Red Beans and Rice has always been one of my favorite meals. It's definitely a comfort food in our household because, all the spices go so well together, it's easy and it makes a ton of food so there are always left overs for lunch. I first made this last year when I realized I had lots of canned beans and a huge bag of rice in my cupboard, then remembered how much I love Cajun food. I looked up recipes on Pinterest, but ultimately decided to just wing it. In this recipe I used the same combination of spices that go into my Jambalaya, andouille sausage, veggies and of course the rice and red beans.
I'm so excited to share this recipe with you all, because I know you will love it. This makes so much food, so next time you are having people over, whip it up! It will feed 8-12 people, depending on how much everyone eats of course and it's a one pot meal. This means clean up will be so quick!
Ingredients
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1 lb - Andouille Sausage link (cut 1/2 thick)
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1 1/2 cup - White Rice
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1 - Medium Yellow Onion (diced)
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3 - Stalks of Celery (chopped)
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1 - 15.5 oz can Red Kidney Beans
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1 - 14.5 oz can Diced Tomatoes
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2 tsp - Dried Oregano
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1 tsp - Dried Thyme
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2 - Bay Leaves
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1/2 tsp - Black Pepper
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1 tsp - Salt
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Juice of 1/2 lemon
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1/8 cup - Fresh Parley finely chopped
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Hot sauce to taste
Start by preparing all of your ingredients. Once everything is ready, add sausage to a deep non stick pan over medium high heat, to brown the meat. This sausage has enough fat that will render, so you do not need to add oil to the pan. Now that the sausage is browned, add the onion and celery. Saute' until veggies are tender. This will take about five minutes.
After the onion and celery are tender, add one can of diced tomatoes and one can of red kidney beans to the pan. At this time you will also add the dried spices. Do not add the parsley or lemon until the end. Simmer mixture for about 3 minutes before adding rice and water to the pan. Once the rice and water are added, turn heat to high to bring mixture to a boil. When you reach a rolling boil, cover the pan, then turn heat down to medium. Simmer this for 15-20 covered, or until rice is tender.
Our Red Beans and Rice is almost ready! Once your rice is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, you will sprinkle the fresh parsley and squeeze the lemon juice all over the rice mixture. Combine until all ingredients are well incorporated. Now we are ready to dish this up! Serve hot and sprinkle with your favorite hot sauce for an extra kick.
This meal would be a great entree for a Louisiana/Mardi Gras themed party with all your favorite party people. Throw some beads, brew some sweet tea and enjoy this Cajun masterpiece. Thank you all for cooking with me! Cheers!
Ashley Tuttle
