This recipe for Quick Red Beans and Rice is as quick and easy as it is satisfying! Bacon (or sausage), onion and lots of spices transform canned beans into a pantry dinner worth getting excited about.
Red beans and rice is a simple yet satisfying meal. But, if you don't have time to soak and cook dried beans, you can still enjoy this comforting and hearty dish! This recipe for Quick Red Beans and Rice comes together in a hurry using canned kidney beans and a few other basic ingredients.
While I cannot claim that this is an authentic recipe by any means, I can say it is absolutely delicious, super easy, and I think you will really love it!
What you'll love about this recipe:
- You need a total of 30 minutes or less to pull an entire dinner together
- Even though the cooking time is short, this recipe is packed with hearty flavors thanks to the spices and smoky richness of the bacon.
- These red beans have a thick, satisfying gravy thanks to the addition of tomato paste, that mixes so well with fluffy white rice!
Ingredients
Here's what you'll need for this easy and quick red beans and rice recipe:
- Canned kidney beans
- Onion and/or bell pepper
- Bacon: sausage is the usual go-to for red beans and rice, but I really love the smoky, rich quality bacon adds. You can definitely substitute whatever meat you have in the house. See the next section "Substitution ideas" for more discussion on alternatives.
- Seasoning: you'll need salt, black pepper, garlic powder, cumin and coriander. If you don't have some of these, see the next section for some other ideas!
- Water
- Tomato paste: this really does wonders to thicken up the sauce!
- White rice: I prefer long-grain rice for this dish; I had jasmine on hand so that's what I used this time. Any type of white rice you've got in your pantry should work!
Substitution ideas
I love this recipe because it's versatile. If you don't have all of the ingredients I used, you can use what you do have and it will still taste great.
Vegetable substitutions
I had to make adjustments myself - I usually make this recipe with one onion and one green bell pepper. But, I couldn't get any bell pepper this week. So, I just used two onions instead! This will work the other way also: if you don't have any onions, just double up on bell pepper. You could also add in celery to fill in for missing onion or bell pepper.
Spice substitutions
As I mentioned in the Ingredients section above, the recipe calls for salt, black pepper, cumin, coriander, and garlic powder. Now, I'm assuming you have salt in your pantry. But, if you don't have one of the spices I listed, there's a couple things you could do.
First, if you are only missing one, you could simply add a little bit more of each of the other spices to make up the difference. Or you could try subbing in one of these other spices instead: paprika (bonus points for smoked paprika!), chili powder, Cajun seasoning, dried thyme.
Meat substitutions
If you don't have bacon, or you're not a fan, you can substitute a few different things. The most obvious substitute would be sausage - any kind would work, although andouille would be especially nice.
Fresh (uncooked) sausage
If you have uncooked sausage, remove it from the casing and saute it just like you would for bacon, stirring frequently and breaking it up into chunks with a wooden spoon or spatula. You may not need to cook it quite as long as the recipe calls for the bacon - just as long as it's brown and the fat has rendered out.
Depending on how fatty the sausage you have is, you may not need to drain out any grease either. I like a little bit of grease personally!
Pre-cooked or smoked sausage
If you want to use sausage that is already cooked (like andouille), just cut the sausage up into slices and brown it in the pan, then proceed with the other steps in the recipe. You don't need to actually cook the meat, just get a nice color on the outside and you're good to go.
Other meat substitution ideas
Ok, so you don't have bacon or sausage but you still really want to make this recipe. Now what? Here are some other wild ideas I had: cubed ham, shredded leftover pork roast, cut up hot dogs? Why not! Anything that gives a little bit of a meaty taste will add a lot to the dish.
If you're using meat without a lot of fat in it, just add some oil to the pan first to help the meat brown before moving on to the next step of the recipe. Again, if the meat you're using has already been cooked, all you need to do is get some nice color on the outside.
Rice substitutions
I like using white rice for this recipe because it cooks fast enough that the whole dish can be ready in 30 minutes or less. And I prefer the fluffiness of long-grain rice, but you can use any type of white rice you like!
You can also use other types of rice, like brown rice or wild rice. Or, substitute any grain you have in the pantry! Quinoa, farro, and couscous come to mind. But just remember, if you are subbing in another grain besides white rice, check the package directions ahead of time to see how long it takes to cook. You may have to start cooking the grain early so you can time everything to be ready at once.
Helpful tips
Here are a couple quick tips to help you make this recipe perfectly the first time:
- While the bacon cooks, some nice crusty brown spots should develop on the bottom of your pan (especially if you aren't using a non-stick pan!). These are flavor gold mines! Once you add the liquid to the pan, these brown bits will start to loosen. Help this along by scraping them up with your wooden spoon. This will really add some deep flavor to the finished dish!
- When you're finished cooking the bacon, you will need to drain out the excess grease. But, I like to leave a little bit in for extra flavor and richness! Here's how much I like to leave behind:
- The finished dish should have a sauce that's nice and thick, like this:
- If your sauce is too thin, just let it simmer gently on the stove for a little bit longer, stirring frequently.
- If your sauce is too thick, stir in some extra water. But go slow and add only a little bit at a time so you don't overdo it and end up with a too-thin sauce!
I hope you like this recipe for Quick Red Beans and Rice. If you’ve tried it, please let me know what you thought about it in the comments down below, I would love to hear from you! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest to see more delicious recipes from Nibble and Dine!
And if you're in the market for a few other 30 minute dinner meals, I have recipes for you! Check out this recipe for Lemon Butter Chicken, or this one for 30 Minute Stovetop Enchiladas!
