Slow Cooker Red Beans & Rice

With the chilly weather we’ve been having (yes- for me living in San Diego, anything below 65 degrees constitutes chilly, haha) I’ve been craving lots of warm, hearty dishes. So naturally, being from Louisiana I thought of red beans and rice!

Red beans and rice is probably one of the most ideal dishes out there. The ingredients are inexpensive and easy to keep on hand, most of the prep can be done ahead of time, it doesn’t require any precision or advanced cooking skills, and you can truly tailor it to your preferences. If you’re a beginner cook wanting to get more experience in the kitchen or just a busy person who wants to come home to a hot meal, this recipe is for you.

Red beans, or kidney beans, are a great plant-based source of protein and fiber. They are also rich in vitamins and minerals, particularly folate, iron, copper, manganese, potassium, and vitamin K. Red beans also contain antioxidants, which give them their red color and help prevent our cells from damage. Paired with rice, sausage, and/or some cornbread with butter, we’ve got a complete meal- protein, carbs, fats, & fiber.

I like to add sausage to mine towards the end of the cooking process, within the last hour or so. But, you could easily omit the sausage to make it vegan. I also like to use plain ol’ white rice, but you can use any kind of rice you like or have on hand- brown, basmati, Jasmine, etc.

One important thing to note about cooking red beans is that they naturally contain a protein called phytohaemagglutinin, which produces symptoms similar to food poisoning when eaten raw. There’s no need to worry though; the toxin is completely destroyed when the beans are boiled for 10 minutes, and afterwards they’re perfectly safe to eat. If you’re using canned beans, you don’t need to boil them since the toxin is destroyed in the canning process. Many slow cookers don’t get hot enough to kill the toxin, so I recommend boiling your dried beans for 10 minutes prior to adding to your slow cooker, just to be safe. I’ve been eating red beans nearly my whole life, and I’ve never had an issue. If your slow cooker gets hot enough to bubble, you’re good to go without boiling the beans first.

Let’s get right into it!

First, gather up all of your ingredients and do some prep work. I like to chop all of my veggies the night before, that way I can just throw everything in the slow cooker in the morning and go. The Cajun Trinity is onion, green bell pepper, and celery, and it’s the base of many Louisiana dishes. I also mince a few cloves of garlic and slice the sausage I’m using. You can either put all the prepped veggies in container in the refrigerator until ready to use, or directly into the slow cooker.

Add your canned or pre-boiled beans. I also usually soak the dried beans overnight, then drain and rinse them in the morning. That will help them cook a little faster and eliminate some of the gassiness that comes with eating beans.

Add a couple of tablespoons of cajun/creole seasoning, like Tony Chachere’s or a spice blend like this, a bay leaf or two, and hot sauce to your liking. Add just enough water to cover everything. Then stir it all up, turn your slow cooker on high, and let it cook for 6-8 hours until the beans are tender and creamy.

When you’re ready to eat, serve the red beans over the rice topped with a few green onions, and cornbread on the side.

Slow Cooker Red Beans & Rice

Yield: 6-8 Servings

Time: 7.5-8 hours, mostly inactive cooking time

 Ingredients:

• 1 lb Dried red (kidney) beans, or 3 15.5oz cans

• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil (can be omitted if using sausage. The fat lends a creamier texture & flavor)

• 1 Large yellow onion, diced

• 3-4 Stalks celery, chopped

• 1 Green bell pepper, chopped

• 4-5 Cloves of garlic, minced

• 1 Bay leaf

• 2 Tbsp Cajun/Creole seasoning, such as Tony Chachere’s

• Hot sauce such as Tabasco, or cayenne pepper to taste (optional)

• Sausage of choice, preferably smoked pork sausage such as Andouille, sliced into 1” coins (optional)

• Cooked rice, for serving

• 1-2 Green onions, chopped, for serving

Preparation:

 If using dried beans, cover completely with water and leave on the counter to soak overnight. In the morning, drain the rinse the beans, then add to a large pot with fresh water and boil for 10 minutes. Drain and rinse beans again, then add to slow cooker. If using canned beans, drain and rinse beans and add to slow cooker.

Add vegetable oil if using, onion, celery, bell pepper, garlic, bay leaf, and cajun seasoning to slow cooker.

Add a couple pinches of cayenne pepper or a couple dashes hot sauce (can be omitted if spicy food isn’t your thing). Fill slow cooker with just enough water to cover everything, about 6 cups.

Stir everything together, cover with lid, and leave it to cook on high for 6-8 hours.

In the last hour to 30 minutes of cooking, add the sausage. Before serving, add salt or cayenne/hot sauce to taste. Using a fork or the back of a spoon, mash some of the beans against the side of the slow cooker to make the mixture creamier.

Serve over cooked rice and top with green onions. Serve alongside cornbread, if desired.

A couple of tips:

This recipe makes a lot of food and freezes well. If you’re cooking for one or two people, I recommend leaving out enough for leftovers for the next day or two, and freezing the rest into individual portions.

Don’t eat the bay leaf! Just discard it once the beans are done cooking.