Pableaux's Monday Night Red Beans

Red beans and rice is a Monday night tradition in New Orleans, and it’s hard to think of a dish that’s more satisfying. Food writer and photographer Pableaux Johnson has been cooking this recipe for years and serves it with rice and a skillet full of cornbread.

Ingredients

• 1 pound Camellia red beans, soaked
• 1 pound good smoked sausage, preferably andouille, sliced into coins
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 1 rib celery, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 6-8 cloves garlic, minced
• Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning

Salt and pepper

• 1 tablespoon dried basil

Pinch of rubbed sage

• 3 bay leaves

Hot sauce

• 1 bunch green onions, chopped
• 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, minced
• Cooked rice for serving

Directions

1. 5
2. Heat oil in a 5 Quart Cast Iron Dutch Oven.
3. Brown the sausage, stirring frequently, to render as much fat as possible. When well
4. browned, remove sausage from the pot and drain on paper towels.
5. Add onions and season with lots of Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning, salt, and pepper.
6. Cook onions over medium heat, stirring frequently, until well browned.
7. Add garlic and cook 5-10 minutes; add celery and bell pepper and cook until translucent.
8. Drain water off the soaked red beans and add the beans to the pot. Cover with fresh water.
9. Rub the basil between the palms of your hands as you add it to the pot. Add sage and bay

leaves. Add sausage back to the pot and stir well

1. Bring mixture to a boil, then lower heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until beans are

tender, about 1-1½ hours.

1. When beans are tender, mash some with a potato masher until the mixture looks creamy.
2. Stir in the chopped green onions and almost all of the parsley, reserving some parsley for
3. diners to add at the table. Season well with hot sauce.
4. Serve hot with cooked white rice, the extra parsley, and more hot sauce.

Notes

From the Lodge Cast Iron cookbook I picked up during my visit to the Lodge Museum of Cast Iron in South Pittsburg, Tennessee (June 2026). Contributed by Pableaux Johnson. Recommended cookware: Cast Iron Dutch.