what spices do you add to red beans and rice

Chili and/or cumin is a game-changer.

I use a recipe that calls for thyme, sage, bay leaves and Cajun seasoning (which I just approximate with cayenne, onion powder and garlic powder).

Garlic salt
Tabasco (NOT Natchitoches Style Red Beans levels of Tabasco)
Worcestershire
Bay leaves
Salt
Pepper
Broth instead of water

Not all spices, but these are the things that go in the pot at the same times the beans do.

All of the sliced sausage and finely chopped tasso gets browned and then pulled out of the skillet so the onions, celery and garlic can go in to deglaze the crusty bits and sweat down. That then gets added with all of the tasso and (if I'm cooking for a larger group) some of the sausage to the pot once it has come up to a rolling boil and then backed down to a simmer. That goes for a few hours to cook down and let the beans and the flavor meats break up. About a half hour before serving, the remainder of the sausage goes in to finish cooking through and heating.

Usually, though, I'll put all the sausage in before the simmer instead of holding some back and just let it simmer away. It just depends how I feel and how I want my sausage to come out in the final dish.

There's definitely a textural and flavor difference determined by how long it sits in the beans. Longer cook means you get more of that deep smoked flavor in the gravy, but your sausage is going to be crumblier and drier due to the extended cooking causing the proteins to denature more and squeeze moisture out of the meat, even if you have it set to a bare simmer. Putting the sausage in toward the end will get you less deep flavor in your gravy, but the sausage will be much plumper and juicier because more of the liquid that started off inside the sausage remains in the sausage. I actually prefer putting it all in at the beginning of the simmer and letting it cook, but putting some in at the beginning and holding some back gets me a happy medium if I'm cooking for others that might not like the texture of a long-cooked sausage.

And a capful of white vinegar.

Not a spice, but I add a few drops of Zatarain's crab boil liquid. Also some celery added ftw.

I also add smoked paprika in generous quantities and will use Chipotle powder instead of cayenne.

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Tony's or salt, red and black pepper, bay, garlic, and a little thyme, basil and oregano. Lots of onions, with parsley and green onions to finish.

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This is what my husband uses. His beans are the only ones I like.

Reggie Ball’s seasoning, salt, cayenne, pepper, thyme, garlic and bay leaves.

Rabideauxs sausage and honey bee ham for the meats

Savory... ground or the leaf version.

tomatoes cooked till they melt away