Red beans and rice is one of the most underrated dishes on the Popeye’s menu! If you haven’t tried them yet, give this recipe a go and be sure to order next time (although I’ll bet you can barely tell the difference!).
This super easy Popeye’s red beans and rice copycat recipe offers the tender, smoky beans and rice from your favorite restaurant that are ready in less time than it takes to place a takeout order!
The beans are perfectly seasoned to copy the traditional flavors in the Popeye’s version, made with only a few cupboard ingredients, so you can have this whenever you like! You can serve with your favorite kind of rice (white, brown, wild, even cauliflower rice), but I’ve made it here with plain long grain white rice to match Popeye’s version.
At only 5 points for a generous meal, this is a hearty dish that you can whip up without too much effort or guilt. So next time you’re not sure what to make for dinner, serve up a restaurant-quality dish that contains hearty and nutritious pantry staples and plenty of spice!
Why You Should Try Popeye’s Red Beans and Rice Copycat Recipe
- Super easy to make and uses only pantry ingredients you have on hand. If you don’t have turkey or chicken bacon, you can just leave it out or use regular (the points may vary), so this is a great option for days when inspiration for dinner is sparse. I like to add bacon salt to give it a bit of smoky flavor, so if you can get your hands on it, it really makes a difference.
- Healthy, full of fiber and protein. A hearty meal that really satisfies while you can be sure the family is benefitting from this delicious meal.
- Fast! This whole meal is done in 25 minutes. Less if you have precooked rice on hand already.
Recipe Overview and WW Points Breakdown
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Servings: 4
Red beans: 0 points
Turkey bacon: 4 points
Rice: 15 points
Total: 5 points per serving
Ingredients
- 2 cans red beans – 0 points
- 4 thin slices of turkey or chicken bacon – 4 points
- 3/4 cup rice – uncooked white, long grain – 20 points
- 2 cups of water
- 1/2 cup beef stock (or extra water)
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional, to taste)
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt (use Bacon Salt if you have it!)
- Ground black pepper
How to Cook Red beans and Rice (Step by Step)
- Place water and rice in a pot with a pinch of salt and bring to a boil.
- Turn heat down to a simmer and cook for 12 minutes.
- Remove from heat but leave the lid on to rest for an additional 10 minutes.
- Fluff with a fork and set aside.
- Roughly chop the bacon and heat a large frypan over a medium heat.
- Add the bacon and cook until crispy and brown.
- Add the beans, seasoning, beef stock and simmer for 15 minutes until the beans are soft.
- Remove about a quarter of the beans and mash with a fork or potato masher.
- Return the mushed beans to the pan and combine. If the mixture is too thick, add a Drizzle 😉 of water.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve the beans piled on a plate with a scoop of the rice in the center.
Variations and substitutions
- Flavor options: you can substitute the seasonings in the recipe for 2 teaspoons of creole or cajun seasoning if you have it on hand.
- Try subbing the white rice for brown for even more protein and fiber (this will take slightly longer to cook, follow packet directions).
- If you can find bacon salt, this adds a whole lot of bacon flavor without any extra calories!
Tips and Tricks
- Mashing the beans and stirring them back through the mixture gives this dish a lovely thick texture but this is optional. If you don’t like the texture of mashed beans or just can’t be bothered, feel free to just serve a scoop of the whole beans with the rice.
- Start the rice before you begin the beans prep, that way everything will be ready at the same time.
- If you like it hot, you can add extra chili flakes on top and a swirl of sour cream.
- The bacon adds a bit of flavor, but you can skip this step if you are vegetarian or don’t have any at hand. The paprika helps to add the smoky bacon flavor to the final dish.
Related Recipes
Popeye’s Red Beans and Rice Copycat Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cans red beans
- 3/4 cup rice
- 4 slices turkey bacon, or chicken bacon
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 cup beef stock
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp salt, or bacon salt if you have it
- ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place water and rice in a pot with a pinch of salt and bring to a boil.
- Turn heat down to a simmer and cook for 12 minutes.
- Remove from heat but leave the lid on to rest for an additional 10 minutes.
- Fluff with a fork and set aside.
- Roughly chop the bacon and heat a large frypan over a medium heat.
- Add the bacon and cook until crispy and brown.
- Add the beans, seasoning, beef stock and simmer for 15 minutes until the beans are soft.
- Remove about a quarter of the beans and mash with a fork or potato masher.
- Return the mushed beans to the pan and combine. If the mixture is too thick, add a Drizzle 😉 of water.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve the beans piled on a plate with a scoop of the rice in the center.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I don’t have bacon salt (had never heard of it before). However, I do have both smoked salt and smoked pepper. Would it be too much to use both?