By Grocery List Plus Editorial Staff | Published on June 14, 2026
Serves 8
435 cal · 40 min
Monday Night Red Beans and Rice
Recipe GLPRc0cf118be6046b
A classic New Orleans Creole dish featuring tender red kidney beans simmered with smoky andouille sausage, aromatic vegetables, and authentic Creole seasonings. This hearty one-pot meal is traditionally served over fluffy white rice and is a beloved weeknight staple that delivers bold, savory flavors.
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Ingredients
1 pound dried red kidney beans, soaked and drained
5 cups water
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound andouille smoked sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
4 celery stalks, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons Creole seasoning
Directions
Heat the vegetable oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Once shimmering, add the sliced andouille sausage and cook until browned on both sides, approximately 5 minutes. Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate.
In the same pot with the remaining oil, add the chopped onions, celery, and green bell pepper. Sauté the vegetables, stirring frequently, until they become soft and fragrant, about 5 minutes. This aromatic base is essential to the dish's flavor.
Return the browned andouille sausage to the pot. Sprinkle the Creole seasoning evenly over the vegetables and sausage, stirring to distribute the spices thoroughly.
Add the drained soaked red kidney beans and water to the pot. Stir well to combine all ingredients. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.
Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium and simmer uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. The beans should be tender but still hold their shape. The liquid will slightly reduce and deepen in color.
Taste and adjust the Creole seasoning as needed. Serve the red beans and sausage mixture over a bed of fluffy white rice.
Comments
This is a straightforward, forgiving dish that hits all the marks for a Charlotte weeknight. Every ingredient—kidney beans, sausage, onion, celery, pepper, and Creole seasoning—is stocked at Harris Teeter, Food Lion, Walmart, and ALDI without a special stop. The cost per serving lands around $1.50–$2.00, driven mainly by the andouille sausage, which is standard and affordable. The stated 40 minutes is honest if you're starting with canned beans; dried beans would need overnight soaking and 90 minutes of simmering, so assume the recipe assumes canned. The dish is genuinely forgiving—it rewards low, slow heat and actually improves if left to simmer longer—making it ideal for a busy evening when you're not hovering over the stove. Red beans and rice is a Louisiana staple that plays well in the South, though it has no particular tie to North Carolina's seasonal bounty. The one drawback is leftovers: reheated on the stovetop with a splash of water, it's fine the next day, but it loses some of the cohesion and tastes best fresh.
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