vegetable broth, chicken broth or bone broth (you can sub water, just add more spices)
1 large onion, chopped
2-3 medium carrots, finely chopped
1-1/2 to 2 cups celery, finely chopped
Optional - 1 cup bell pepper, finely chopped
Optional – 1-pound andouille sausage, browned
1-2 tbsp Cajun seasoning (equal parts, cayenne, paprika, thyme, oregano, black pepper, unrefined salt)
2 tsp unrefined salt
2-3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Instructions:
Sauté the carrots, onion, celery and peppers together until fairly translucent and soft.
In a large pot or pressure cooker, combine with browned andouille, red beans, Cajun seasoning, unrefined salt, bay leaves and apple cider vinegar. Add water to just cover the top of the mixture.
Cover the pot and cook for 3-4 hours on low. If using a pressure cooker, set for 30 minutes. If you are stovetop cooking using canned beans, cook for 30 minutes on low.
Serve with hot sauce over 3:1 cauliflower and rice blend (below). Serves 8.
Cauliflower and Rice Mixture
Ingredients
1 cups jasmine rice
4 cups water or broth
16 oz. riced cauliflower
1-2 pinch unrefined salt (optional)
1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
Instructions:
Pre-soak the rice in water for 30 minutes, then drain.
In a pan, sautee the cauliflower rice in 1 tbsp. olive oil.
Bring 4-cups of water or broth to a boil, then add 1 tsp. olive oil (you can add a pinch of salt here, too).
Add rice to the water or broth and cook for about 7 minutes. Drain.
Combine rice with cauliflower and serve.
Serves 6-8.
Want to Increase Protein More?
If you want to increase the protein in this tasty dish, I’ve got a few ideas for you:
Add 1/2-pound ground turkey to the recipe. Turkey is lean, so when you add it to the flavorful andouille, it will boost the protein content without compromising flavor.
Top your red beans and rice with an egg or two. You won’t believe how well this works and you’ll probably wonder why you haven’t done this all along.