Skip to main content
Epicurious
Cookbooks

Red Beans

3.8

(14)

Image may contain Food Plant Vegetable and Produce

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from The Dooky Chase Cookbook by Leah Chase. Chase also shared some helpful tips exclusively with Epicurious, which we've added at the bottom of the page.

In Madisonville, where I grew up, we would use smoked ham to add flavor to our red beans. In New Orleans, they would use pickled meat. Pickling of pork was done in the Creole community. Pickled ribs with potato salad were popular. The meat was pickled in a brine, more or less, along with seasonings. There is a market in New Orleans that still makes pickled meat, in just this way. They might also use some kind of vinegar. In this red beans recipe, I stick with the smoked meats, just like in the country.

Leah Chase shares her tips with Epicurious:

· Red beans are a perfect low-maintenance but hearty choice. "They practically cook themselves," Chase says. Just be sure to stir them occasionally to make sure they don't burn. You can also prepare them in a slow-cooker. · If you'd like to cut down on the cooking time, many cooks choose to soak their beans in water beforehand, Chase says. Clean and sort the beans as directed, then leave them in a bowl, just covered with water, overnight or several hours ahead. · If you prefer a more pronounced garlic flavor, add the garlic more toward the end of the cooking. "It will have a more powerful taste that way," Chase says.

See Related Recipes and Cooking Tips

Read More
Smothered Italian Sausage
This is what I call a fridge-eater recipe. The key here is getting a nice sear on the sausage and cooking the tomato down until it coats the sausage and vegetables well.
Salmon With Sizzled Nut Salsa
A savory-hot salsa made with mixed nuts (like the kind dubbed cocktail nuts meant for snacking) gives roast salmon a kaleidoscope of textures and flavors.
Our Favorite French Onion Soup
Caramelized onions, melty Gruyère, and a deeply savory broth deliver the kind of comfort that doesn’t need improving.
White Bean Turkey Chili
A dash of cocoa powder adds depth and richness to the broth of this easy turkey chili.
One-Pot Chicken Thighs With Cilantro Rice and Beans
This one-pot dinner cooks chicken thighs directly on top of a bed of flavorful cilantro rice studded with black beans for a complete dinner.
Butternut Squash–Kale Salad With Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette
Round out these autumn greens with tart pomegranate seeds, crunchy pepitas, and a shower of Parmesan.
Dulce de Leche
Make this versatile caramel at home with our slow-simmered method using milk and sugar—or take one of two sweetened condensed milk shortcuts.
Golden Mushroom Soup With Orzo & a Pat of Butter
This is the type of soup that, at first glance, might seem a little…unexciting. But you’re underestimating the power of mushrooms, which do the heavy lifting.