Red beans and rice is a dish popular in Louisiana. Red beans are made with red kidney beans, meat (like ham or sausage), and vegetables (like onions, bell pepper, celery or garlic). These things are cooked together slowly in a pot to make the red beans. The red beans are then poured onto cooked white rice. The rice can be steamed or boiled. Once the red beans and the rice are done, the red beans are served over the rice like a sauce. There is usually about an equal amount of red beans and rice, but some people like to have more red beans or more rice.
Red beans usually take several hours to make. Many people let the beans cook slowly all day. People in New Orleans used to make red beans when they did their laundry. They did this because they did not need to pay attention to the beans while they cooked. The beans could cook slowly while they did the laundry. People in New Orleans used to do laundry on Monday, so it is traditional in New Orleans to eat red beans and rice on Monday.
