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This vegetarian red beans and rice recipe is budget-friendly meal with ingredients that are accessible in most supermarkets. Zesty and nutrient-dense, it’s full of veggies, legumes, and Cajun spices.
48.8 million Americans—including 16.2 million children (nearly one in five children in America)—lack the means to get enough nutritious food on a regular basis. They live in food- insecure households and as a result, they struggle with hunger at some time during the year.
(Source: nokidhungry.org)
A bit about food access and hunger
A sobering truth is that while most people we know are blessed with the ability to eat whatever we want whenever we want, millions of people around us are not. It’s easy to put on the Pinterest-tinted glasses and create a happy world where everyone eats veggie enchiladas and drinks green smoothies — but the truth is, many Americans simply don’t have the resources or access to get to even half of the veggies in a trendy green drink.
Alex and I are thankful to know people who are passionate about combating food access and hunger in our country, and it’s an issue we are naturally interested in as well, as people who care deeply about food and nutrition. So we couldn’t be more pleased to be joining with our inspiring friend Nicole to use today’s post to raise awareness in a campaign called Food Bloggers Against Hunger (and, check out the link to see the 200 other food bloggers that have joined in the effort! So cool.).
Millions of Americans who participate in the nation’s food stamp program are limited to an average of $3 or $4 per person each day to supplement their food budget. And since government subsidies generally focus on products like soy beans, wheat, and corn instead of fresh produce, most affordable food is often the unhealthiest.
Vegetarian red beans and rice
With that in mind, today we’re sharing a budget-friendly meal with ingredients that are easily accessible in most supermarkets. This take on Red Beans and Rice can be made on a budget, for about $4 per person. But even better, it’s very delicious and nutrient-dense: full of veggies, legumes, and Cajun spices that pack a large amount of flavor into some humble ingredients. It also works for various special diets, including dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian.
The ingredients in this vegan red beans and rice recipe are simple: onion, celery, green pepper, tomatoes, and red beans. What makes the zesty flavor is the homemade Cajun spices: cayenne, paprika, oregano, and thyme. And if you can handle the heat, the finishing touch is the hot sauce! We ate our vegetarian red beans and rice with brown rice, but any type of rice will do. If you have a rice cooker or Instant Pot, it’s perfect to throw in the rice while you make the remainder of the recipe.
Related: Cuban Black Beans with Rice and Brown Rice Recipes
Looking for vegan recipes?
This Vegetarian Red Beans and Rice recipe is also vegan! Here are a few of our favorite vegan recipes:
- Tropical Mango Bowls with Citrus Drizzle
- Savory Vegan Pot Pie with Sage Crust
- Chocolate Tahini Vegan No Bake Cookies
- All vegan recipes on A Couple Cooks
This recipe is…
This Vegetarian Red Beans and Rice recipe is vegetarian, gluten free, vegan, plant based, dairy free and naturally sweet.
Red Beans and Rice
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 to 6 1x
Description
This vegetarian red beans and rice recipe is a budget-friendly meal with accessible ingredients. Zesty and nutrient dense, it’s full of veggies and Cajun spices.
Ingredients
- 4 cups cooked brown rice (use How to Cook Rice or Instant Pot rice)
- 1 yellow onion
- 4 stalks celery
- 1/2 green pepper
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 2 15-ounce cans red kidney beans (3 cups cooked)
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Black pepper
- ¼ cup chopped parsley, to garnish
- Hot sauce, to garnish
Instructions
- Cook the rice according to package instructions.
- Dice the onion and celery. Dice the pepper. Mince the garlic.
- In a large saucepan (or dutch oven), warm the olive oil over medium heat. Sauté the onion, celery, and pepper for 8 to 10 minutes over medium heat until softened. Add the minced garlic and cook for about 2 minutes more; watch the pan to avoid burning the garlic.
- Meanwhile, drain and rinse the red beans. When the vegetables are ready, add the beans, diced tomatoes with their liquid, and vegetable broth. Stir in the cayenne pepper, paprika, oregano, thyme, 2 bay leaves, kosher salt, and a few grinds of pepper.
- Simmer over low heat for 20 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Meanwhile, roughly chop the parsley leaves.
- When simmering is complete, remove the bay leaves and serve the beans over rice. Garnish with chopped parsley and hot sauce.
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Cajun
Keywords: Red Beans and Rice, Vegetarian, Vegan, Vegan Red Beans and Rice, Vegetarian Red Beans and Rice
This is so my kind of meal!!! I have been all over mexican food lately and rice is a staple in our house! Seriously, we have it multiple times a week! Cant wait to make this!
This is such a fabulous project, and this recipe looks so lovely!
I’ve tried many times to make a good vegetarian RB&R but I can’t get it to taste right without a ham bone and homemade chicken stock. I’ll have to give veggie stock a try. I’ve tried a “curried” variation that replaced meat with potatoes and used curry and coconut milk instead of stock that came out pretty good.
Adding the tomatoes is interesting. Louis Armstrong’s RB&R recipe adds tomato paste. I’ve tried it a few times but I found it was too heartburn inducing.
I can’t believe you only stew it for 20 minutes! I leave mine on at minimum 2 hours.
Yeah! We definitely aren’t going traditional here — and using the canned beans it can be cooked rather quickly. You’ll have to let us know if you try it and what you think!
Thank you so much for participating in this event and for sharing this AMAZING recipe! I am definitely going to be making this soon.:)
This is the prettiest beans and rice I’ve ever seen, and I’m sure the tastiest! What a great cause, too. I wish I would have known about it earlier!
Oh, thank you Ashley!
I think it is awesome that you are raising awareness for this! Whenever I throw something away, I feel guilty as I know so many families are suffering from hunger out there. I totally support this cause and love your simple and wholesome recipe!
Thank you so much for your support, Sarah!
We were going to post a beans and rice recipe as well, then we opted for a breakfast dish. But you’re right, never everyone drinks and eats like Pinterest shows us, it’s important to know that others don’t have those opportunities!
Yes, as much as we’d love to live in a Pinboard, it’s good to know it’s not reality — for most of us :)
I ate a whole lot of Red Beans and Rice when I was in college and I still have a fondness for it! It’s one of those rare comfort foods that’s also good for you. And the budget-friendly aspect of it is a great bonus too!
Beans and rice is pretty standard, but we’d actually never made red beans and rice Cajun style! We were pleasantly surprised at how tasty they were :)
I have been looking for a vegetarian red beans and rice recipe for a long time and I was so excited when I saw this recipe. My husband and I loved this meal, and it will surely become a staple in our rotation. Thank you so much!
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed it :-)
Thanks for this. I just saw it today so I clearly missed the April 8 event but this post led me to Nicole at The Giving Table. I emailed her and asked if there are any other events coming up and she responded right away with some suggestions.
The food crisis in our country is a cause that tugs at my heart and ultimately what led me to blogging. Collectively, we’re forgetting how to cook real food. The more we rely on someone else to do our cooking (whether it’s restaurants or factories), the more they can charge us for it. My goal is to help people in the kitchen so I love blogs like yours who teach people how to cook with whole ingredients, too. Thank you for making me (and many others) aware of this organization. I’m excited to get involved!
Stephanie — Yes! Thank you so much for your passion for this issue! I took a look at your site and it is very in depth with a great amount of information. Your heart for helping people in the kitchen is evident! I’m excited to hear about how you continue to become involved — I’d love to stay in touch! Thanks for this note.