Cajun Red Beans and Rice
Ingredients
- 1 lbs red beans *see notes*
- 3 cups chicken broth low sodium
- 3 1/2 cups water I used the water from soaking the turkey necks
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 3 celery stalks diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 12 oz smoked turkey sausage link cut into moons and a few into 1/2 moons
- smoked turkey meat necks, wings or drums
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp Tony's creole seasoning
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp white pepper or black pepper
- 1 tsp thyme fresh or dry
- cayenne pepper to taste
- 1/2 tsp crab boil optional
- salt to taste
- 1-2 tsp Louisiana hot sauce
Instructions
- Add red beans to a large bowl and pick out the bad (split/ugly) beans. Soak in water 6-24 hours prior to cooking. Add more water if needed. When ready to cook, drain and rinse the soaked beans.
- Optional- In a large pot add 8 cups of water and 1/2 tbsp of crawfish boil. Simmer the smoked turkey meat for 40 minutes.
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add turkey sausage and cook until browned. about 5-6 minutes. Add in chopped seasoning and sautè until veggies begin to soften. About 3 minutes. Then add in minced garlic. Sautè for an additional 2 minutes.
- Next add in smoked turkey necks, soaked red beans, chicken broth and water. Season with onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, crab boil, black pepper, hot sauce, bay leaves and salt to taste. (adjust seasonings if needed) Mix everything together and bring pot to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and cover. Simmer for about 2 1/2 hours or until beans are tender. Check and stir occasionally making sure the beans don't stick to the bottom. Add more liquid IF needed.
- After about 2 1/2 hours, taste adjust salt/seasonings if needed. Take 1 cup of beans out the pot and smash them. Add them back to the pot and continue to simmer for 30 minutes on low.
- While the beans simmer, cook the rice. Add 2 cups of water and 1 cup of rinsed rice to a sauce pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover. Let rice cook on low for 20 minutes, then turn off the heat and let the rice rest for 5 minutes.
- Serve red beans in a bowl over white rice and garnish with green onions or parsley. Enjoy!
Notes
For this recipe I used 2 cups of red beans (because that's all I had) BUT if using 1 lb of beans (the pack) 6-7 cups of liquid should be enough. Cover the beans by 1-2 inches in the pot. Note- I like my beans a little more stewy, so I use more liquid.
If making 1 lb of beans adjust seasonings to taste.
This recipe calls for using dry kidney beans. You will need to soak them for a few hours prior to cooking. Most people recommend overnight but it's not necessary in my opinion. I say at least 6 hrs prior to cooking and you should be fine. There are a lot of other ways to prep your beans if you're short on time. Just check out google.
Highly recommend Tony's NO salt seasoning, and adjust your salt/sodium as needed.
Keep in mind smoked turkey meat is salty. Add salt as needed.