Recipe Time: Red Beans And Rice (Step By Step with Pictures)

A while back I promised to share this recipe but haven’t made it lately. (See my blog post Cooking Crazy.) When I made the menu for this week I decided that now was the time. For starters, red beans and rice is my favorite meal ever. On top of that The Hubs just bought me a vacuum sealer and, as the say in Steel Magnolias, red beans are “in the freezes beautifully section of the cookbook”. Add those together with a cold front and it was time for a giant pot of red beans. I doubled the recipe below so when you look at the pictures don’t think yours should look exactly the same. I adapted the recipe from this one.

Here’s what you’ll need:

1 lb dried red beans soaked in water overnight (I use the Blue Runner brand)

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

2-3 stalks celery, chopped

.5-1 lb Tasso pork, cubed or cubed ham (for my giant batch I used both)

1-1.5 lbs Andouille sausage, sliced (I use Richards)

1 heaping tablespoon of minced garlic

1/4 stick of butter

2 tbsp Worsteshire

1 tbsp dill pickle relish or dill pickle juice (I know it sounds weird but trust me on this one.)

1 Cup of beer

6 – 8 Cups of chicken broth (this really depends on how thick you want your beans)

1 bay leaf

2 tbsp dried parsley flakes

Salt, pepper, and hot sauce to taste

Step 1: Soak your dried beans overnight in a big bowl of water. The Hubs calls this “taking the fart out” but it obviously doesn’t do that’s

Step 2: Chop all of your ingredients. I like to do this the night before and store in the refrigerator overnight.

(I like to either compost my veggie scraps or freeze them to make stock. The Boy loves making stock so I like to save it when I can.)

Step 3: In large stock pot cook sliced sausage and ham/Tasso for 5 minutes

Step 4: Add onions, celery, bell pepper, relish, garlic, 1/4 stick butter, parsley flakes, and Worcestershire. Cook until onions are soft and clear.

Step 5: Add beans, beer, broth, seasonings, and bay leaf.

Step 6: Bring to a rolling boil for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.

Step 7: Reduce heat, simmer for 1-2 hours, stirring occasionally until beans are desired tenderness

Step 8: This one is also optional but I like to smash the beans a little to thicken it up and make it creamier

Step 9: Serve over freshly cooked white rice (bonus points if you serve it with cornbread).

I ate the mess out of it as did The Hubs and I have plenty to spare to vacuum seal. If you have any favorite recipes that you’d like me to try and write about please let me know! We love trying new things!