Va Vite means "go quickly" in Cajun French, a fitting name for these Red Beans And Rice made in the Instant Pot or stovetop. You make them quickly, and they go quickly from the pot onto the plate and into the belly. Yum!
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Red beans and rice are still a Monday night meal in New Orleans today. It comes from the tradition that Monday morning was wash day, and a pot of dried red beans with Sunday's leftover ham bone was put on the stove to cook. Without needing much attention, it had a long simmer as they busily washed last week's dirty clothes.
For more New Orleans-inspired dishes, check out 25 Mardi Gras Food Recipes. This is a collection of traditional and not-so-traditional Cajun and Creole dishes appropriate not just for Mardi Gras season, but any time of year.
For more help in the kitchen with easy preparation, make this Creole Seasoning Blend Recipe With Fresh Vegetables in place of the Cajun trinity, which is used in this beans and rice dish.
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Cajun Or Creole?
It's always surprising to people when I tell them I didn't grow up eating these famous red beans and rice. Now, I have a ready answer about my deprived upbringing. Red beans and rice are authentic Louisiana Creole cuisine (deemed city food) and not Cajun cuisine (considered country food). That makes sense to me. I never considered the dish, nor did I prepare it for my family when my children were still at home.
I have since been introduced to several ways of preparing it and how easy, nutritious, and delicious those tender beans in a rich sauce can be. Especially since they're served over a mound of white rice. My favorite time to fix it is after a busy day when I'm hungry for a hearty meal that's quick to get on the table.
Ingredients
While most recipes call for dried beans, I use canned beans for quick preparation. Va Vite (pronounced vah-veet) means go quickly. It's a good description of how these beans are cooked and how they leave the pot.
- Dark red kidney beans - rinsed and drained
- All-purpose flour - to thicken the sauce.
- Extra virgin olive oil - saute' it with the vegetables before browning the meats.
- Onion - chopped fine, is the main flavor of the Cajun trinity, and goes well with the bell pepper and celery.
- Green bell pepper - the second member of the trinity of vegetables.
- Celery - the third member of the tasty vegetable trio.
- Garlic cloves - are pressed or chopped fine and added to the trinity of vegetables in the last few minutes of saute'ing; garlic tends to burn quickly.
- Breakfast sausage - for a tasty, meaty addition to the dish.
- Smoked sausage or smoky andouille sausage - sliced ¼ inch thick and browned to get that extra flavor out.
- Chicken stock - no salt (use ¼ cup more for stovetop cooking); it has more flavor than chicken broth.
- Cajun seasoning - a mixture of salt, cayenne pepper, and other seasonings that give that unmistakable Cajun flavor to food.
- Bay leaves - dried bay leaves slowly release flavor as they cook with the beans.
- Thyme leaves - fresh ones tied with a cotton string or dried thyme leaves sprinkled in.
- Hot sauce - is always served at the table as an optional ingredient to splash on before eating for all Cajun dishes.
See the recipe card below for specific ingredient amounts and their nutrition facts.
INSTRUCTIONS
Begin by opening the cans of beans, empty the cans into a colander over the sink, rinse, and drain. Be careful not to crush the tender beans.
Instant Pot Cooking
Whisk the flour into the chicken stock and set aside.
Set the Instant Pot on saute and pour in the oil. Cook the Cajun holy trinity of onions, bell pepper, and celery, stirring often, for about 5 minutes without browning. Add the garlic for the last minute of cooking so it doesn't burn.
Add breakfast sausage, stirring until it starts to brown . . .
. . . then add the sliced smoked sausage. Stirring often.
After lightly browning the smoked sausage, stir in the chicken stock, seasoning, bay leaves, and thyme.
Stir in the beans, set the Instant Pot to cook on high, and set the cooking time for 15 minutes. Make sure the lid is closed properly and the valve is set to sealing.
- After the beans are cooked, allow the valve to release pressure or slowly manually release it according to directions.
- Remove the bay leaf and thyme from the pot of beans.
- Serve over cooked white or brown rice.
Hint: Turn off the Instant Pot if it gets too hot when sauteing vegetables or browning sausage. Turn it back on to finish the sauteing or browning process if necessary.
Stove-top Cooking
Use ¼ cup more chicken stock for stovetop cooking than when cooking in the Instant pot.
- Rinse and drain beans.
- Whisk the flour into the chicken stock and set aside.
- In a large pot, stirring frequently, saute onions, green pepper, celery in olive oil for 5 minutes. Add garlic to cook in the last few minutes. Do not brown.
- Add breakfast sausage, stirring until it starts to brown, then add the sliced smoked sausage. Stirring occasionally.
