Red Beans and Rice

  • 1 pound dried red kidney beans
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2-3 stalks celery, chopped into bite-sized pieces
  • 1 small onion, chopped into bite-sized pieces
  • 1 medium bell pepper, chopped into bite-sized pieces
  • 4 cups cooked rice: can use either the regular kind or Minute-brand cooks-in-a bag kind
  • Optional: 12-16 oz. Kielbasa or other link sausage

Best method: pour dried beans out of package and into a colander/strainer.  Filter through the dried beans with your fingers, looking for bits of mud or rock.  Discard this kind of trash if you find it.  Rinse the beans under running tap water.  Pour wet beans into 3 quart pot and cover with water until water is about 2 inches above the top of the beans.

HINT: 1 inch = 1 finger joint (tip of finger to first joint) so 2 inches is tip of finger to second joint)

  1. Soak beans overnight.  They will absorb most of the water.  Pour off the water the next morning and re-rinse beans.
  2. Pour wet beans into crockpot and cover with water, plus 1-2 inches above the top of the beans.
  3. Saute the garlic and remaining vegetables in a non-stick skillet sprayed with Pam.  You can even do this step ahead of time and just refrigerate until you are ready to cook the beans.
  4. Add vegetables, salt and pepper and the other seasonings. Cover and cook in crockpot on low for 6-8 hours.
  5. When ready to eat, remove the bay leaf.  Serve beans over cooked rice.

Complete your meal with a salad and crusty bread (French or Sourdough).Meat vs. vegetarian: this dish is delicious as is, but traditionally, it is cooked with sliced link sausage.  If you choose to add sausage, you will achieve the best flavor if you slice 1 lb. of link sausage and brown it in a non-stick skillet before adding to the beans at the same time you add in the seasonings and vegetables.  If you brown the sausage, drain off any fat before you add  the meat to the beans.

Hiding leftovers: If you have left-over meat or firm vegetables (not leafy ones like broccoli) from another meal, this is a good place to use it up.  If your previous meal was prepared in a gravy or sauce, rinse the items off in a colander and then add to the beans when you add in the vegetables and seasonings. In a rush?  You can skip the soaking stage, just make sure your water is about 4 inches above the tops of the dried beans.
6-8 servings
If you want to try a famous recipe, use the Treebeards recipe published in the Houston Chronicle in 2018. Treebeards, based in downtown Houston, has specialized in cooking fresh Southern food since 1978.  Do not miss out on this Texas classic.