Macheesmo's

Pressure Cooker Red Beans and Rice

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Comfort food at its best usually takes time to make. When making a classic red beans and rice dish, it's not uncommon for the beans to simmer for hours and hours. Even for this pressure cooker red beans and rice version, it requires about 45 minutes of high-pressure cooking to get the right texture on the beans – creamy smooth. But it's oh-so worth it and SO much faster than simmering them on the stove.

I used my new 8-quart Crock-Pot® Express Crisp Pressure Cooker which I used to saute the sausage and veggies to start the beans, pressure cook the beans, and (AND!) used the Express Crisp function on the cooker to make little crispy toast dippers for sopping up all the sauce.

While some versions of this recipe will ask you to cook the red beans and rice together for a seemingly quicker preparation, I think that just kind of muddies the dish. It's better to cook the beans correctly and then ladle them over the rice for serving. Plus, then guests can take as much (or as little) beans and rice as they want. Personally, I'm a little rice and lotsa beans kinda guy.

The finished beans and rice is an unassuming, but wonderfully classic, dish. It's a little spicy, but mostly just flavorful and savory. I can eat it for lunch, dinner, or breakfast (maybe with a few eggs on top).

Pressure Cooker Red Beans and Rice

Serves:
Serves 8.
Prep Time:
Cook Time:
Total Time:

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This classic red beans and rice recipe is comfort food at its best! It has rich, deep flavors and while it normally would take all day to simmer, it's done in about an hour thanks to the pressure cooker!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 pound andouille sausage, sliced

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 smoked ham hock (optional)

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 pound dried red kidney beans, rinsed

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon Cajun spice

1 teaspoon kosher salt

3 bay leaves

8 cups water

Fresh scallions, garnish

Hot sauce, garnish

White rice, for serving

Crusty Bread:

3 slices bread

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Coarse Salt

Show Directions
  1. Add olive oil to your container for the Crock-Pot pressure cooker and turn on the saute function. Add sausage slices and saute for 3-4 minutes until they start to brown slightly. Add onions, celery, green pepper, and garlic. Continue to cook for 3-4 minutes until vegetables soften.
  2. Add tomato paste, ham hock (optional), red beans, thyme, salt, Cajun spice, bay leaves, and water. The water should cover everything by at least an inch.
  3. Stir everything together really well to combine. Put on the pressure cooker lid and cook the beans on manual high pressure for 45 minutes. After the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes. Then release any remaining pressure using the valve. Test beans to make sure they are very tender.
  4. Taste red beans and season with salt to taste. Turn cooker onto the simmer function and simmer red beans for another 5-10 minutes to thicken the sauce.
  5. Serve red beans over white rice garnished with fresh scallion. Optionally add hot sauce for extra spice.

Leftover red beans and rice can be stored in the fridge for up to a week or frozen for up to 3 months. Reheat red beans over low heat on the stove with a splash of water.

To make crusty toast dippers, chop bread slices into sticks. Toss with olive oil and sprinkle with coarse salt. Arrange the dippers in the top rack of the cooker. Place on the Express Crisp lid and turn on the Air Fryer function. Cook for 5 minutes. Serve toast dippers with red beans!

Nutrition Info

STEP-BY-STEP RED BEANS AND RICE

The nice thing about using a pressure cooker for the beans is that you don't have to soak them overnight. If you want to, you can, but if you do then take 10 minutes off the cooking time. If you don't soak them, at least give them a good rinse and be sure to sort them for any little pebbles that can find their way in with the beans (it happens!).

Rinsed Red Beans - Red Beans and Rice

To start the red beans, turn your cooker onto saute mode and add the olive oil and sausage. Then add the trinity of Cajun cooking – green peppers, onions, and celery!

Sausage and peppers - Pressure Cooker Red Beans and Rice

Once that has cooked together for a few minutes and the vegetables have softened, you can add the other stuff to the pot and stir it together!

Ham Hock - Red Beans and Rice

I like to just use water for my red beans because there is already a lot of flavor going on here. Using stock is kind of a waste, but if you wanted to use a chicken stock or vegetable stock, you definitely could.

Anyway, seal the cooker and set it for 45 minutes on high pressure! Note: My photo says 35 minutes. That's probably not enough time unless you pre-soak your beans. 45 minutes is the right amount of time if you start with dried beans.

High Pressure Red Beans and Rice

When the time is up, turn off the cooker and let the pressure release naturally for 15-20 minutes. Then you can use the valve to vent off any extra pressure and pop open the cooker. Beautifully tender beans!

Cooked Red Beans and Rice

If you want the sauce to be a bit thicker with the beans, just turn the cooker onto simmer mode and simmer the beans for another 10 minutes or so and the sauce will thicken up perfectly.

MAKING THE TOAST DIPPERS

This is a really fun step. Slice up some bread and toss it with olive oil and coarse flaky salt. Then layer those on the crisper tray. Place the crisper lid on top and turn on the air fry cook setting for five minutes!

Crusty Bread Step

Look at these fun little toast dippers! And I cooked them literally on top of my red beans. How cool is that?!

Crispy Dippers - Red Beans and Rice

To serve this beauty of a red beans and rice dish, ladle the beans over white rice and garnish it with fresh scallions and a dash of hot sauce. It needs nothing else. Pure comfort food perfection!

Pressure Cooker Red Beans and Rice

If you have leftovers (you probably will unless you are feeding a neighborhood), it keeps well in the fridge for 5 days or so or you can freeze it for up to three months. Reheat the red beans with a splash of water in a pot over low heat.

YUM!

Pressure Cooker Red Beans and Rice

Here are a few other great Pressure Cooker Recipes!

  • Pressure Cooker Lemon Lentil Soup
  • Pressure Cooker Pork Ragu
  • Pot Roast Soup