Red Beans & Rice with Cajun Sausage

Red Beans & Rice

With Cajun Sausage

Tasty, spicy and filling! Red Beans & Rice with Cajun Smoked Sausage is one of those true comfort foods, at least for me. And in this recipe, I've "kicked it up" a bit. You probably know from so many of my other posts that I have a "sweet tooth" for spicy. Not to be confused with the comic book Sweet Tooth, the character Sweet Tooth in the video game Twisted Metal or the novel of the same name, Sweet Tooth, by Ean McEwan.


And if ya don't glisten just a little, it's not spicy enough right?  This works, but it's not over the top for me! If you prefer less spice, simply tone it down a notch or two.

This dish goes well with some hot, crusty bread. But more importantly, this is one of those "one pot" meals, easy to make and takes minimal time to prepare. And left-overs, if there are any, will allow more time for those spices to "marinate" all the other ingredients. Unfortunately, we cleaned the pot!

Originally, I found the Red Beans & Rice recipe on another blog I follow called Southern Bite. So this has been adapted to accommodate my need for spice. I've added some extra spice, extra broth and the broth I used is cajun infused. If you're not a smoked sausage fan, you could change it up even more by sauteing the veggies first, add some of your favorite rotisserie chicken (chopped into about 1 inch chunks) and continue on your journey.

So get in that kitchen, pour some vino, crank up your favorite music (Raul Malo works well with this... love the way this man can put it out!) and create your Red Beans & Rice.

Let's Try It!

Ingredients: 

• 1 tbsp. oil(vegetable, canola or olive oil)
• 1 lb. cajun smoked sausage(I like aidells.)
• 1 medium large onion
• 1 medium green bell pepper
• 3 celery stalks
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 3 c. Louisiana Cajun chicken broth or plain chicken broth, Swanson sells the cajun
• 2 cans red beans or red kidney beans, 15 oz. size
• 2 c. minute rice/instant rice
• 1 tbsp. creole seasoning, or to taste(I like Zatarains.)
• Tabasco Sauce to taste. 
• fresh ground black pepper, to taste

note: If you prefer your dish a bit more soupy, just add additional broth during the cooking process.

Point of Interest: Onion, bell pepper, celery & garlic are known as the Cajun holy trinity. Just click Cajun holy trinity for a little history!

Preparation:

A little up-front prep will speed things up. First, slice the sausage into approximately 1/2 inch pieces. Then chop the onion, seed & chop the bell pepper, chop the celery stalks and mince the garlic(Or even better, buy garlic already minced like I do.). Drain & rinse the beans. This saves time and, of course, allows for sipping on some wine during the remaining preparation. Hey, it's all in the planning...

1. Add the oil to a large dutch oven type pot (I used a 5 qt.) & heat to medium. Add sausage cook/stirr until slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Toss in the   onion, pepper, celery & cook until the onion begins to turn translucent, about 5-8 minutes. Stir occasionally.

2. Toss in the minced garlic & cook until fragrant. Add the broth & bring to a slow boil.

3. Sitr in the beans, rice, creole seasoning & pepper giving everything a good stir to combine. Reduce heat to a simmer & cook about 15 minutes. After about 8 minutes add Tabasco sauce to taste or add when serving.

Ta Da!

Did I say this was easy & quick? Right! Of course it was. Tasty, filling & with a little kick to it. I hope you enjoy your Red Beans & Rice with Cajun Sausage. Ok, so I'm off to find more foodie adventures to stir up!

Enjoy! WildWSS outta here!