📖 Recipe
Quick Red Beans and Rice
An easy and quick recipe for red beans and rice using canned kidney beans and bacon for extra richness and smoky flavor. Ready in only 30 minutes!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 5 - 6 servings 1x
- Category: main course
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 2 cups (uncooked) white rice, preferably long grain
- 12 ounces bacon
- 2 medium onions (or 1 onion and 1 green bell pepper)
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste (see notes for discussion of how much salt to add)
- ⅓ cup tomato paste
- 2 cans kidney beans, undrained
- ½ cup water
Instructions
1. Start preparing the white rice according to the directions on the package. If the rice is ready before the beans, just turn the burner off and let the rice sit with the lid on until ready to use.
2. Chop the bacon into large chunks. Heat a large (12") skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally with a spatula or wooden spoon, until the bacon is browned and most of the fat has rendered out. This should take about 9 - 10 minutes. If the bacon is browning too quickly, turn the heat down.
3. While the bacon is cooking, dice the onion (and bell pepper, if using).
4. Once the bacon is cooked, drain most of the grease, leaving about 1 - 2 tbsp. in the pan (leaving some grease in the pan is optional but I recommend it!). Return the pan to the heat and add the chopped vegetables, plus the salt, pepper, and spices. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes or until the onion begins to soften.
5. Add the tomato paste and continue to cook for another minute, stirring the paste around so it is evenly incorporated with the other ingredients and no lumps of tomato paste remain.
6. Add the water and two cans of undrained kidney beans to the pan. Scrape up any brown bits stuck to the pan with your wooden spoon or spatula. Simmer gently for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the sauce is thickened to your liking. Turn down the heat if necessary to maintain the gentle simmer.
7. Taste the beans and add more salt and/or pepper if needed. Serve in bowls over the prepared white rice.
Notes
I used kosher salt for this recipe, which is coarser than fine-grain salt. If using fine salt, you will likely need less than the 1 tsp. called for. The amount of salt you need also depends on how salty your bacon is (or other type of meat if substituting), and your personal tastes. You may want to start with less salt, then add until the dish is seasoned to your liking.
Ghulam Mohyudin
Good to know that works too! I learn so much from you as well! Keep it up great post.
Amanda
I have made this several times but use Beyond Meats Hot Italian Sausage instead of meat. I eat meat, I just prefer this recipe with the B M. Delicious!
Kate
Amanda that sounds really tasty, I have yet to try Beyond Meats but I've been really curious to try it. I'll have to use it when I make this recipe next time. Thanks for sharing!
Jacqueline stefanko
I am making this for the first time.. it really looks really good.
Kate
Thank you Jacqueline, I really hope you enjoy the red beans and rice! 🙂
Donna Parsons
Why only green pepper?
Kate
Hi Donna! To be honest with you, that's just the way I've always made it, and I like the slightly less sweet flavor of the green pepper in this dish! But you're right, I don't have a hard and fast reason for just green pepper - you can surely use red and green (or even orange or yellow!) Or some combination too. I think any color of pepper would taste great 🙂
Estella
Can I use just one onion instead?
Kate
Yes of course! The onion is just there for flavor, so you can just use what you have and it will still taste good 🙂 Thank you Estella for your question, if you end up making the recipe I hope you like it!
William Lyons
I used White onion, mixed yellow, red & green pepper, plus some celery for that creole/Cajun ‘holy trinity’ flavor base, bay leaf, low sodium old bay seasoning, garlic powder & thyme. Delish!
Kate
That sounds amazing William! I will have to try some of your additions next time I make it. And, now that I'm living in Maryland, of course I whole-heartedly approve of Old Bay on almost anything hehe 🙂 I'm really happy you enjoyed the recipe, thank you for sharing!
Jennifer
I made this last minute to go with some pulled pork. It was delicious and came together so quickly. It will certainly be on my rotation now.
Kate
Yay I'm so happy that you enjoyed the recipe Jennifer! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Tasha Dial
This recipe is just what I needed, something quick and flavorful with a taste of “from scratch” on the side! So delicious and easy! I did t have tomato paste but had diced tomatoes so I blended them in the food processor to improvise & it worked like a charm! I didn’t add the water because it was still not as thick as paste but turned out great in spite of!
Kate
Tasha thank you so much for your comment, I am really happy that you enjoyed it. And, how you described needing something quick but still with a homemade taste, is exactly what I'm trying to create with my recipes! So the fact that that came across for you in this recipe means the world to me. And I think it's really cool how you were able to improvise with what you had in your kitchen to make the recipe work for you!
Marion
I loved that you can make this recipe super simple or very elaborate ! I only had vegan bacon, and used a bit of mole sauce i had waiting in my fridge. I also added a little veggie stock instead of water. I will definitely redo with vegan sausages and bellpepper. Thank you very much !
Kate
Marion I'm so happy that you enjoyed the recipe! And I loved how you made it work with what you had on hand, your version sounds really delicious!
Erika
This dish was amazing. Thank you. It was quick and easy. We loved it.
Kate
Thank you Erika for your comment and review, I am really happy that you enjoyed the red beans and rice 🙂
Peter Barker
Just as easy, quick and tasty as promised; the whole family ate it up. I didn't have a green pepper so I used the same quantity of celery.
Kate
Peter thank you for your lovely comment it made my whole day 🙂 I'm really happy that you and your family enjoyed the red beans and rice recipe so much. Celery sounds like a great substitution!