Curious about the history of this classic dish? Red beans and rice is actually a native meal to Louisana. Traditionally, this dish was prepared on Mondays using leftovers from Sunday dinner, cooked slowly in a pot, and served over rice. Typically comprised of red beans, veggies, spices, and meat such as ham or andouille — this dish serves a crowd and is now a staple in areas across the world. The best part of this particular recipe? Toss the ingredients in the slow cooker and voila, 6-10 hours later, you have a delicious and hearty dish to enjoy.
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- 3 celery stalks, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 1/4 pounds chicken andouille sausage, cut into thin slices
- 1 pound dry red kidney beans
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper, optional
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 7 cups water
- 10 cups rice, cooked and warm, for serving
Directions
Step 1 –Start by rinsing the kidney beans under cool water and drain them well.
Step 2 –Add all the ingredients, except the rice, to the slow cooker. Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for 6 hours or low for 10 hours.
Step 3 –Optionally, when there is 1 hour of cook time remaining, use a potato masher mash up some of the beans, then let it cook for the remaining hour.
Step 4 –Serve the beans-sausage mixture over the warm rice and enjoy!
