Being from the south, we have lots of traditions. When I say ‘traditions’, I don’t mean just something my momma did and now I do it, I’m talking about generations of the way things are done! And when it comes to cooking, well those traditions are going to span several generations!!
When I was younger (which was more than just a few years ago but shhhh), my grandmother (who we lovingly called Gimmy) would explain why we always seemed to have red beans on Mondays. You see, that was wash day.
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Of course, when she was growing up families didn’t have the luxury of a fancy washing machine. So, the ladies of the house would spend the whole day doing the wash which means every single piece of clothing had to be cleaned by hand. Now I come from very big families which meant lots of clothes and lots of hungry mouths to feed. The only way to get it all done was to have something on the stove that didn’t need much attention.
Jump to RecipeA pot of beans was the perfect answer!! By adding sausage, they not only provided a fuss free meal that was packed with flavor but also a hearty dish after a hard days work. And I think we can all appreciate that!
In order to get this dish to be fuss free there are a few steps that need to be done to prep for cook day. One thing you can do is soak the beans. Setting them in a bowl of water and leaving in the fridge overnight is the easiest way to do this step. If you forget though, don’t worry it’s not a problem. Place your beans in a coverable storage bowl with HOT water for about 45 minutes. What you’re trying to do it rehydrate the bean and you’ll start to see them crack, that’s okay! NOTE: Allow for the beans to double in size when choosing a container to soak. Cover with more than 2″ of water for soaking and check after 1 hour to insure the water is adequate.
Most of the time, you’ll want to season dried beans with salt meat (salted pork). This can be done by using a hamhock, leftover shank (ham) bone, or even the bone from a boston butt pork roast. All of these options will provide you with an amazing flavor! It’s exactly how I do my white (navy) beans. However, with red (kidney) beans I’m going to utilize the sausage as my flavor.
Cut the sausage into rounds, not too big but not too small either. You want to be able to have sausage and beans in one bite. Add a small amount of cooking oil to the bottom of a thick bottomed pot and lightly fry the sausage. This should only take a few minutes, you just want the sausage to release the oils to cook down the trinity (onions, bell pepper, celery).
Now that you have beautifully flavored oil in the pot, add the trinity and cook until just tender then add a good bit of minced garlic. Cook this for just a few minutes until it becomes aromatic and throw in the beans!
This is where the magic happens, add enough chicken stock/broth and water to cover by at least 2″. Bring to a boil, reduce to medium, add the cajun seasoning and thyme then cover and cook for about 3 hours stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. I do not add salt at this point. The sausage is going to bring some salt so adding now may end up with too much once the sausage is added. Wait on the salt …. just saying!
As the beans start to tender, you’ll notice the broth thickens slightly. We always enjoyed our beans creamy and to achieve this, just take a potato masher and ‘mash’ in the pot a few times. Not too many, you still want ‘beans’, you just want some of them to be crushed so the meat of the beans can incorporate into the broth.
Now is when you add the sausage to the beans. Bring this back to a slow boil, adding liquid if needed and freshly chopped parsley. So now that the sausage has been added, taste your dish for salt and/or pepper.
Once the sausage has heated through, you’re done. That’s literally all it takes! Since we have these wonderful inventions of washing machines, imagine what you can get done while the beans are on the stove!!
A bowl of beans and sausage is plenty to fill your belly but I can guarantee you some cajun hushpuppies are an amazing side, just saying!!
Okay, so who else likes to have precooked meals for those nights you just don’t feel like cooking???? I know I do! Not only does this meal basically cook itself, it also freezes beautifully!!! If you don’t have one yet, check out a good vacuum sealing machine to extend the life of your meals!
Cajun Red Beans & Sausage
Ingredients
- 2 lbs dried red (kidney) beans soaked overnight
- 1 lb pre-cooked pork sausage
- ½ Tbsp Cooking oil
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- 1 medium green bell pepper diced
- 3-4 stalks celery diced
- 2 Tbsp minced garlic
- 2 16 oz chicken broth/stock
- 1 Tbsp cajun seasoning
- ½ tsp ground thyme
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Rinse dry beans then cover with 2" water in a coverable dish and store in the refrigerator overnight. If you are unable to soak overnight, place the beans in HOT water and cover for one hour (leave on your counter).
- Cut sausage in bite size rounds. Add cooking oil to a heated pot and cook sausage for 2 minutes to release oils. Remove sausage and set aside in a bowl.
- Add onions, bell pepper, and celery to the oil and cook over medium heat until tender, about 5 minutes then add garlic and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
- Drain and rinse beans then add to the cooked vegetables.
- Pour in chicken broth and enough water to cover the beans by 2". Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, add cajun seasoning and thyme, then cover and cook for 3 hours.
- Stir occasionally to prevent sticking!
- After beans have become tender, take a potato masher and smash some of the beans to create a creamy broth. (This step is optional if you prefer a more watery broth)
- Return sausage to the stockpot and add fresh chopped parsley then cook for 10 minutes to heat sausage through. NOTE: When adding the sausage, taste for needed salt and/or pepper.
- Serve over cooked rice.