Camellia Red Beans and Rice Instant Pot Recipe
Learn how to cook a delicious Camellia Red Beans and Rice recipe in the Instant Pot. It’s fast, flavorful, and healthy—a perfect weeknight dinner or party dish.
Equipment
- Instant Pot I recommend the 8qt size if you opt to use a large ham bone.
- Rice cooker
Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion
- 1 green bell pepper
- 3 celery sticks
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 pound Camellia Red Beans One pound is about two cups of beans. You can substitute other dried beans if you like, but not canned beans.
- 1.5 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon Cajun or Creole seasoning blend
- 1 teaspoon Louisiana hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 cups water
- 4 cups chicken broth You can substitute water, but broth gives a rich flavor
- 14 oz andouille smoked sausage
- 2 smoked ham hocks or a leftover ham bone Cooking the beans with bone-in ham adds a ton of flavor
- 4 green onions for garnish
- fresh parsley for garnish
- 2-3 cups white rice and water to cook it in
Instructions
- Cook the rice in a rice cooker or large pot with the required amount of water. People prefer different amounts of rice in this dish. My kids like a lot of rice. In my rice cooker, I add 3 cups of rice and 4 cups of water and cook according to the manufacturer's instructions.2-3 cups white rice
- Dice the onion, bell pepper, and celery. Mince the garlic. Add all to the Instant Pot.1 yellow onion, 1 green bell pepper, 3 celery sticks, 3 cloves garlic
- Place beans, salt, Cajun seasoning, hot sauce, thyme, bay leaves, ham hocks or ham bone, and water into the Instant Pot and close the lid. Set the vent to "sealing." You do not need to use soaked beans in this recipe.1 pound Camellia Red Beans, 1.5 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon Cajun or Creole seasoning blend, 1 teaspoon Louisiana hot sauce, 1 teaspoon thyme, 2 bay leaves, 3 cups water, 2 smoked ham hocks or a leftover ham bone, 4 cups chicken broth
- Press the Manual button and set to cook for 28 minutes.
- Slice the andouille smoked sausage into rounds.14 oz andouille smoked sausage
- When the timer beeps, carefully open the vent and do a quick release.
- Add the sliced andouille smoked sausage to the Instant Pot.
- Close the lid and set the vent to "sealing." Press the Manual button and set to cook for 15 minutes.
- When the timer beeps, allow the Instant Pot to do a natural release until the pressure indicator has dropped. This will take 10-20 minutes.
- Open the lid and remove the ham hocks or ham bone onto a plate. Stir the beans and taste to see if they are fully cooked. Different Instant Pots, altitudes, the freshness of the beans, and many other factors can affect cooking time. If the beans are undercooked, close the Instant Pot and cook a little longer.
- When the beans are fully cooked, the mixture will likely still be watery. For creamier beans, we need to mash some of them, and cook off some liquid. Keep the lid off and push the "Sauté" button. Heat the beans to a simmer, stirring frequently. Use a potato masher or immersion blender to mash the mixture just a bit. Do not fully purée. Simmer and stir for 10-15 minutes, until thickened. If it gets too thick, stir in some water as needed.
- Meanwhile, debone the ham and add the ham meat back into the pot.
- Chop the green onions and parsley.4 green onions for garnish, fresh parsley for garnish
- Serve beans in a bowl over a scoop of cooked white rice. Sprinkle the green onions and parsley on top.
- This meal makes great leftovers. Keep the rice and beans separate and refrigerate. Use within 5 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop over low heat. Add a little water if it is very dry and thick. I usually put an individual serving of rice in a bowl, top with beans, and reheat in the microwave.
- Red beans and rice freezes very well. Fill freezer safe containers and freeze for a convenient meal at a later date. Use within 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator, then reheat the beans in a pot on the stove over low heat until simmering. Serve over fresh white rice.
Video
Notes
Note: if you prefer to use soaked beans, do the following. Soak 1 lb dry Camellia Red Beans in a bowl of water for 12 hours. Rinse. Add to the Instant Pot same as the dry beans in the original recipe, and reduce the amount of liquids in the recipe to 5 cups.