Creamy White Beans and Rice with Navy Beans

This Louisiana White Beans and Rice recipe brings true soul food flavor — creamy navy beans, smoky sausage, Cajun seasoning, and fresh sage slow-simmered to perfection.

📝 Ingredients

• 1 pound navy beans
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 pound cooked andouille sausage cut into 1/2-inch chunks
• 1 large onion finely chopped
• 1 green bell pepper stemmed (seeded, and finely chopped)
• 4 ribs celery finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 2 Smoked ham hocks
• 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 sprig fresh sage
• 2-3 bay leaves
• Cooked white rice for serving

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Place beans in a pot of salted cold water (add a few tablespoon of kosher salt and let dissolve) and cover. Set aside at room temperature overnight. Drain and rinse
2. 2Mix spices together in a small bowl or ramekin.
3. 3In a large Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Remove sausage to a napkin covered bowl and let drain.
4. 4Add onion, bell pepper, and celery to the pot cooking in the rendered sausage grease. Add additional vegetable oil if needed.
5. 5Season as you go with salt, pepper and paprika cooking and stirring, until vegetables have softened, about 4-5 minutes.
6. 6Add garlic and cook, stirring for about a minute.
7. 7Add more seasoning mix. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
8. 8Add cooked sausage, beans, smoked meat, sage, thyme, oregano, bay leaves and enough water to cover by about 2 inches. Bring to a boil and reduce to a bare simmer. Cover and cook until beans are completely tender about 3 hours. Check every ½ hour after the first two hours for tenderness. After an hour of cooking add more seasoning
9. 9Remove ham hocks and let cool enough to handle. Pull the meat off the bone and chop into smaller pieces. Add back to the beans and mix well.
10. 10Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has thickened and turned creamy, about 30 minutes.
11. 11If beans start to look dry before they’re done, then add water and continue simmering. Discard bay leaves and thyme stems. Serve red beans over steamed white rice.