CROCK-POT RED BEANS AND RICE

This traditional Creole red beans and rice recipe is made extra easy in the slow cooker!

Oh, rice and beans.

These two simple ingredients are such a staple around the world.  And I love how it seems like every different country — heck, often every different culture within a country — has their own totally unique way of making them.

When I lived in Costa Rica, for example, they called rice and beans “gallo pinto”, which was white rice stirred together with black beans and a few veggies and salsa lizano, and was served at breakfast, lunch and dinner.  When I was in Jamaica, I loved how they simmered their white rice in sweet coconut milk and served it with pigeon peas or kidney beans.  When I was in Mexico, I couldn’t get enough of their classic refried beans, and some well-seasoned Mexican rice can’t be beat.  And the list goes on and on…

But. I’m pretty sure that my favorite take on rice will forever-and-always be the classic, zesty, Creole dish that I can’t get enough of — Red Beans and Rice.

Even better?  Red Beans and Rice made extra-easy in the Crock-Pot®.

Mmmm hmmmm.

No boring rice and beans here.  Just take a look at all of those vibrant ingredients!

The main ingredients here, of course, are the “trinity” — onions, bell peppers, and celery — which is kind of the Creole version of mirepoix, or sofrito, etc.  So delicious.  Then I added in some flavorful Andouille sausage (or you can use smoked sausage, if this is unavailable at your grocery store), tons of garlic, Creole seasoning, and bay leaves.  And yes, an entire pound of dried red beans.

The brilliant thing about slow cooking this recipe is that you don’t have to babysit a pot on the stove for hours while those red beans cook completely to perfection.  Just toss everything in the Crock-Pot® slow cooker (here’s the one I use) and give the mixture a good stir.  Then about 6-8 hours later, this big pot of goodness will be yours to enjoy.

Seriously, it’s so simple!  I served mine over traditional white rice, but brown rice (or even quinoa or farro) would work well here.  Or you can also serve up a little bit of it for breakfast in a mug, which I also did the next day for leftovers.  Delicious at all hours of the day!

So if you happen to love red beans and rice as much as I do, give this one a try!  And bonus — if you happen to be in the market for a new slow cooker

CROCK POT RED BEANS AND RICE

This Crock Pot Red Beans and Rice recipe is quick and easy to prep, full of great Creole flavors, and so hearty and delicious!

TOTAL TIME: 7 HOURS 15 MINS

 

PREP TIME: 15 MINS

COOK TIME: 7 HOURS

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound uncooked (dry) red kidney beans
• 3/4 pound (12 ounces) Andouille sausage, sliced
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 celery stalks, diced
• 1 medium white onion, peeled and diced
• 1 bell pepper, cored and diced
• 2 teaspoons Creole seasoning
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce, or more/less to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 7 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• Kosher salt and freshly-cracked black pepper
• for serving: cooked white or brown rice, thinly-sliced green onions

DIRECTIONS:

1. Rinse the kidney beans thoroughly under water.
2. Add the kidney beans, sausage, garlic, celery, onion, bell pepper, Creole seasoning, hot sauce, dried thyme, bay leaves and chicken stock to the bowl of a large slow cooker.  Stir to combine.
3. Cook on high for 6-8 hours, or until the kidney beans are soft and cooked through*.  Taste, and season with however much salt and pepper you’d like.  (I used about 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper.**)  If you’d like a spicier dish, feel free to also add in more hot sauce.  Remove and discard the bay leaves.
4. Serve immediately over rice, garnished with green onions.

*Be very careful to be sure that your kidney beans are completely cooked through.  Red kidney bean poisoning is actually a “thing”, and can result from undercooked beans.  You can read more about it on the FDA’s site.  So please be careful, and make sure your slow cooker is hot enough to completely cook the beans.

**Different brands of Creole seasoning and chicken/veggie stock definitely have different flavor (and salt) profiles, so go with whatever tastes good to you when it comes to salting and peppering and seasoning this recipe.

***The sauce will thicken a bit as it cools.  But if you would like an even thicker sauce, just whisk together 2 tablespoons cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water (or chicken stock) to make a slurry.  Then gradually stir a little bit of it into the red beans and rice while it is still boiling in the slow cooker until it you reach your desired level of thickness.