Charleston Casserole

Charleston Casserole–rice and red beans with ground beef and ham made fast in the Instant Pot.

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Charleston Casserole

I don’t know what it is about rice and beans recipes but I love them all! This lowcountry dish was no exception. The rice turns quite red because of the tomato sauce and tomato paste and that’s why it’s traditionally called red rice. I added in ground beef and red beans to make it more of a main dish than just a side dish. It’s a perfect weeknight dinner or recovery meal if you’re my son. He’s into fitness and he loves rice and beans dishes because they provides a balance of nutrients and help with muscle recovery. Enjoy!

Ingredients/Substitution Ideas

• Lean ground beef–or ground pork, chicken, turkey
• Onion–yellow, white
• Garlic powder
• Kosher salt
• Sugar
• Black pepper
• Beef or chicken broth–or water and Better than Bouillon
• Converted rice–or long grain white
• Kidney beans–or cannellini beans
• Ham cubes–or smoked sausage
• Tomato paste
• Tomato sauce

Steps

Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When display says HOT add in the ground beef and break it up. Add in the onion and brown for 5 minutes. Drain off excess grease. Add in the garlic powder, salt, sugar and pepper. 

Pour in the broth and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking. Turn off Instant Pot. 

Sprinkle in the rice. Dump the beans, ham, tomato paste and tomato sauce on top. Don’t stir.

Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 4 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 10 minutes then move valve to venting and remove the lid.

Stir well. Serve and enjoy!

Notes/Tips

• Serve with collard greens or spinach salad.
• I used my 3 quart Instant Pot*. You can also make this in a 6 or 8 quart pot.
• This recipe is gluten free and dairy free.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container* in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
• Other recipes you can make with tomato paste are Instant Pot Mexican Pulled Pork and Instant Pot Uncle Gary’s Chicken.
• Instead of ham try stirring in a half cup of bacon crumbles after the pressure cooking time is over.
• Recipe adapted from The Seasoned Mom. The original author states, “this red rice recipe comes from a vintage Charleston cookbook that my great Aunt Bee gave me from her own collection. The cookbook was published in 1950 by the Junior League of Charleston.”

Did you know you can filter the recipes on my website to search by meat type, IP or Crockpot, low carb, gluten free, etc.? Use the filter to find exactly what you are looking for. 

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More Instant Pot recipes with red beans…

*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.