Red Beans and Rice is one of the most recognizable Creole dishes around. Tradition says that it was typically made on Mondays with the leftover meat from Sunday’s big lunch. It can be made with most any type of pork – ham, breakfast sausage, or smoked sausage. For this recipe, I made it with a pound of breakfast sausage. My mom made this dish often when I was growing up, and she usually used the leftovers from a baked ham. It’s delicious any way you make it. You can also use dried beans or canned, whichever your time allows. I like to use dried beans when I can because I like the flavor better. However, when I want to make it in 30 minutes instead a several hours, I use canned beans. I’ll give you the recipe for using dried beans, and if you’re using canned, you can just add 3 cans of beans to the pot, drained and rinsed.
I used Camellia beans this time, but I also use the store brand or Mahatma. They are all about the same in my opinion, especially since we are going to add a lot of spices. Rinse the dried beans in a colander and place the colander in a big bowl of water. Be sure to cover the beans well with water, as they will absorb a lot of it. Soak overnight or for about 6-8 hours. Drain water off.
Brown sausage in dutch oven. When done, add in a chopped onion, 4 stalks chopped celery, and 4 cloves diced garlic. Continue cooking until vegetables are soft. Add in chicken broth, soaked beans, and 1/2 cup Creole Seasoning. Allow to cook for 1 1/2-2 hours (or 30 minutes if using canned beans) or until beans are tender. Watch carefully as it cooks, as you will probably have to add water all along. Add salt to taste. Be sure to give beans a final taste and adjust spices as needed.
Serve over cooked rice.
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