Red Beans and Rice Ritual

One of the best ways to cultivate patience is to cook a pot of red beans and rice. It’s not a terribly fussy dish, but it’s such a slooooow process. Now that Mercury is in retrograde, I have no choice but to slow down. Anyone else feeling the effects? But we adapt any way we can, and for me that means going along with the slow pace, making a loaf of sourdough on the weekend and cooking a big pot of red beans and rice for the week ahead.

In Creole culture, making red beans and rice is a Monday ritual. A simple pot of beans to let simmer on the stove while you do the laundry. I love a good routine, and my intentions this week are to slow down, to take my time on dinner, to stop and breathe and look around. I have a feeling this recipe will now be part of my Sunday meal prep routine.

It’s also worth mentioning that beans as a meal are entirely underrated! They’re delicious and creamy, and there are a million ways to make them special. Served on toast or with a toasty crostini for dipping. Sometimes, I just cook up a pot of white beans with garlic and lemon, and eat it for dinner. It’s surprising how good it tastes after a long day when the last thing you want to do is cook.

Red Beans and Rice Ritual - Tastemaker Blog

Let’s get started on this recipe! First, we want to prep our celery, green pepper and onion, which are the Cajun trinity–in almost every Cajun dish. Then cut your sausage into half inch slices and dice the bacon. In a big soup pot, add the bacon, cooking until browned. Then add your onion, green pepper and celery to the pot, cooking for awhile until the onions are translucent. Add your thyme, garlic, cajun seasoning and andouille sausage, browning the sausage for a few minutes.

Add the chicken broth, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then turn down to low and simmer for 2 hours.

To get the creaminess of red beans and rice, use an immersion blender to blend a portion of the beans. Then stir it together.

Taste for seasoning and serve topped with white rice. See the full recipe below.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Red Beans and Rice

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Prep time

12 hours

Cook time

2 hours 15 mins

Total time

14 hours 15 mins

Author: Tastemaker Blog

Recipe type: Entree

Serves: 6

Ingredients

1 lb dried red beans
4 slices bacon, diced
1 onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp cajun seasoning
14 oz andouille sausage, sliced
2 bay leaves
1 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
8 cups chicken broth
white rice, cooked

Instructions

Cover beans by two inches with water in a large bowl. Let them soak overnight. Drain into a colander. Reserve.
In a large dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat, add the bacon and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the onion, celery and bell pepper. Cook for 8-10 minutes until onion is translucent. Add the thyme, garlic, cajun seasoning, and andouille sausage. Let the sausage brown for a few minutes. Add the bay leaves, salt and pepper, the beans and the broth. Bring to a boil. Turn down to low and let simmer uncovered for two hours.
Using an immersion blender, blend a section of the beans, just enough to add a creamy texture. Stir the beans and serve over the rice.

Comments

Carol Bonura

August 18, 2018 at 1:06 am

Wow. That is incredible. You are making my mouth water!!!
Anyone for red beans and rice??? Me! Me!
Love you,
Nani

- Elizabeth
  
  August 18, 2018 at 8:41 pm
  
  It was so good and made me miss you guys! I feel like my house always smells like yours when I cook anything with bay leaves.
  
Joe Bonura

August 18, 2018 at 1:13 am

Makes me hungry! Glad to see that you are keeping the tradition alive and delicious. RoRo would be sooooo proud of yout cooking prowess. Wish you lived closer so that we could join you for dinner more often. Popsy

- Elizabeth
  
  August 18, 2018 at 8:40 pm
  
  I’d have you over for dinner to try it out if you were! Thanks so much for reading <3