Red Beans and Rice

This creole dish is a family favorite. We just love piling up the garlic and bell pepper to add flavor to the beans, and of course, the sausage! Yum! Yellow rice goes well with it, but actually, any kind will do!


What you need:

• 1 pkg (14 oz) red beans (dry)
• 1 pound kielbasa sausage, cut into bite-size pieces
• 2 bay leaves
• 5 cups beef broth
• 1 head of garlic, crushed
• 1/4 Vidalia onion, sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt, to taste

What to do:

Soak the red beans in water for at least 2 hours (overnight is better).

In a pot, heat the 2 tablespoons olive oil and saute the garlic, onions and green bell pepper. Add the sausage and cook for about 2 minutes. Put in the soaked beans (drained of water) and bay leaves. Add the beef broth and reduce heat to low and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours, or till beans are tender. 

Season with salt, onion powder and garlic powder. Stir and cook for around 2 minutes. Serve with yellow rice. 


Tips, Tricks and Tweaks:

1. If your red beans dry out while simmering, add more beef broth.
2. No beef broth? Use water.
3. Use Andouille sausage, or ham.
4. Traditional red beans from Louisiana uses pork bones from ham to make the dish tastier.
5. For the rice - I just used a package of Vigo yellow rice and cooked it as per package instructions.