QUICKIE RED BEANS AND RICE
Mardi Gras looks slightly (okay more) more different than usual this year; however, this doesn’t mean everyone isn’t celebrating! I’m no longer in New Orleans but I enjoy celebrating yearly with a massive pot of rice and red beans. I typically make a traditional recipe for my Louisiana Style Red beans with dry beans. However, I received numerous questions on how to prepare it using canned beans, so I created the following Quickie Red Beans and Rice recipe for those who do not have the time or energy to cook and soak dry beans. This isn’t the traditional red bean recipe, but it’s much faster and more satisfying. It makes you feel like you were collecting beads in a parade!
YOU’LL STILL NEED A LITTLE TIME…
Okay, I’m calling these “quickie” red beans and rice. However, they require some time to cook for the beautiful flavors to mix and develop. We’re talking about an hour, not more than an hour, as in the traditional beans in a pot.
WHAT KIND OF RED BEANS SHOULD I USE?
I used deep red kidney beans in this recipe as that’s the only variety of canned beans I could find when I went shopping. When I cook the dried beans with red beans, I like smaller dried red beans instead of kidney beans as they create a smoother, thicker soup of beans. I’m usually unable to locate small red beans in canned; therefore, kidney beans are the most suitable option. You can choose between dark or light kidney beans.
ARE RED BEANS AND RICE SPICY?
Depending on your preferences, you can cook these rice and red beans mild or spicy; if you like soft, ensure the sausage you buy isn’t too spicy, and leave out the cayenne pepper in the following spices. If you would like your beans spicy, choose the spicy sausage and increase the cayenne pepper according to your preference.
MAKE YOUR RED BEANS VEGETARIAN
It’s easy to prepare this recipe as vegan or vegetarian. You can skip the sausage and substitute vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. To counteract the high-fat pork content derived from the link, try using coconut oil instead of the cooking oil described below. Also, you might want to add a couple of additional tablespoons. This can make the red beans super luscious and delicious! Here’s the link to my vegan red beans made from dried beans.
INGREDIENTS
One tablespoon of cooking oil ($0.04)
14 oz. Andouille sausage* ($2.99)
One yellow onion ($0.32)
One bell pepper ($0.69)
Three ribs of celery ($0.25)
Four cloves of garlic ($0.32)
2 tsp smoked paprika ($0.20)
One teaspoon dried oregano ($0.10)
One teaspoon dried thyme ($0.10)
1/2 1 tsp of garlic powder ($0.05)
1/2 1 teaspoon onion powder ($0.05)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper ($0.03)
14 tsp fresh cracked black pepper ($0.02)
3 15oz. cans of kidney beans ($1.50)
1 cup chicken broth ($0.13)
Three onions of green, cut ($0.30)
1.5 cups of long-grain white rice ($0.93)
INSTRUCTIONS
Cut the sausage into half-rounds or rounds. Add the link and cooking oil into a big saucepan and cook on medium heat, stirring frequently until the connection has brown.
While the sausage cooks, cut the onion into pieces, the bell pepper, the onion, and the celery, and chop the garlic.
Add the bell pepper, onions, celery, garlic, and onion to the pot and the sausage. Continue to simmer until the onion becomes soft and translucent.
Incorporate the smoke paprika oregano, thyme powder, onion powder, cayenne, and black pepper into the pot. Allow to stir and cook for another minute.
Take two containers of beans. Add the third can and liquid in the can to a blender. Puree until smooth. The beans that have been pureed will thicken the soup and make everything more creamy. Add the rinsed beans, pureed beans, and chicken broth into the pot, and stir it all together.
Put a lid over the pot, and allow the beans to rise to boiling. When the beans are cooking, reduce the heat to medium and let the pot simmer for around 30 minutes while stirring frequently.
While the red beans simmer, cook your rice. Place the rice that is not cooked in an uncooked pot and add 3 cups of water. Put a lid over the pool and then turn the heat high. When the collection is at an entire boiling point, and the temperature is at a minimum, reduce the heat to a simmering level, then let it cook at a simmer for about 15 minutes. In 15 minutes, switch the heating off. Let the rice stand at a steady temperature, without stirring, and with the lid on for another 5 minutes. Then, you can fluff it with a fork before serving.
Once the beans have been simmering for about 30 minutes, take an opportunity to taste them and add salt if necessary (between the canned beans and sausage, I didn’t think that I had to add salt or salt. However, the amount of salt used can differ, so make sure you test it out). The beans can be served in bowls garnished with a scoop of rice and a handful of chopped green onions.
