Red Beans And Rice Recipe

• servings: 10 servings
• active time: 20 minutes
• total time: 10 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 pound dry red beans

2 tablespoons olive oil

12 to 14 ounces andouille sausage (cut into 1/4-inch slices)

½ tablespoon butter

1 large yellow onion (diced)

2 celery ribs (diced)

1 small red bell pepper (diced)

1 small green bell pepper (diced)

6 cloves garlic (minced)

1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

1 teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon dried thyme

½ teaspoon paprika

⅛ teaspoon ground cayenne red pepper (or to taste)

freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

6 to 7 cups low sodium vegetable broth (you can also use chicken broth)

2 bay leaves

½ cup chopped fresh parsley (plus more for garnish)

¼ cup chopped fresh green onions (plus more for garnish)

1½ cups long grain brown rice or white rice (cooked according to the directions on the package)

Directions

Put the dry beans in a large soup pot or a large bowl; cover in water and soak for 8 hours or overnight. Water should come up about 2 inches over the beans.

When ready to cook, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large Dutch oven or a heavy pot over medium heat.

Add the sausage slices to the heated oil and cook until browned on both sides. Stir frequently. Remove the browned sausages from the pot and set them aside.

Add butter to the pot and let it melt. Stir in the onions and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes or until starting to soften.

Add celery and bell peppers; continue to cook for 4 minutes. Add a little more butter if needed. Stir in garlic and cook for 15 seconds.

Season with salt, oregano, thyme, paprika, cayenne, and black pepper; continue to cook for 1 more minute.

Pour in the vegetable broth and stir, scraping up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pot.

Drain the soaked beans and rinse; add the beans to the pot and stir in the browned andouille sausage.

Add the bay leaves, increase the heat to high, and bring the mixture to a boil.

Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer for 1-½ to 2 hours or until beans are soft and tender. Start checking for doneness around the 1-½ hour mark by mashing or squeezing the beans between your fingers. The skin should be a bit resistant to pressure, but the interior should be the consistency and appearance of a baked potato.

When beans are cooked through, remove the bay leaves from the pot and discard.

Remove 1 cup of beans to a bowl; mash the beans with the back of the fork, and then return to the pot and stir until blended.

If the mixture is too thick, add up to 1 cup of water.

Taste for salt and seasonings and adjust accordingly.

Stir in parsley and green onions and cook for 5 more minutes.

Remove from heat.

Serve over cooked rice.

Nutrition

• Calories: 424 kcal
• Total Fat: 14 g
• Saturated Fat: 4 g
• Cholesterol: 30 mg
• Sodium: 1123 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 55 g
• Dietary Fiber: 9 g
• Total Sugars: 4 g
• Protein: 20 g