Instant Pot® NOLA Red Beans and Rice

This pressure cooker recipe has been converted from a family recipe that we've used for 40+ years. Our family had come across it while in New Orleans when I was a little girl. From what I remember, red beans and rice were always made at home on Mondays using leftover pork bones from the weekend meals. It's deliciously flavorful and can be made as spicy as you'd like. I hope you love it as much as my own family does.

• Preparation Time: 10 mins
• Cooking Time: 1 hr 20 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins
• Calories: 477 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons ground white pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 5 bay leaves
• 4 slices bacon, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ medium onion, diced
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 1 pound pork neck bones
• 2 teaspoons ground thyme
• 4 cups hot cooked white rice, or as needed
• 1 teaspoon Cajun or Creole seasoning
• 1 pound dry red kidney beans, sorted and rinsed

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Turn on a multi-functional pressure cooker (such as Instant Pot®) and select Saute function. Add olive oil. Add bacon and pork neck bones to the hot oil. Cook until browned on both sides, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove meat and set aside. Add bell pepper, celery, and onion ("trinity" mix); cook and stir for 1 to 2 minutes. Season with white pepper, thyme, garlic powder, oregano, cayenne pepper, Cajun seasoning, and black pepper. Mix in garlic and continue cooking until onion is translucent, 2 to 3 minutes.

Step 2

Mix kidney beans, chicken broth, salt, and bay leaves into the vegetables in the pot; stir well to combine. Cancel Saute mode and return meat to the pot. Close and lock the lid. Set vent to "Sealing." Select high pressure according to manufacturer's instructions; set timer for 60 minutes. Allow 10 to 15 minutes for pressure to build.

Step 3

Release pressure using the natural-release method according to manufacturer's instructions, about 10 minutes. Move valve to venting position and finish releasing pressure, about 5 minutes. Unlock and remove the lid.

Step 4

Remove pork bones from pot. Use a fork to separate the meat from the bones and return meat back to the pot. Mix well. Serve with white rice.