Red Beans & Rice

Growing up in New England I was never exposed to beans and rice. We had rice and we had beans but, in my house, we would never think of mixing them together because they were both side dishes in their own right. Plus, Boston Baked Beans and white rice? Gross. No, the closest I ever came to red beans and rice was in college. Scott and I (and the rest of the general University population) used to frequent a restaurant called the Border Cafe. It's a little Tex-Mex restaurant tucked away in Harvard Square and if you want to eat there on a Saturday night be prepared to wait in a line that stretches down the road. No kidding. Be sure to order a melon margarita. You won't be disappointed.

With every entree at the Border Cafe, your server asks which side dish you'd like as an accompaniment: Red Beans & Rice, Black Beans & Rice or Jambalaya. I never even had to think about it; Always Jambalaya. They may as well take those other two off of the menu. It wasn't until I moved to Texas that I realized that beans and rice is very common in this part of the country. And I had never tried it until just recently when my awesome neighbor Crystal (who is from Louisiana) made a batch and was gracious enough to bring some over for me. It was delicious and I was kicking myself for waiting 29.5 years to eat this dish.

The real reason this dish appeals to me so much right now is because beans are cheap. I'm a stay at home Mom and always looking for ways to cut my grocery bill. In fact, I'm working toward a goal of cutting my weekly grocery bill in half. Dishes like this, and planning meals ahead using sale items and buying bulk items - like rice in a bag rather than a box of instant rice - are really making a difference in what I'm spending at the supermarket. This meal is hearty and satisfying and cost just over $7.00 to make 8 large servings (maybe more...I don't measure). That's less than a dollar per meal. That also means that we all ate this for lunch for 3 days straight.

Is my recipe authentic? Definitely not. If you're looking for an authentic Cajun red beans and rice recipe go here. This recipe is tasty, fairly low in fat, and it worked for my family and our Northern palettes. Even my one year old liked it.

Red Beans & Rice

Ingredients

1 pound red beans - soaked and rinsed
1 pound smoked Turkey Sausage - sliced
3 slices of bacon trimmed and diced
.5 green bell pepper, diced
.5 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can chicken stock
4 cups water
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 bay leaf
2 tsp Cajun Seasoning to taste (I used Tony Cachere's More Spice)
4 cups cooked white rice

In large skillet over medium heat, saute diced bacon for approximately 3 minutes.
Add onions, minced garlic and bell peppers and continue cooking until onions are translucent
Add sliced turkey sausage, onion powder and garlic powder, stir to combine.
Add beans, skillet mixture and remaining ingredients (except rice) to a large dutch oven or stock pot.
Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer for about 4 hours.
Serve over 1/2 c of cooked white rice.


Notes

• Using bacon will add to the cost of the meal. I used it only because I had an open package at home in my refrigerator. The bacon adds a nice smoky flavor to the dish and is really the only fat used in the recipe. If you don't have bacon on hand, saute the vegetables in 2 TBSP of Olive Oil.
  

• I use a mixture of chicken stock and water - rather than just water - for extra flavor. Traditionally, this dish is made with a ham hock and Andouille sausage so I wanted to make up for some of the flavor I would be losing by omitting the ham and replacing the Andouille with a milder turkey sausage.
  

• I simmered this dish covered for 3 hours before realizing that more of the water should be evaporating. I increased the heat to medium-low and left it uncovered for the last hour until it came to the right consistency.

• Adjust the spices according to your own tastes. I wanted to make a dish my toddler could eat so this recipe is rather mild. If you like it spicy, add more Cajun seasoning.

• I used slow cooking white rice as opposed to instant rice. It's cheaper and I prefer the taste. I substituted low sodium chicken stock for the water when cooking the rice.