Vegan Red Beans and Rice

Cajun-style red beans and rice make for the perfect vegan dinner starting with dry red kidney beans, followed by plenty of spices, liquid smoke, and fresh veggies!

• Preparation Time: 10 mins
• Cooking Time: 2 hr 15 mins
• Total Time: 2 hr 25 mins
• Calories: 436 Calories

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• salt to taste
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 cup uncooked white rice
• 4 dashes liquid smoke flavoring
• 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
• 6 large cloves garlic, peeled
• 8 cups water, divided
• 1 (16 ounce) package dry red kidney beans
• 0.5 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 0.25 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 0.5 teaspoon ground cumin

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Place red beans into a large container and cover with several inches of cool water; let soak, 8 hours to overnight. Drain and rinse.

Step 2

Add celery, onion, bell pepper, and garlic to a blender and process until just shy of a puree.

Step 3

Add vegetable oil to a saucepan or stockpot over medium heat. Cook and stir vegetable mixture for 5 minutes. Add thyme, oregano, black pepper, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Cook, stirring regularly, for 2 minutes more.

Step 4

Add 6 cups water, the beans, liquid smoke, and bay leaves. Stir to combine and turn heat up to high. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and let simmer until beans begin to fall apart, 2 to 3 hours.

Step 5

Bring remaining water and rice to a boil in another saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until rice is tender and water has been absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes.

Step 6

Pour most of the cooking liquid from the beans into a bowl and reserve. Remove bay leaves. Mash about 1/3 of the beans, adding as much of the reserved liquid as necessary to reach preferred thickness. Mix with the unmashed beans and season with salt. Serve beans over rice.