Make Mondays a little easier by cooking red beans in your slow cooker.
Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice
Makes About 8 Cups
Ingredients
- 1 pound red kidney beans*, rinsed and sorted
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup chopped yellow onion (about 1 medium onion)
- ½ cup chopped green bell pepper (about 1 medium bell pepper)
- ½ cup chopped celery (about 2 stalks)
- 1 pound andouille sausage*, sliced
- 1½ tablespoons minced garlic (about 4 cloves)
- 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning*
- 6 cups water
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce
- Hot cooked rice*, hot sauce, and French bread, to serve
- Garnish: chopped fresh thyme
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, combine beans and water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat; cover and let stand for 1 to 2 hours. Drain and rinse beans, discarding liquid. Set aside.
- In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and celery; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3 minutes. Add andouille, garlic, and Cajun seasoning; cook, stirring occasionally, until andouille is lightly browned, about 7 minutes. Transfer mixture to a 6-quart slow cooker. Stir in beans, 6 cups water, bay leaves, and thyme. Cover and cook on high until beans are tender, 3½ to 4½ hours. 3. Discard bay leaves. Stir in hot sauce. Using the back of a wooden spoon, smash some beans against side of cooker, and stir back into mixture. (Beans will thicken upon standing.) Serve with rice, hot sauce, and French bread. Garnish with thyme, if desired.
Notes
*We used Camellia Red Kidney Beans, Savoie’s Andouille Sausage, Slap Ya Mama Original Blend Cajun Seasoning, and Cajun Country Long Grain Rice.
