Not Yo' Mamma's Red Beans
Submitted by jc44
Louisiana-style red beans and rice with a bold spice mix and an unexpected addition of grape juice for sweetness. No meat, all flavor, cooked from dried beans.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
2 hrsREADY
16 hrsRed beans and rice with a twist. This version skips the sausage and ham hock entirely, relying instead on a powerful custom spice blend, the holy trinity (onions, bell pepper, celery), and an unexpected splash of grape juice to build flavor from scratch.
The grape juice is the surprise ingredient. Added in two stages during cooking, it brings a subtle, fruity sweetness that rounds out the spice and replaces the background sweetness that pork normally provides. You won’t taste grape, but you’ll notice the depth.
Browning the first batch of vegetables in a dry, preheated pot before adding stock builds a caramelized base. Scraping those browned bits off the bottom of the pot (fond) with stock is where the rich, savory flavor comes from, not from meat.
Chef Tips
- Soak the beans overnight in the fridge. They’ll more than double in size, so use plenty of water.
- Stir and scrape the bottom of the pot frequently after the 45-minute mark. The beans release starch as they break down and will stick and burn if you’re not watching.
- The liquid should turn thick and creamy by the end. If it’s still thin, cook longer. If it’s too thick, add a splash of stock.
- Serve over hot white rice. The creamy beans and fluffy rice together are the whole point.
Variations
- Add sliced andouille sausage for a more traditional Louisiana red beans and rice.
- Stir in a tablespoon of hot sauce at the end for extra Cajun heat.
- Use kidney beans instead of red beans if that’s what you can find.
Ingredients
Directions
1) Day 1: Rinse beans, place in a medium bowl and add enough water to cover by 3 or 4 inches.
Soak overnight in the refrigerator.
As the beans absorb the water, they will more than double in volume.
2) Day 2: Combine the seasoning mix ingredients (salt, onion powder, basil, garlic powder, mustard, black pepper, white pepper, oregano and cayenne) in a small bowl.
Drain and rinse the beans. Drain again and set aside.
3) Preheat a heavy 5-quart pot, preferably nonstick, over high heat for about 4 minutes.
(If using a lighter pot, use lower heat.)
Add 2 cups of the onions, bell pepper, celery and 1 tablespoon of the seasoning mix.
Stir and cook until vegetables start to brown, about 5 minutes.
Add ½ cup of the chicken stock, scrape the bottom of the pot to clear all browned bits, and cook 3 minutes.
4) Add the remaining onions, stir, and cook 5 minutes.
Add the drained beans, 5 cups of the stock, and the remaining seasoning mix.
Stir and cook for 45 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pot occasionally to check for sticking and reducing heat if mixture is boiling too rapidly.
5) Add 1 cup grape juice and continue to cook for 25 minutes.
Caution: At this point, the starches in the beans start to break down and sticking will occur more often.
It is therefore important to check and clear the bottom of the pot frequently.
Add the remaining stock and grape juice, turn the heat to medium, and cook until the beans are tender, and the liquid is thick and begins to look creamy, about 30 to 35 minutes.
6) Serve over the hot rice.
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