Crock Pot Red Beans and Rice is a flavor-packed dish that tastes cozy and comforting, yet is lighter than traditional red beans and rice recipes.
Have you ever taken a trip to a place you knew little or nothing about? Just gotten the urge to go, so you booked a ticket and went with only your bag and a vague idea as to what you were going to do when you got there?
A couple years ago my husband and I did just that when we hopped aboard a plane and headed south to spend a week in the Big Easy, aka New Orleans.
At the time neither of us knew a great deal about the city, and our experience in the south was limited to sunny SoCal, Epcot Center, and watching Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood on repeat in college.
With a why not attitude though, and no expectations, we packed up, headed out, and ended up having the time of our lives!
One of the things we enjoyed most about our trip was of course, the food. There’s no shortage of restaurants in NOLA — more packed into a smaller area than a lot of cities I’ve been to — and if there was a line at the door, you knew it was worth waiting for. Especially if it was a Mother’s Po’ Boy smothered in “debris”.
Or a mouthwatering side of red beans & rice. One week wasn’t nearly enough time to get our fill of this famous Southern side dish. Fluffy white rice engulfed in a savory thick sauce packed with creamy beans, and salty andouille sausage. I mean…
Today New Orleans is celebrating Fat Tuesday during Mardi Gras and, although we can’t be there to join in on the fun, at least we can eat like we’re in the Big Easy with homemade Crock Pot Red Beans and Rice.
Fat Tuesday is traditionally celebrated by eating indulgent, over-the-top foods (hence FAT Tuesday) before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season begins on Ash Wednesday. I took the name a little less literally though, and made a lightened up version for dinner.
No bacon grease nor extra fat here! Just beans, veggies, seasoning and, ok, some decadent andouille sausage. Totally worth it. Each huge serving of the recipe is packed with protein and fiber, and clocks in at just 250 calories (without the rice.) As if it couldn’t get any better, the crock pot did 90% of the work for me!
Start by chopping up what’s called the “Holy Trinity” in Southern Cajun & Creole cooking: bell peppers, celery and onions in roughly equal quantities.
Tip: my trick for not making a mess when cutting bell peppers is to cut each “cheek” off, leaving the stem and seeds neatly intact.
Chop the bell pepper and follow suit with the onions and celery, then toss everybody into the pool, aka a 6 quart crock pot.
Next add 1lb dried red kidney beans.
Then add savory, spicy andouille sausage.
Andouille sausage is a smoked pork sausage used heavily in Cajun cooking. It is delicious, and I add a ton to this recipe!
Finally, add minced garlic,
Creole seasoning,
and lots of water.
Give the whole thing a stir then cook for 7-8 hours on high, cracking the lid open for the last half hour so the sauce can thicken up.
YOUR HOUSE WILL SMELL AMAZING!!!
Cook some fluffy white rice to sit underneath, and soak up all that succulent sauce. Top with green onions for color and crunch, and have at it.
I am not kidding you — this tastes just as good as anything we had in New Orleans. You will not believe it!
Now if only there was a way make healthier beignets at home…
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 green bell pepper, seeded then chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 3 ribs celery, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
- 14 oz andouille sausage, sliced
- 3 Tablespoons Creole seasoning
- 1 lb dried red kidney beans
- 7 cups water
- cooked white rice, for serving
Directions
- Place first 8 ingredients into a 6-quart crock pot then cook on high for 7-8 hours or until the beans are creamy and tender.
- Remove the lid partway for the last 30 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken slightly. Serve over cooked white rice.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
You should definitely try the beignets from eat, live run. I made them this morning and while not as good as the ones from Cafe Du Monde they are very good for a lightened up version and my 5 year-old has been wanting more all day.
This is crazy, but as someone who was never a huge red beans and rice fan, I’m craving it all of the sudden! No surprise that the beniegts looks amazing (I actually just made a slightly healthified version of zeppolis, which are the Italian answer to beniegts – still not exactly healthy though).
Boston was hands-down the best vacation we ever took. I spent my childhood in love with Joey McIntyre – and 5 years later later Matt Damon – and I always dreamed of going to Boston to see where they were from. Silly, right? Well, for the week we were there (over St Patty’s nonetheless), I didn’t even think about Joey or Matt. I just loved the city, the parks, the history, Cambridge, the subway, the food. It was amazing.
This red beans and rice recipe is going in my “to make” list. Another IGE week in the making! Thanks. :)
Uh oh. I had the crock pot on low all day. I don’t think my beans are done. :(
What a coincidence….I am eating the exact same thing tonight for dinner! I found something out today….Cajun Seasoning and Cayenne Pepper are NOT interchangeable :) The recipe called for 2 Tbsp Cajun Seasoning and I didn’t have any. So I proceeded to fill my tablespoon with Cayenne Pepper instead. Thank goodness I decided to cut it short at about a half tablespoon because yowzers, it was hot hot hot! At the end of the day after about 9 hours on low in the crockpot it came out just right! The other notable difference in my recipe was 5 cups of water and a can of tomato sauce. This is a delicious filling meal!
Ahhh we LOVE New Orleans, such a wonderful city, full of great food, drinks, and fun. We are hoping to go back sometime in the near future :)
Yum! This looks so yummy! I love NOLA! I was there right before katrina with a group of girlfriends. Soo fun!
Are u sure u don’t have to rinse the beans. I’ve read that kidney beans needed to be rinsed because of the toxicity they contain?
I haven’t heard that, but you could definitely rinse beforehand if you like!
Wow, looks great! I’m really hoping for a slow cooker for a wedding present :) I can’t wait to try out some of your recipes.
Ooo I hope you do too – you will love it! :)
I’ve been to New Orleans twice and I love it. But each time was only for a day or a few hours. I really want to go back. It is such a wonderful city. I love the food. When I was down there, I had some really good gumbo. Yum! Those red beans and rice look delicious!
I’ve wanted to go to NOLA ever since I’ve read your recaps, etc.!
I absolutely LOVE New Orleans and would love to live there. Mother’s is amazing, but next time you go…get a shrimp poboy at Parkwood Tavern!
yup, here you go http://www.eatliverun.com/oven-baked-beignets/
Boston! We went for a week and I loved it, I could have stayed a month! Also….I’ve seen baked (not fried)beignets online recently. I think it was eatliverun?
Brilliant! I’m a Michigan girl who went to school in Mississippi. There were MANY a weekend trip down to NOLA, and boy do I miss it!