Red Beans and Rice (slow cooker)

 

All the recipes on this blog to this point have been new recipes that we have tried for the first time and shared our results.  My husband recently suggested that I also add some "tried and true" recipes or favorite recipes that my family requests often.  I liked this idea and I have created a tried and true label in the sidebar to make it easy to find them.  

My Biscuits are Burning has been a wonderful way to share, keep and organize recipes.  We will continue to try new recipes, but now I'm looking forward to also sharing the recipes that we really love and have made many times over the years.  My son requested Red Beans and Rice for dinner this week and I thought this would be a great recipe to start with.

Red Beans and Rice is a traditional southern dish.  When I was a little, my family lived in Mississippi and that's where I was first introduced to Red Beans and Rice.  You could buy red beans already seasoned and ready to use in a can.  My mom would add sausage and serve it over rice.  When we moved away from Mississippi, we couldn't find the seasoned red beans anymore.  So, my mom found this recipe and it became one of our favorite dinners.  My brothers and I would make requests for these Red Beans and Rice.  After I was married this became one of my husband's favorite dinners and now our kids also request this dish. 

My copy of the recipe in my mom's handwriting

Recipe Link

Ingredients 

8 strips of bacon
1 medium white onion, minced
3 celery stalks plus leaves, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 Tablespoons chili powder OR chili seasoning mix
2 Tablespoons brown sugar OR 2 teaspoons molasses
3/4 tsp. pepper
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
2 (15.5 oz.) cans red beans or kidney beans and liquid
2 lbs. of sausage cut into 1 inch pieces (I used two 14 oz. packages of smoked sausage)
Cooked rice, about 6 cups
Hot sauce, if desired
Directions
1. Cook bacon in a large frying pan, drain on paper towels and set aside. Crumble when cooled.
2. Saute onion, celery (without leaves) and garlic in bacon fat until soft.
3. Stir in celery leaves, crumbled bacon and all other ingredients.
4. Pour into slow cooker and cook on low for 4-5 hours.
5. Serve over rice. Add a dash or two or a few of hot sauce if you like. Enjoy! 
Serves 4-6 

Source: Mom

Getting the veggies ready

The bacon smelled so good that everyone came into the kitchen to see what I was up to. :)

Getting the onion and celery nice and soft while it sautes in the bacon grease.

I can usually find red beans (not seasoned). Kidney beans work just as well, especially if you already have some in your pantry.

I put everything except the sausage in the pan and stirred it up (the pan was getting full). Then, I added it to the slow cooker with the sausage.

Use whatever sausage you like. We usually use smoked sausage that is easy to find at the grocery store. You could use andouille sausage to be more authentic, but it tends to be too spicy for our kiddos.

Lookin' yummy. Now we just have to wait 4-5 hours. Don't forget to get your rice ready, too!

The Results...
Once the bacon is cooked and crumbled and the veggies are soft, you basically just add everything to the slow cooker and forget about it for 4-5 hrs.  This is a great dish for potlucks and parties.  Make it for football parties in the fall or anytime you want an easy, slow cooker meal that is hearty and delicious!

I share recipes at these linky parties.