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Red Beans and Rice is a comfort food and a favorite in our house! We cook this all in one pot and while we have the rice going in the rice cooker.
This is a meal you can have on the table in less than 15 minutes. I don’t often freezer cook, but red beans and rice is a great example of a meal that you could freezer prep and get it made even faster. When I get peppers and onions in our produce co-op basket, I automatically come home and slice and freeze them. When a recipe calls for them, I can pull them out and start cooking! We also take the sausage right out of the freezer, slice it frozen, and put it straight in the pan.
Want to make it even cheaper? One bag of dry beans is equivalent to almost 3 cans of beans! Either soak them over night so they are ready, or you can cook them in your Instant Pot.
Ingredients
- 12-14 oz package of smoked sausage
- 2 peppers (poblano, bell peppers, etc.)
- 1 medium onion (or 2 small onions)
- 2 Tbsp. fresh minced garlic
- 2 tsp. salt
- 1 Tbsp. chili powder
- 1 Tbsp. cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp. ground white pepper
- 1/2 tsp. paprika
- 2 16 oz. cans red kidney beans
- 32 oz. chicken broth
- 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
- 3 cups cooked rice
Directions
- Slice smoked sausage to about 1/4-inch slices. Begin to brown in large stock pot in vegetable oil.
- Slice peppers and onions in 1/4-inch slices, then cut in half to make about 1/4 by 1-inch slices. Add vegetables to sausage and oil when sausage slices are slightly brown.
- Stir fry veggies and sausages for 2-4 minutes.
- Add minced garlic and spices, and saute for 1 minute.
- Add chicken broth and drained kidney beans.
- Bring broth to a boil and let simmer until ready to serve over rice.
- Serves 8.
Using beans and rice in your meal planning is a great cost-cutter! We also love these Mexican Black Beans—either as a side dish or as the main dish in a vegetarian meal.
