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.
San Fransisco…I love that city with the bottom of my heart. The people, food, architecture, and the golden gate have captured my heart.
Hawaii is right there next to SF…pure amazingness.
ps: i am in davenport, iowa right now as im typing this and i cant help but think about you as im in your state…youre the only person i feel like i know that lives here so i hope this doesnt wierd you out =)
i love new orleans so much! this post almost made me cry because I’m so ready to go back!!!
This looks superrrr delicious!! Love a good crockpot recipe too :) Kind of random, but not sure if you’ve ever read about red kidney bean poisoning? It has to do with not boiling this type of bean before adding to a slow cooker – I know, I know – chances are probably slim, but just thought I’d share anyways! http://www.foodreference.com/html/artredkidneybeanpoisoning.html
Ahhhh perhaps I should have read the comment above ;) So does the slow cooker get hot enough to make it safe for this dish even w/out boiling first?
Yes they boil for several hours.
So good to know! I’ve always been a bit nervous to cook w dried kidney beans bc of this, thanks so much girl!
Please make sure to boil the kidney beans for at least 10 minutes before putting into crockpot…according to the FDA, there is a toxin in dried beans, especially kidney beans, that can make you sick. Boiling takes care of the toxin. Not all crockpots get hot enough to kill it and can actually make the toxin worse.
You dont have to take my word for it (I question everything I see online)–here is the Link to the FDA site explaining it:
Otherwise, that recipe looks very tasty! I’m adding it to my list to try.
Cooking the beans on high for 7 hours ensure the beans are safe in this dish!
If you read the FDA article, it says that not all crockpots get hot enough and that can actually make it worse…one of the outbreaks they cite was from crockpots.
I’ve made kidneys beans in crockpot before I knew about this without issue but I think I’ll be boilimg them from now on…better safe than sorry.
Made these today and I was worried after reading this (although the last hour I had the crockpot on high)…however, we are all fine. No one got sick. I did not boil the beans and they did cook on low most of the time. That being said…next time I will boil them first as suggested. Thanks for the info…I had never heard this before!
So weird – this is exactly what I made for dinner last night! The only difference is that I added crushed tomatoes!
These pics are amazing! This recipe sounds soo good- makes me want to jet back to NOLA RIGHT NOW. Yummy!
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!