Soul Food Red Beans and Rice Recipe

*Shaunda Necole from The Soul Food Pot offers a comprehensive guide to preparing classic red beans and rice using modern kitchen equipment. This traditional dish can be made entirely in an Instant Pot electric pressure cooker, streamlining the cooking process while maintaining authentic flavors.

The recipe breaks down into three main components: the red beans, optional beef sausage with gravy, and jasmine rice. Each element cooks separately in the Instant Pot, allowing home cooks to customize their meal based on personal preferences.

Kitchen Equipment for Soul Food Red Beans and Rice

• Instant Pot electric pressure cooker (optional)

Ingredients for Black Folks’ Soul Food Red Beans

• 1 pound of dried kidney beans (small red beans)
• 6 cups of chicken broth (use vegetable broth for vegans & vegetarians)
• 1 cup of diced red onion
• 2 teaspoons of minced garlic
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
• ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper
• ½ a teaspoon of dried thyme
• 2 teaspoons of chicken bouillon (vegans & vegetarians use a Creole seasoning)
• 1 ½ teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of black pepper

Instructions for Soul Food Red Beans

1. Open the Instant Pot lid and pour the chicken broth into the stainless-steel inner pot.
2. Add the kidney beans, onion, garlic, bay leaf, paprika, cayenne pepper, thyme, chicken bouillon, salt, and black pepper.
3. Stir the ingredients to combine.
4. Make sure the beans are soaking and covered in the broth.
5. Close the Instant Pot lid (make sure the valve is up – in the position for sealing) and pressure cook on high for 40 minutes.
6. When the cooking time is finished, allow a natural pressure release for at least 15 minutes.
7. To open the Instant Pot lid, move the valve to venting and manually release any remaining pressure, if applicable.
8. Remove the bay leaf and serve soul food red beans right away over rice, optionally with sausage and gravy.

Ingredients for Beef Sausage and Gravy (Optional)

• 12 oz. of beef smoked sausage, chopped into approx 1/4″ rounds (optional)
• 1/2 a cup of water
• 1/2 a cup of broth from the pot of red beans
• 1 cup of dry brown gravy mix (1 packet)

Instructions for the Beef Sausage (Optional)

1. Open the Instant Pot lid and add the cut sausage, water and bean broth into the stainless steel inner pot.
2. Close the Instant Pot lid (make sure the valve is up – in the position for sealing) and pressure cook on high for 15 minutes.
3. When the cooking time is finished, allow a natural pressure release for at least 10 minutes.
4. To open the Instant Pot lid, move the valve to venting and manually release any remaining pressure, if applicable.
5. Add the brown gravy to the sausage broth and stir to combine and eliminate any clumps.
6. Serve this Black folks’ soul food red beans and rice with sausage and gravy over rice, and enjoy!

Ingredients for the Rice

• 2 cups of jasmine rice
• 2 cups of water
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of sugar, granulated

Instructions for the Rice

1. Open the Instant Pot lid and pour the water into the stainless-steel inner pot.
2. Add the jasmine rice, sugar, and salt to the Instant Pot stainless steel inner pot.
3. Stir to mix the ingredients and make sure the rice is covered in the water.
4. Close the Instant Pot lid (make sure the valve is in the sealing position – up) and pressure cook on high for 4 minutes.
5. When the cooking time is finished, allow a natural release of pressure for at least 2 minutes.
6. To open the Instant Pot lid, move the valve to venting and manually release any remaining pressure, if applicable.
7. Fluff the cooked rice with a fork.
8. Serve the rice with soul food red beans on top, and enjoy!

Pro tip: To avoid the rice drying, immediately remove the inner pot with the rice after the pressure release.

What Meat is Good With Red Beans and Rice?

Sausage, smoked turkey, or ham can all complement this dish beautifully. You can use sausage, boiled ham, smoked turkey, or even ribs depending on your preference.

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