If you’re anything like me, you love a god Mardi Gras parade. The sights, the sounds, and, the great Cajun and Creole cuisine. With one hitch- few Cajun or Creole recipes are plant-based in nature. Especially my favorite Creole comfort food, Etouffee.
A dish that’s full of down-home flavor and if you could pack the flavor of the crescent city into one dish, this would be the one.
If you’ve never heard of etouffée before, its traditional Creole dish from New Orleans that consists of seafood, typically crawfish, that’s smothered in a rich, spicy gravy thickened with butter-based roux. Which makes it anything from vegan-friendly.
While I am not an étouffée neophyte, I am a newbie when it comes to turning this family favorite dish into a plant-based classic. but as this was one of my favorite things to eat as a non-vegan, I knew I needed to have my hand in this recipe too! It is so good.
Étouffée is steeped in Cajun tradition. And my kidney bean version of étouffée is so yummy that it’s unthinkable for me to ever miss this beloved dish again. This buttery, spicy, tangy stew is just like a vegan trip down the bayou. Perfect on a cold, dreary winter day at home!
And a today is Mardi Gras, and I’m all about living that Laissez les bon temps rouler life, I’m sharing with you today my favorite 1-hour Mardi Gras-ready Red Beans Etoufee recipe.
This recipe is super quick to throw together with a pressure cooker or instapot. I’ve used both my Pressure Cooker XL and Instapot and both worked very well!
In terms of flavor, omitting the sausage or crawfish makes little change in this recipe. You’ll get great flavors in this Cajun dish from the spices. And if you like your stews extra thick like me, be sure to smash some of the cooked beans to thicken up your stew. This etouffee recipe can be served over brown rice, quinoa or sorghum for a change of pace.
I love this dish served chili-style. My husband? He’s fancy. He likes his etouffee served around an island of rice. Either way, it’s awesome!
If you are a lover of all things in a bowl, you’ll love this étouffée. It is gorgeous in color and also affordable to make. As it will surely yield an extra day’s worth of leftovers that get better with each passing day.
If you’d like to see how to make this recipe live, check out my video below for details!
I hope you will give this recipe a try, you won’t be sorry!
Now I want to ask, do you have any favorite Creole or Cajun dishes you love to make at home? I’d love to hear about them below!
This New Orleans classic is made fun and fabulous by adding a vegan twist. You'll love this 1-hour dinner tonight!
Ingredients
- 1 cup minced onion
- 2 cups minced bell pepper
- 2 teaspoons fresh minced garlic
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup dried kidney beans, soaked for 8–12 hours and drained
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons dried marjoram
- 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 1 (14.5-oz) can crushed organic tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Cooked rice of your choice
- Hot sauce
Instructions
- For the sauté, use the sauté setting in your instapot over normal, or medium heat.
- Add the onion and sauté until transparent.
- Then add the bell pepper and garlic. Sauté until the bell peppers softened.
- Add to the pressure cooker, the water, beans, bay leaves, thyme, smoked paprika, marjoram and cayenne. Stir to combine.
- Put the lid on and make sure the steam release handle is set to sealing, or closed; change to the manual setting and set the timer for 15 minutes.
- Carefully manually release the pressure.
- Remove the bay leaves and compost.
- Cook your rice. Set aside.
- Before serving, mix in the crushed tomatoes, oregano, and liquid smoke.
- Add salt, pepper, and hot sauce to taste.
- Cook the stew for an additional 3 minutes on high pressure, then release the pressure naturally.
- Serve over steamed rice.
Notes
When soaking the beans, save the soaking water. As the aquafaba can be used in your dish or as plant food for houseplants.
