Vegan Pressure Cooker Red Beans and Rice

By Sarah DiGregorio

Published January 22, 2020

  • Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
1¾ hour
Rating
5(993)
Comments
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Here’s a vegan version of the classic New Orleans dish that uses smoked paprika, miso paste and soy sauce to add a savory notes. Pressure cookers are ideal for preparing dried beans; even unsoaked beans cook quickly and evenly, so that the beans become creamy but still keep their shape (though we’ve got instructions for a slow cooker approach, too). Here, you want the beans to be very tender, so that the stew is thick — with a few beans that have slightly broken down — and not soupy. This vegan version of “Monday red beans” is not as creamy as the one made with pork, so smashing a few beans against the side of the pot at the end of cooking is particularly important. Louisiana-style hot sauce is key as well.

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings

  • ¼ cup vegetable oil

  • 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped

  • Kosher salt and black pepper

  • 3 celery stalks, finely chopped

  • 1 green bell pepper, finely chopped

  • 10 garlic cloves, finely chopped

  • 1 heaping tablespoon white or yellow miso paste

  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika

  • 1 teaspoon sweet paprika

  • 1 teaspoon onion powder

  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder

  • ½ to 1 teaspoon ground cayenne, plus more to taste

  • ½ teaspoon ground sage (optional)

  • 1 pound dried red kidney beans (no need to soak)

  • 3 dried bay leaves

  • 3 fresh thyme sprigs or 1 teaspoon dried thyme

  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce

  • Cooked rice, for serving

  • Sliced scallions, for serving

  • Louisiana-style hot sauce, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

65 grams carbs; 422 calories; 7 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 11 grams fat; 14 grams fiber; 460 milligrams sodium; 20 grams protein; 4 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Turn on the sauté setting of a 6- to 8-quart electric pressure cooker and heat the oil. Add the onion, season with salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until limp and translucent, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the celery and bell pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the chopped garlic, miso paste, smoked paprika, sweet paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne and sage (if using). Grind in a generous amount of black pepper and add ¾ teaspoon salt. Stir well to combine all the ingredients, then turn off the sauté setting.

  2. Step 2

    Add the beans, bay leaves, thyme and 5 ½ cups water. Scrape the bottom of the pot to loosen any browned bits. Cook on high pressure until the beans are creamy, 50 minutes to 1 hour.

  3. Step 3

    Turn off the pressure cooker and allow the pressure to reduce naturally for 10 minutes, then release the remaining pressure manually and open the lid. Add the soy sauce, and season to taste with salt and cayenne. Using a fork, mash some of the beans against the side of the pressure cooker to make the mixture creamy. It will continue to thicken as it sits, or you can turn on the sauté setting and let the mixture bubble for a few minutes to thicken. Discard the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Top the beans with hot cooked rice and scallions; serve with hot sauce.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
993 user ratings
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Comments

BEVERLY A SAUER

Under self-imposed quarantine, 70 years old. Powdered onions and garlic are not the most delicious option but their shelf life, small storage requirements, and availability make them the best option in a crisis. The old Girl Scout in me keeps dry goods and spices in the pantry to ‘Be Prepared’ for any contingency: hurricanes, blizzard, COVID.

Todd

Oddly, salt isn’t mentioned in the ingredient list, but step 1 includes adding 3/4 tsp of it. Since both soy sauce and miso typically contain a huge amount of sodium, it might be a good idea to hold off on adding salt until the very end, and then only adding it if it really seems necessary.

jbno

Louisiana native here. Instead of miso and soy (which honestly feel pretty sacrilegious) just add some liquid smoke. My dad went vegan for a few years and that's what we used to give our beans the smokiness they need.

Harmony

I made this the other night and it is absolutely delicious. I paired it with brown rice. The only difference is that my beans were still slightly undercooked after one hour, so I reset the Instant Pot to pressure cook on high for another 20 minutes and they were perfect. I will definitely make this again and again!

Morganne

Used 3.5c water, 20 min high pressure for pre-soaked beans. Added 1.25c water for every additional cup of dried beans.

Lulu

I use the Instant Pot to cook beans, but just the beans then finish with the other ingredients on the stovetop because I think they can affect how long it takes for the beans to soften. This was delicious. I was missing some ingredients so subbed red miso for white or yellow, and 1 tsp smoked chipotle powder for the smoked paprika and cayenne.

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