Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice
This beloved southern dish—often known as “red and white” in New Orleans, where it can be found on many restaurant menus—is a great way to use your Instant Pot, which can be used to pressure cook the beans in a fraction of the time it would take on the stovetop. Serve with a bottle of hot sauce, such as Tabasco, alongside, so diners can add it to taste.
Ingredients
- 2 Tbs. vegetable oil
- 1 lb. (500 g) smoked sausage, cut into 1/2-inch (12-mm) slices
- 1 lb. (500 g) smoked ham, cut into 1/2-inch (12-mm) cubes
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 lb. (500 g) red kidney beans, picked over, rinsed and soaked overnight
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
- Steamed white rice for serving
- Hot sauce for serving
Directions
In an Instant Pot set to “sauté,” warm the oil. Add the sausage and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned all over, about 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to a plate. Add the ham to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer the ham to the same plate.
Add the onion to the pot, season generously with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add 4 cups (32 fl. oz./1 l) water and stir to scrape up any browned bits from the pot bottom. Add the beans, bay leaf, parsley, thyme, sausage and ham to the pot and stir to combine.
Lock the lid in place and turn the valve to “sealing.” Set the Instant Pot to cook at high pressure for 35 minutes.
When the pressure cooking is complete, turn the valve to “venting” to manually release the steam. When the steam stops, carefully remove the lid and discard the bay leaf. Transfer about 1 cup of the beans to a bowl and mash with a fork. Return the mashed beans to the pot and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve the beans in individual bowls over rice, adding hot sauce as desired. Serves 8.
Williams Sonoma Test Kitchen