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!
I’m making this today and am soooo excited to get away from the boxed version my hubs likes so much!
There’s a great little cajun restaurant here in Kansas City called Jazz, and they sell their cajun spice blend. I would love to send you a bottle of it!
I’ve always stayed away from the dried beans because I never want to soak them. So I couldn’t help but wonder how you might adjust this for a Mexican recipe with some black beans? :)
Here’s a recipe for slow-cooked black beans! http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/10/cooking-dried-beans-in-crockpot.html
Hi Kristen,
I just came across this post and felt I needed to comment. My mom is from New Orleans and her side of the family still lives there so I’m out there A LOT. It’s truly my favorite place on Earth. I just wanted to say that the way you talked about NOLA really touched my heart. You always seem so informed when you write about the places you visit. I’m getting homemade red beans tomorrow and I can’t wait!
I’m making this tomorrow and I’m wondering if I can cook on low for 14 hours? or high for the 7 and then switch it to warm for a few hours? I’m going to be gone all day, but I don’t want it to be overcooked.
Hey Bree! Unfortunately I think it would overcook and burn. You could try making it overnight though!
[…] Red Beans & Rice in the Crockpot! I used beef sausage as the meat b/c sadly we can’t buy andouille here. Cooked on low for 9 […]
[…] it was awesome! […]
Kristin,
I live in New Orleans, and red beans are definitely a staple! Just wanted to give you a tip for making the beans creamy, without adding any fats at all…simply mash some of the beans once they are finished cooking until they are the creamy consistency you want. It thickens the sauce giving you the rich creaminess you enjoyed here :)
Absolutely LOVE this meal!! I’ve made it quite a few times. It makes A LOT of food. We have left overs for a couple of days, which is nice so hubby can take food to work with him AND I don’t have to worry about lunch/dinner the next day!
Hi Kristin! I made this for dinner the other night and it tastes great! So easy and hardly any ingredients I was surprised it was so flavorful! I was wondering though..I came back on my lunch break and checked it (at about 5.5 hours) and the beans were already cooked and done. Have you ever had any problems with overcooking it at 7.5 hours?
Thanks!
Esther
I haven’t! Were your beans dried?
They were! So I was surprised it cooked so quickly :) either way it tastes great :)
[…] beans and andouille Slightly adapted from Iowa Girl Eats and this creole […]
I made this today (soaked the beans all night and then gave them a boil for 10 or 12 minutes before sticking them in the crockpot) but accidentally set it to LOW instead of HIGH. I’m letting it cook on high a couple more hours, but I’m afraid it won’t be any good. :(
[…] for this Tuesday, Kristin at Iowa Girl Eats tempted me with some Lighter Red Beans and Rice last week and they’re simmering away right now. There’s no excuse for bad Chinese food […]
I loved New Orleans too, so much! Best food ever. For Fat Tuesday I made a way more ghetto version of jambalaya but will have to try your recipe!
For me it would be my first visit to the farm my husband grew up on in Indiana, Stoney Gap Farms (even the name is cool). I have been on many farms and wasn’t prepared for the magic of this one. From the first morning watching the fog rise up over the pond, the deer grazing in the fields, and the Arabian horses running wild. I was hooked. We slept under quilts that were stitched by his grandparents and ate food that had been canned and “put up”. Pure bliss.
We LOVED San Fran when we went last fall. I used a lot of the posts from your trip as a guideline when planning ours. Sounds like I need to add NOLA to my bucket list. :)
I’m heading to NOLA for work next week! It is my first time. I am very excited!
I am always so excited to hear when people love New Orleans. It has such a mixed fan base, you either love it or hate it. I absolutely love New Orleans – the food, the people, the fun and the history is all amazing. I’m actually going tomorrow (!!!) for our annual conference. My husband and parents are joining me next week for a few days of fun. My parents have never been, so I’m excited to show them around.
I can’t wait to try this recipe, I’m always looking for good ones like this!
Yes it does! Thanks so much!
Love this recipe – it looks so yummy! I’ve never been to New Orleans, but it is on my bucket list of places to visit.
Quick question (if you have time) – do you have a fool-proof recipe to make “fluffy” white rice, without the use of a rice cooker?
I boil 2 parts water to 1 part rice (2 cups water to 1 cup rice, for instance) then add the rice. Put the lid on top and turn the heat down to medium low (3 out of 10.) Cook for 8-10 minutes, or until it looks like there’s little holes on the top. Stir and taste at this point to see if the rice is cooked through. Put the lid back on top if not and just keep cooking on low until done. Hope that helps! :)
and Kristin- if you want some “Cajun Seasoning” (Tony Chachere’s or Zatarain’s) I can send you some. The ingredients in most “cajun seasoning” recipes are pretty much the same as what’s in those brands. I can also send you some of the best “already made” red beans and rice that probably at least 70% of New Orleans area residents eat instead of cooking them ourselves. :)
There is a brand called Blue Runner Red Beans that cooks their own (and they taste just like homemade) and can them. If you want me to send you some of those too, I can. Just email me and let me know! I stopped making homemade Red Beans & Rice a looong time ago when I discovered blue runners. All you have to do with them is saute your sausage (i use low fat turkey kielbasa) with some of the trinity and then add your canned beans with a little water and stir and it tastes just like the beans you get in a restaurant. Takes literally 15 minutes. I always keep a couple of cans of Blue Runners in my pantry for an emergency dinner!
here’s their website if you want to check them out:
http://www.bluerunnerfoods.com/ (oh, and they are pretty low fat and high in fiber, especially if you serve it over brown rice!)
Hope you had a nice Mardi Gras! :)
The food in NOLA was amazing. Probably the best eating I have ever done on a vacation. Fresh seafood, gumbo, jambalaya, and beignets, oh the beignets. Good thing there are no Cafe du Monde’s in the Midwest because I would want to drive there and eat them. Also cannot forget the hurricane drink and walk-up beer counters so you can sip your beverage on the street.