Andouille Vegan Red Beans

If you have a love/hate relationship with meat like I do, this Vegan Red Beans recipe is something you need in your life. Even if you love meat, this is an extremely satisfying copycat concept for Andouille sausage. It’s spicy, smoky, and oh so hearty. And … it’s plant-based! So, after much Andouille research and recipe testing, this recipe is where I landed at.

For the meat lovers … you can also head over to my very porky, Jamaican-inspired recipe for Red Beans and Rice with Okra.

I took a cultural fusion approach, combining the classic French mirepoix with the “holy trinity” of base veggies commonly used in Creole cooking. The result was a flavor base of  brunoise (diced to ⅛-inch) veggies  … onion, celery, carrot, and green bell pepper. Slowly cooking these veggie bits in a smoky, spicy Andouille herbs and spices will set you up for some slammin’ vegan red beans. 

To help mimic Andouille sausage, I rely on two key ingredients … smoked paprika and fennel seed. The seasonings for Andouille vary from recipe to recipe, but the common characteristic across the board is that it’s always smoked. This explains the 1 full tablespoon of smoked paprika. When you open a jar of fennel seeds, the kinda-sweet, sausage-like aroma overtakes your sinuses. Therefore, this often-forgotten spice is essential here – but just a small amount. 

For added balance and depth of flavor I turned to a couple of Medjool dates. Brown sugar or molasses are often classic additions to spicy bean recipes.  However, the natural sweetness of Medjool dates achieves the same effect in a more natural way. Simply remove the pits and peel them as best as possible so you can get to the flesh.

Ingredients for vegan red beans

• 1 ½ cups dry small red beans (about 4 cups cooked)
• 4 tablespoons olive oil 
• ½ large Spanish onion
• 1 stalk celery
• 1 medium green pepper 
• 1 medium carrot 
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 heaping tablespoons tomato paste 
• ½ tsp fennel seed, freshly ground 
• ½ tsp Cayenne pepper 
• 1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground 
• 1 tbs smoked paprika 
• 1 tsp chili powder 
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 bundle of thyme, tied together
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 cups vegetable stock 
• 2 Medjool dates

 

Instructions

1. Pour boiling water over red beans. Simmer until beans are half done, approximately 1 ½ hours. Stir occasionally. Drain the beans and reserve the bean liquid. 
2. Finely dice the onion, celery, carrot and green pepper into 1/8-inch pieces. Mince the garlic. Set these aside.
3. For the Andouille seasoning, in a small bowl combine the spices … fennel seed,  Cayenne pepper, black pepper, smoked paprika, chili powder, and kosher salt.
4. In a large pot, heat the olive oil to medium high heat. Cook the onions, carrots, bell pepper, celery and until onions are translucent. Then stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant. 
5. Stir in the Andouille seasoning and continue cooking to bloom the spices, about 2 minutes. Then, stir in the tomato paste until it’s evenly distributed and allow this to cook long enough for the tomato to caramelize slightly, approximate another 5 minutes.
6. Add the chicken stock, beans, thyme, and bay leaf. Bring this to a boil for a few minutes. Reduce heat to simmer. Remove the pits from the dates and peel the skins from the flesh. Add the flesh of the dates, it will cook down and dissolve into the beans in the same way brown sugar would. 
7. Continue simmering with the lid slightly ajar until the beans are tender. If too much water is getting absorbed, simply add some of the reserved bean liquid as needed.