Authentic Vegan Red Beans & Rice
by: claire cary
These vegan red beans and rice are a plant-based version of the Louisiana classic, but still with just as much flavor as the traditional dish. This recipe is perfect for meal prep and loved by all types of eaters.
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6
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry kidney beans soaked overnight
- 1 large yellow onion
- 1 green bell pepper
- 2 stalks celery
- 5-6 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley 2 tsp dried
- 1 tbsp hot sauce
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp paprika smoked or regular
- ½ tsp oregano
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- ½ tsp salt
- 5 cups veggie broth
- Cooked white rice rice and chopped scallions for serving
Instructions
- The night before (or at least 10 hours before cooking), add the kidney beans to a large bowl and add double the amount of water. The beans will absorb a lot of water as they soak, so be sure to add enough to cover them by about 2-3 inches.
- After soaking, drain and rinse the beans and set aside.
- Dice the onion and add to a large pot or dutch oven with the olive oil.
- Saute for about 5 minutes or until translucent.
- Add in the minced garlic, diced bell pepper, finely chopped celery and saute an additional 5 minutes.
- Add in the salt, oregano, paprika, thyme, parsley and saute an additional 2 minutes.
- Add in all remaining ingredients including the beans.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low.
- Cover and let simmer for at least 2 hours. I know this is a long time, but it's well worth it! Stir every 30 minutes or so to make sure nothing sticks, then put the lid back on.
- After 2 hours the beans should be pretty soft. Scoop 2 cups of the mixture into a blender and process until completely smooth. It should look kind of like thick refried beans at this point. This step is essential for giving the beans the classic creamy consistency.
- Transfer the blended portion back to the main pot and stir to combine.
- Let simmer, uncovered for about 10-15 minutes to thicken. If you're prepping this ahead of time, keep in mind that this will continue to thicken as it sits (and especially once it's in the fridge), so avoid simmering for too long.
- Serve with cooked white rice and chopped scallions and enjoy!
Notes
I know this recipe has a long cook time, but I promise it is worth it! You don't want to sub the dry kidney beans for canned ones since the flavor won't be very strong and it will completely change the amount of broth you need. Stick to the recipe as written for best results!
As written, this dish is moderately spicy, but it really depends on the type of hot sauce you use. I use cholula which is pretty mild, but you can use sriracha for more spice or lower the amount to 1-2 tsp if you don't like spice.
Serving: 11/2 cups / Calories: 333kcal / Carbohydrates: 55g / Protein: 18.1g / Fat: 5.7g / Fiber: 13.3g / Sugar: 6.2g
