Red Beans and Rice
This vegetarian version of Red Beans and Rice is too delicious not to share despite the fact that I am still waffling between two cooking methods. I’ll explain. The initial recipe for Vegan Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice caught my eye. I liked the surprising addition of miso, to add some umami in place of the typical sausage, and I was pleased with the simplification of using a heaping tablespoon of your favorite Cajun or Creole seasoning, if you happen to have one (I do, Slap Ya Mama Cajun Seasoning), instead of the assorted spices. But what I didn’t have was the foresight to soak my beans overnight and the time to let this all come together for 7 hours in my slow cooker.
So what I did was look up a recipe for Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice, found this one on Damn Delicious (a blogger I trust) and followed the quick(er) cooking instructions while using a slight combination of ingredients from the two recipes. My beans came out a bit al dente (which Gary and I decided that we didn’t mind) but the original recipe explains how to remedy that with some additional cooking time. So what I am going to do here is give you my combo recipe for absolutely delicious vegetarian Red Beans and Rice using the Instant Pot. I am still a novice with this device and not completely sold, although I did really appreciate the fact that I could saute my ingredients right in the Instant Pot (and it’s a powerful saute feature) rather than dirtying a separate pan, as I would have had to do with my slow cooker. But if you only have a slow cooker and some time, just click on the NYTimes recipe link above and make that recipe as written. The flavors are divine. Enjoy!
Red Beans and Rice
Ingredients
- 1/4 c vegetable oil
- 1 large yellow onion finely chopped
- 3 celery stalks finely chopped
- 1 green bell pepper finely chopped (I didnt have and omitted)
- 10 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1 Tbls white or yellow miso paste heaping
- 1 Tbls Cajun or Creole seasoning or 2 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp each sweet paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, ground cayenne
- 3 dried bay leaves
- 3 fresh thyme springs or 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1 lb dried red kidney beans
- 1 qt low-sodium vegetable broth
- Cooked rice for serving
- Sliced scallions for serving, optional (I forgot)
- Louisiana-style hot sauce for serving
Instructions
- Set Instant Pot to the high saute setting. Add vegetable oil and heat. Add onion, celery, green pepper (if using) and garlic. Saute until vegetable soften, stirring occassionally, about 3-4 minutes.
- Stir in miso, Cajun seasoning (or individual spices), bay leaves, thyme, soy sauce, kidney beans and vegetable broth. Select manual setting; adjust pressure to high, and set time for 30-35 minutes.
- When finished cooking, let pressure naturally according to manufacturer’s directions, about 20-30 minutes.
- Test bean for doneness and if still too hard, reseal the Instant Pot lid and cook for an additional 20 minutes at high pressure.
- Taste for salt and pepper and add as needed. Serve with cooked rice, Garnish with scallions and hot sauce, if desired.