Red Beans and Rice (with Andouille Chicken Sausage)

Carrie @ poet in the pantry

It's really important to have your mise en place ready for this one---it's too easy to burn onions while you're chopping other veggies (not that I'd know anything about that...)

Print Recipe

Prep Time 30 mins

Cook Time 2 hrs 40 mins

Total Time 3 hrs 10 mins

Course Entree

Servings 8

Ingredients

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion small chop
5 cloves garlic pressed or minced
3 ribs celery small chop
2 orange bell peppers small chop
2 14.5- ounce cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes with juice
2 16- ounce cans dark red kidney beans rinsed and drained
1 16- ounce can light red kidney beans rinsed and drained
2 cups chicken broth/stock
3 teaspoons Cajun/Creole seasoning
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon Maldon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 bay leaves
12 ounces chicken Andouille sausage sliced lengthwise and then crosswise so you get half-moon shapes
2 ounces Canadian bacon diced small
2 cups uncooked white long-grain rice

Instructions

Drizzle the EVOO in a 3.5-quart dutch oven over medium to medium high heat and add the onions.
Saute until softened and translucent.
Add the garlic, celery, and bell peppers and saute for a 4-5 minutes to soften a bit.
Add the tomatoes, beans, chicken broth, seasonings, sausage, and Canadian bacon. Stir well and simmer uncovered over medium-low heat for 2-2.5 hours, stirring occasionally to ensure the bottom isn't burning. It will thicken considerably in this time; if it's too thick, just add more chicken broth.
About a half hour before serving, prepare the rice--in my case, I pour it into my rice cooker with twice as much water (so in this case, that would be 4 cups of water for 2 cups of rice) and let it cook til steamed fully. On the stove, you'll use the same ratio but you'll have to be more attentive to ensure the bottom doesn't burn. The Kitchn has a great tutorial on how to cook rice on the stovetop, if you need some pointers.
Serve the red beans over the cooked rice.