Gluten-free Louisiana Red Beans and Cauliflower Rice

This southern Louisiana-style red beans and cauliflower rice will have you singing the blues in a good way since it's completely gluten-free!

Jump to:

• What are red beans and rice?
• Are red beans and rice gluten-free?
• Ingredients.
• Gluten-free cajun seasoning.
• Steps.
• Tips for making cauliflower rice.
• Serving suggestions.
• More quick and easy gluten-free dinners.
• 📖 Recipe

What are red beans and rice?

 Red beans and rice is pretty much how it sounds. It is a real southern Louisiana classic dish. This dish has bold flavors, but it’s easy enough to enjoy any night of the week! Made with andouille sausage, simple veggies, red beans, and all the Cajun spices, it’s bound to become a family favorite fast.

Are red beans and rice gluten-free?

While red beans and rice recipes should be gluten-free, their sausage is not always, so make sure you use a gluten-free andouille sausage to make gluten-free red beans and rice.

Ingredients.

Making classic gluten-free cajun food is easier than you think with simple ingredients.

• Olive Oil - I prefer olive oil, but you can use a light cooking oil like avocado oil if you prefer.
• Onion - I prefer the sweetness of yellow onion in this recipe.
• Celery
• Green Onion
• Bell Pepper - It doesn't matter what color you use. I tend to use red or green since those are the ones I have on hand most often.
• Andouille Sausage - Not all andouille sausage is gluten-free. I use Aidell's cajun sausage, which is gluten-free, for this recipe.
• Garlic - You can use fresh or garlic powder.
• Cajun Seasoning - Spice blends can often contain fillers and anticaking ingredients which can contain gluten. See below for my gluten-free cajun seasoning blend if you can't find one.
• Chicken Broth - I love the added flavor of chicken broth, but you can also use beef broth, veggie broth, or even water.
• Red Kidney Beans - While red kidney beans are pretty standard for this recipe, if you don't like them, you can also use white kidney beans or your preferred beans.
• Spices - We use a mixture of sweet, savory, and spicy to bring out a ton of flavor in this red beans and rice recipe.
• Rice - We can't make red beans and rice without rice. For this recipe, you can use cauliflower rice or, if you prefer, regular jasmine rice.

Gluten-free cajun seasoning.

If you can't find a gluten-free cajun seasoning, don't worry. Here is my favorite homemade blend that is easy to make with spices you probably already have on hand.

Ingredients.

• 2 TBS Smoked Paprika
• 2 TBS Salt
• 2 TBS Garlic Powder
• 1 TBS Ground Black Pepper
• 1 TBS Onion Powder
• 1 TBS Dried Oregano
• 1 TBS Dried Basil
• 1 TBS Dried Thyme
• 1 - 2 TBS Cayenne (depending on desired heat level)

Mix everything into a small bowl until combined. Store it in a sealed container or jar until ready to use.

Steps.

Step 1. Cook the cauliflower or jasmine rice.

Step 2. Make the sausage, veggies, and bean mixture.

1. Saute the veggies.
2. Add the sausage to the veggies.
3. Stir in the red kidney beans, spices, and broth, and let it simmer.
4. Serve over your choice of rice.

Tips for making cauliflower rice.

I'm going to give you my total favorite cheater way to make cauliflower rice. BUY IT FROZEN. Okay, this might not be such a secret, but I promise it makes life so much easier. I've learned a few tips and tricks to make sure you end up with a texture very similar to that of rice and not a mushy bowl of mashed cauliflower instead.

• Cook it from frozen - DO NOT thaw cauliflower rice before you try to cook it. Trust me; if you do, you will end up with mush.
• Do NOT add any oil/ cooking fat to your pan - Cook the cauliflower rice dry without any added fat to the pan. If you want to add some flavor with fat, add it once the cauliflower rice has cooked.
• Cook it over HIGH heat - This might sound weird to say. Still, I find cooking the cauliflower rice over medium-high heat helps not only for the water in frozen cauliflower to evaporate faster but also adds a nice little crisp bite that is more reminiscent of rice.
• Serve it right away - Cauliflower rice is like broccoli; it cools off quickly, and nobody wants cold cauliflower.

Serving suggestions.

This gluten-free red beans and rice recipe is pretty filling on its own, but sometimes say, it's nice to serve it alongside some of my gluten-free cornbread.

More quick and easy gluten-free dinners.

📖 Recipe