Monday, October 16, 2017

Easy Red Beans and Rice


During the month of October, I will be participating in the Write 31 Days hosted by Crystal Stine. My category is Food, Health & Wellness and my theme is "Into The Kitchen". 



We are half-way through the month and well into Fall. What is more comforting on a chilly evening than a nice, hot, one-pot meal that is as easy to make as it is delicious? Grab your knife and follow me into the kitchen.

Tonight we are making a quick and easy, one-pot version of the famous Creole Red Beans and Rice. Red beans and rice were typically made on Mondays years ago. Monday was wash day and the women would set the beans to cooking and go about the business of washing the clothes while the beans simmered away.

Now before you go getting your knickers in a twist, I know that this isn't authentic, okay. Now that that's out of the way, we can get on with it.

What you need:

One can red beans, drained and rinsed (if you can't find them, you can use kidney beans)
1/2 cup of long-grain rice
2-4 ounces Cajun or other spicy sausage, sliced or diced
12 ounces chicken stock 
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1-2 cloves of minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
Salt & Pepper to taste
Olive oil

Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a heavy, lidded sauce pan over medium heat. Cook the onions until they soften, then add the sausage. Continue cooking until the sausage is lightly browned. Add the remaining ingredients, except for the rice. Bring to a boil, then add the rice, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.

Again, I seldom measure, so amounts are approximate and customizable.

Options

If you want a creamier dish, you may take about 1/4 cup of the beans and 1/4 cup of the stock and puree them before adding them to the pan.

To make it a vegetarian/vegan dish, use vegetable broth or water and omit the sausage.

For a less spicy dish, use smoked sausage instead of the Cajun style.


Stay tuned for more great one-pot dishes.




If you enjoyed this post, please leave a comment. I would love to hear your thoughts.

2 comments:

  1. Hi Linda - looks an ideal dish for the cooler nights ... love this sort of food - cheers Hilary

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Hilary! We really enjoyed it last night. The rolls I served with it are tomorrow's post.

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