As kids are going back to school (or may even be back!) and the “busy season” of work creeps closer, it’s necessary to find recipes that can be prepared ahead of time so that weeknight meals can be on the table as quickly as possible. My favorite tool for really yummy dishes that I can just reheat is my lovely slow cooker.
Cooking Light had a recipe for Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice that is perfect for weekend prep and weeknight meals. This particular recipe has a good amount of prep time before putting everything in the slow cooker so I’d suggest making it on a weekend versus a weeknight morning. (If you want to make this before work, set aside 30-45 minutes to get everything ready to put in the slow cooker.)
A couple of notes before I dive into the recipe. You actually soak the dried red beans in water overnight, so don’t forget to do that that night before you plan on making this recipe. Also, dried kidney beans apparently contain a toxin that is not killed at low temperatures (like in a slow cooker) so you have to boil them for 10 minutes before slow cooking. (Who knew?! Definitely don’t skip that step!) This recipe makes 8 servings so you can also freeze the red bean mixture for future meals if you won’t finish it during the week. Ok! Let’s cook!
Ingredients:
- 1 pound dried red kidney beans
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 12 oz andouille sausage, quartered lengthwise and cut crosswise
- 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
- 1 cup chopped poblano chile (~2 chiles)
- 1 cup diced celery
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 10 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 (12-ounce) can lager-style beer
- 4 cups unsalted chicken stock
- 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne pepper)
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 bay leaves
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions, divided
- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 4 cups hot cooked long-grain rice