- After the smoked sausage is lightly browned, add the chicken stock, seasoning, bay leaves, and thyme, stirring to combine.
- Stir in the beans and simmer for 30 minutes on medium to low heat.
- Remove bay leaf and thyme and serve over cooked rice with a side dish of sweet cornbread and a dash of hot pepper sauce if desired.
Top Tip
Tie the fresh thyme leaves together with a cotton string for easy removal after the beans are cooked.
Storage
After the beans are cooled, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months, defrost and warm in the microwave or on the stove, then serve.
Substitutions
- Smoked turkey sausage and turkey breakfast sausage can be used instead of regular smoked sausage and breakfast sausage.
- Any color of bell pepper is acceptable to bring more color to the dish.
- Salt and black pepper can replace Cajun seasoning for a less spicy flavor.
Variations
- Add cooked rice to the red beans and sauce and mix together instead of serving separately for easier serving.
- Omit the meat altogether for a meatless meal.
FAQ
Red beans and rice are usually prepared separately but can be mixed together then served from the pot.
Dried red beans can be slow-cooked in a pot with the Cajun trinity, sausage, broth, and seasonings to make a delicious meal with cooked rice.
Cook red beans with the Cajun holy trinity of onions, bell pepper, and celery in chicken broth with sausage until tender. Adding Cajun seasoning to the dish gives them the distinct flavor of Louisiana.
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PAIRING
These are my favorite dishes to serve with red beans and rice:
Va Vite Red Beans and Rice
A delicious, quick, and easy recipe of Red Beans and Rice for the Instant Pot or stove-top that is sure to satisfy any hungry appetite.
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: 10 cups 1x
Ingredients
- 3 16-ounce cans dark red beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 ¾ cups chicken stock, no salt (use ¼ cup more for stove top cooking)
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup chopped onion
- ½ cup chopped bell pepper
- ½ cup chopped celery
- 2 pressed garlic cloves
- 4 ounces breakfast sausage
- 12 ounces smoked sausage or andouille sausage, sliced ¼ inch thick
- 1 ¼ teaspoons Slap Ya Mama Cajun seasoning
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 small bundle fresh thyme leaves (tied with string) or 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- Hot sauce, optional
Instructions
Instant Pot Cooking
- Open the cans of beans, empty the cans into a colander over the sink, rinse, and drain. Be careful not to crush the tender beans.
- Whisk the flour into the chicken stock and set aside.
- Set the Instant Pot on saute and pour in the oil. Cook the Cajun holy trinity of onions, bell pepper, and celery, stirring often, for about 5 minutes without browning; add the garlic for the last minute of cooking so it doesn't burn.
- Add breakfast sausage, stirring until it starts to brown then add the sliced smoked sausage. Stirring often.
- After lightly browning the smoked sausage, stir in the chicken stock, seasoning, bay leaves, and thyme.
- Stir in the beans, set the Instant Pot to cook on high, and set the cooking time for 15 minutes. Make sure the lid is closed properly and the valve is set to sealing.
- After the beans are cooked, allow the valve to release pressure or slowly manually release it according to directions.
- Remove the bay leaves and bundle of thyme from the pot of beans.
- Serve over cooked rice with sprinkles of hot sauce if desired.
Stovetop Method
- Rinse and drain beans.
- Whisk the flour into the chicken stock and set aside.
- In a large pot, stirring frequently, saute onion, green pepper, and celery in olive oil for 5 minutes. Add garlic to cook in the last few minutes. Do not brown.
- Add breakfast sausage, stirring until it starts to brown, then add the sliced smoked sausage. Stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the beans and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Remove bay leaf and thyme and serve over cooked rice with a side dish of sweet cornbread and a dash of hot pepper if desired.
Equipment
Notes
- Turn off the Instant Pot if it gets too hot when cooking vegetables or browning sausage. You can turn it back on if needed to finish the sauteing or browning process.
- Tie the fresh thyme leaves together with a cotton string for easy removal after the beans are cooked.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 15-30 minutes
- Category: main dish
- Method: saute, simmer
- Cuisine: Cajun
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
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"Somehow, what's in our hearts, good or bad is eventually translated into words and deeds."
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Haley says
I can't wait to try this recipe!!! It looks amazing!!!
Louisiana Woman says
Happy eating!
Debbie Honeycutt says
Looks amazing. Can't wait to try it Kay. I love reading your blog!!!
Louisiana Woman says
Thank you!
Sara Barnes says
Made these tonight! Delish! Jim says best red beans and rice he has ever had!
Louisiana Woman says
Thank you! So glad you all enjoyed them. Means a lot coming from Jim.😁