This is one of those recipes The Net Gourmet cooks when Mrs. The Net Gourmet is away for the day. She’s not a fan. That said, not being from the South, I’ve always been intrigued by red beans and rice. The dish looks so good on all those cooking shows. But, dealing with soaking beans, finding the right sausage and just what beans to use has always kept me from cooking them.
Here’s a simple recipe made with canned beans and other ingredients you typically have on hand, Serves 2-4.
Ingredients:
- 2 Cups cooked white rice
- 2 Cans pinto beans, or red kidney beans
- 1 Onion chopped
- 2 Stalks Celery Chopped
- 1 Green bell pepper chopped
- 2 Cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1/2 Cup water
- 1 Bay leaf
- 1/4 Teaspoon dried sage
- 1 Teaspoon dried parsley (or 2-3 fresh) chopped
- 1/2 Teaspoon Cajun seasoning*
- 1 Smoked sausage like Andouille
- 1/4 Teaspoon Cayenne pepper
- Chopped chives for garnish
Directions:
Cook the rice according to package directions. Heat the oil in a medium size stock pot. and add the chopped onion, celery and pepper. Sauté for a few minutes until they soften. Add the chopped garlic and cook for one more minute.
Drain the canned beans over the pot. You want the liquid from the beans in the pan, but not the beans. You may need to scoop them out of the colander with a slotted spoon. Sometimes the liquid in the can is too thick to go through a colander. In any case, reserve the beans until the end.
Slice the sausage into 1/4 inch bite size pieces. Add the sliced sausage and all the other herbs and spices to the pot. Add 1/2 cup of water, or enough to cover the sausage. Cook uncovered over medium heat 20-30 minutes until all the flavors meld. Some of the water should boil away and you will be left with about 1/2 cup of thick sauce. Add a little more water if needed and a teaspoon of Gravy Master if you think the sauce should be darker. Add the beans to the pot and bring up to serving temperature. Serve over the white rice and garnish with chopped chives.
*RE: Cajon Seasoning. You can easily make your own using 2 parts garlic powder, Italian seasoning (mixture basil, oregano, rosemary and thyme), paprika and salt with 1 part, black pepper, cayenne pepper, dried thyme and onion powder.
