Since I do a lot of Asian and Mexican inspired dishes, I thought it was time to cook up something a little different…a Cajun inspired Red Beans and Rice dish with a little help from my Instant Pot.
I made this dish vegan today so it has no meat like traditional Cajun red beans and rice. You can always add some andouille sausage if you want to go that route. I’d cook it up ahead of time, then stir it in at end of cooking. I added smoked paprika and liquid smoke to get that delicious smokey flavor! Traditionally, cajun food has the trinity of celery, onion and green bell pepper. Since I’m not a big fan of green bell peppers I substituted some diced carrots, but feel free to substitute green bell pepper if you like.
PrintRed Beans and Rice
Ingredients
1 lb. dried small red beans, sorted and rinsed
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 onion, diced (about 1 cup)
1 lg. carrot, diced (about 1 cup)
2 celery stalks, diced (about 1 cup)
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Tbls. Cajun seasoning
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. liquid smoke
1/4 – 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (use to your preference)
2 bay leaves
4 C. vegetable broth
salt & pepper to taste
Garnish
Chopped parsley or cilantro
sliced green onions
Serve over cooked rice
Instructions
Set Instant Pot to saute. Add a tablespoon of oil and sauté onion, celery, carrot and garlic until they start to soften, about 5 minutes. I like to add some salt and pepper at this step, a hefty pinch of each.
Add beans, spices and broth. Cook on high pressure for 50 minutes, then let pressure release naturally, according to manufacturer’s directions.
Serve over rice, top with desired garnishes.
Notes
If you’d like you can skip the sautéing step and just add everything at once to the Instant Pot and continue to cook according to directions.