There are some really good mixes at the grocery store that let you make a big batch of red beans and rice in about 20 minutes. If you can boil water and open a cellophane package, you can make a passable version of red beans and rice.
But for my taste, the red beans and rice that they make at Popeye’s Fried chicken cannot be matched by a packaged mix. I don’t know how they make their version of it, but it rocks! Seriously, I love the stuff.
It would be worth getting a part time job at Popeye’s Fried Chicken just to learn how to make all the stuff they have on the menu. I love their dirty rice and their po’boys. This is the closest I have ever been to real New Orleans cooking and I love this stuff! Teach me!