One of the first things I learned about after moving to the New Orleans area is that people make red beans and rice on Mondays. I don't know why. And so, years ago, I soaked kidney beans overnight, sauteed onion and bell pepper, added sausage, and cooked the red beans to death, trying to get them to that creamy consistency like the hubs' grandmother's red beans.
And then Mere (the hubs' grandmother) told me she used canned Blue Runner red beans. Yep.
Here is my super secret recipe for Red Beans and Rice.
1 16oz can Blue Runner Creole Cream Style red beans
1 16oz can New Orleans Blue Runner Spicy Cream Style red beans
1 chopped onion
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped (if you feel like it)
1 lb smoked sausage, sliced (I like Manda sausage)
1/2 stick of butter (I didn't say this was diet friendly)
Now, this is not hard. Slice the sausage in half, lengthwise, then slice it across, so that the pieces are like halves. Put the sausage in a pot on medium-low while you chop up the onion. Add the onion and butter. Add a cup of water to the pot. Chop up a bell pepper if you have one, or if you like bell peppers. Most of the time I leave it out because I forget to buy them. Make some rice. I make rice in my Pampered Chef microwave rice cooker. Once the sausage is cooked and the onion is soft, open up those cans and scoop the beans into the pot. Stir it all up and let the flavors get all happy while the rice finishes cooking. Ladle some red beans into big bowls and put a scoop of rice on top. In my opinion, having one can of the spicy beans makes the red beans spicy enough for kids. Adults and people who like spicy things (moi) can add Tabasco.
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