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 Ben and I did just that when we hopped aboard a plane and headed south to spend a week in the Big Easy – New Orleans.
At the time neither of us knew a great deal about the city, except what we’d seen on the news during coverage of Hurricane Katrina, 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!
From whooping it up on Bourbon Street with huge ass beers, to learning more about the history of the south on several plantation tours, and exploring nearly every inch of the French Quarter, Ben and I found the city, surrounding areas, and people to be simply enchanting.
I think it it officially beat San Francisco as my favorite city in the US as I was sitting at the oldest bar in America, Lafitte’s in the French Quarter, sipping an ice cold Abita beer, and watching horse drawn carriages clop by, thinking – this is the life.
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 & 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 tomorrow, Ash Wednesday. I took the name a little less literally though, and made a lightened up version for dinner.
No bacon grease or 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 the recipe by chopping up what’s called the “Holy Trinity” in Southern Cajun & Creole cooking – bell peppers, celery and onions in roughly equal quantities.
Psst – 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 4-quart crock pot.
Next add in a full pound of dried red kidney beans.
Then add in the salty awsomeness that is andouille sausage.
Andouille sausage is a smoked pork sausage used heavily in Cajun cooking. It is delicious, and I nearly doubled the amount the original recipe called for.
Finally, add minced garlic,
Creole seasoning (I halved this recipe and still had a ton leftover,)
and lots of water.
Give the whole thing a stir then cook for 7.5 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 my friends!
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Lighter Red Beans & Rice (Crock Pot Recipe)
Description
Lighter Red Beans & Rice is a flavor-packed crock pot recipe that tastes decadent, yet is lighter than traditional red beans and rice recipes.
Ingredients
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 3 celery stalks, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 14oz andouille sausage, sliced
- 3 tablespoons Creole seasoning (see notes for recipe)
- 1lb dried red kidney beans
- 7 cups water
- cooked white rice, for serving
Directions
- Place first 8 ingredients into a 4-quart crock pot and cook on high for 7.5 hours. Remove the lid partway for the last 30 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken slightly. Serve over cooked white rice.
Notes
- I made 1/2 of this Creole Seasoning Blend and still had some leftover.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
I am not kidding you – this tasted just as good as anything we had in New Orleans. I couldn’t believe it!
Of course there was no “coat your tongue” feeling that you get with truly rich and fatty sauces (which must be enjoyed while on vacation – it’s the law) but honestly, it was thick and silky, and just a touch spicy. Ben and I both loved it. Leftovers are aplenty too. Which only lengthens the time I get to reminisce about our time down south.
Now if only there was a way make healthier beignets at home… ;)
Off to make Ben pour me a Sazerac…or two!
NOLA is by far one of my favorite places on earth and I can’t wait to get back, but China is up there as well. Totally exceeded my expectations! Shanghai, Beijing, Chongqing, Guangzhou. No matter where I went I was surrounded by beauty and amazing people. Even despite the language barrier, people were so friendly! Plus, when I hiked the Great Wall of China, I felt like a rock star. People would come up to me and want to take their picture with me. If you ever get the chance. GO. Don’t even hesitate.
I love that the blog world celebrates Mardi Gras — being from New Orleans’ French neighbor Mobile, I’ve celebrated MG my whole life. It’s such a fun, fun tradition! Red beans and rice is one of those smells that evokes warm feelings for me. I’ll have to try this recipe! To celebrate MG this year, I went with a glass of Milk Punch for me and my “Roommate” and gahh that stuff is good! Laissez les bons temps rouler!!
I have been in New Orleans for the last 5 days visiting a friend for Mardi Gras and it is amazing!! The parades are like nothing I have seen and of course the food is amazing! You definitely need to talk your husband in to taking you some year!!!
I am with you on NOLA being totally unexpected. I went down two years in a row to help with Katrina cleanup. I was surprised by how positive and enjoyable the people were despite the tragedy that they had to go through. And the FOOD, I know I couldn’t live there or I would gain waaaayyy too much weight!
Was the “Klement’s” brand the only brand of andouille sausage you could find? I ask because I went to Target and couldn’t find any… and then went to Hy-Vee and it was the only brand there.
It was the only brand available at HyVee, but Trader Joe’s has some too!
Oh Iowa Girl! Get your andoullie sausage at Gateway Market – Niman Ranch brand! Its Da Bomb. I stock up when I find it.
I laughed at your first pic of the Royal Sonseta too….I was there a year ago today! :)
So far for just one dish! ;)
At my Target I got Johnsonville brand, 6 links. I hope they taste OK. Perhaps not the most authentic andouille out there, but the price was right!
Yumm!! My parents both love red beans and rice so I may have to make this for them soon :-) I have never been to New Orleans, but my boyfriend and I are dying to go!
My family went to NOLA when I was in high school (not quite 10 years ago) and we loved it! I didn’t know much about it, but we stayed in the French Quarters and did all the usual touristy stuff. And boy did we eat!! My dad grew a passion for cajun food during our trip and still favors that kind of food today.
My absolute favorite trip was our anniversary trip to Manitou Springs, CO this summer. I NEED to go back to those mountains. I have never had a place call to me like it has since we left. The people there just got “it” – health, fitness, outdoors. It was amazing!
@Kaelin — I grew up in Manitou Springs and live in Salida/Denver now! I LOVE to hear that others LOVE Manitou!
Also a Manitou Fan!! I’ve been fortunate to go for work the past two years to Colorado Springs and always make the short trek to the Manitou incline. Such an intense hike!
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!