Crock-Pot Red Beans and Rice

First of all, let me just say that I know that this is not a super authentic red beans and rice recipe, I'm a Texas girl. ;) However, I've been making it for years, (it was actually the very first recipe I ever posted on my blog about three years ago, back when I had like 3 followers), and we think it's pretty good. Plus, it's in the crock-pot which makes it easy-peasy.

A couple of notes about the recipe before we get started:

-I use one package of dried small red beans NOT kidney beans. I know there are people who make their red beans and rice with kidney beans, but I'm not a fan. I honestly don't like kidney beans much, (which is a little ironic because they're an ingredient in my Crock-Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe, which gets more hits on my blog than any other post by far!). I don't mind them in small doses, but the thought of eating an entire bowl does not appeal to me. If you prefer kidney beans, by all means use them, I just wanted to take a second to differentiate between the two.

-The recipe calls for 3-4 cloves of garlic, but I like garlic and a lot of times I use 5. I'm a garlic rebel like that. ;)

-Touching on the not being authentic side of this recipe, I use beef smoked sausage the majority of the time I make this dish. I know that andouille sausage is the correct choice, but I also know that it's not the easiest to find at all stores all the time. Plus, I usually have some smoked sausage that I bought on sale/with coupons in my freezer, so it's just easier to use it. If you like andouille better and can find it, use it!

-On that same note, I've listed below using 3 slices of bacon but most of the time I use leftover ham, (or a ham bone), that I've had in the freezer. I usually make one of those spiral sliced hams at Christmas and by the day after Christmas I'm so sick of eating, I bag all of it up into little freezer bags and toss it in the freezer. I usually have a couple bags of the good slices of spiral ham, a couple bags of little ham pieces, and a bag that contains the ham bone. For this recipe I will often use one of the bags of little ham pieces or the ham bone in place of the bacon, and it's delicious. However, I'm not crazy enough to think that everyone just has a ham bone lying around in their freezer, and three slices of bacon is a good substitute that still gives this that good smokey, salty flavor.

-I have listed below to use 2 cans of low sodium chicken broth, and that's really just a personal preference. I only ever buy low sodium chicken broth because I grew up with a Momma who was always very conscientious about our salt intake. Basically, you can always add more salt, but it's tough to take it back out. When I'm using other ingredients that include salt, (bacon, sausage, Creole seasoning, etc.), in a recipe, I like to err on the side of caution and not add too much in from the get go. If you make this and your red beans and rice needs more flavor/salt, just add some more of the Creole seasoning to your tastes.

-In an effort to make my life more easy in the mornings, (I am not a morning person. at. all.), the night before I make this recipe I usually chop up my veggies, sausage, and bacon and put them in tupperware containers in the fridge. I also rinse and sort my red beans and set them to soak in the crock-pot basin and put my cans of chicken broth and diced tomatoes, and all the spices out on the counter. In the morning all I have to do is drain the water from the beans and throw everything in the crock-pot and it literally takes less than 5 minutes.

All my ingredients ready to go in the morning.

Ok, enough with the housekeeping procedures...

Red Beans and Rice

Ingredients

1 pound bag of small red beans, soaked and drained
1 onion diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
2 celery ribs, finely chopped
1 package smoked sausage, sliced
3 slices of bacon
1 can of diced tomatoes
2 cans reduced sodium chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried Thyme
2 teaspoons Tony Cacheres Cajun seasoning
*1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional & see note below*

Everything in the pot first thing in the morning before cooking.

Combine all ingredients in Crock-Pot and cook on high for 8 hours or low for 10-12 hours. *If you're using the cayenne pepper, add it in the last thirty minutes or so, (I put it in when I start cooking my rice so it doesn't make the whole pot too spicy). Serve over rice.

After cooking 10 hours on low. I apologize for the atrocious lighting in this picture, our kitchen is basically a windowless cave which makes taking pictures of food awful, especially in the winter!

The finished product!

Enjoy!

Jennifer