What Goes In
- 1.5 pounds andouille sausage, split lengthwise and sliced into thin half-moons
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, seeds removed and diced small
- 2 celery ribs, diced fine
- 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 1/4 teaspoons dried thyme
- Sea salt and black pepper
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 pound dried red kidney beans, picked through and rinsed
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice
- 2 cups water
Start with Sausage
Heat a Dutch oven over medium. Add the andouille and cook ~8-10 minutes until the fat renders and edges brown.
Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate. Refrigerate – adding it back later keeps it from getting mushy.
Build Your Base
In the sausage fat, cook the onion, bell pepper, and celery ~5-7 minutes until soft.
Add garlic powder, oregano, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cook ~1 minute until fragrant.
Pour in the broth. Add beans and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then simmer ~25 minutes until beans start to soften.
Transfer everything to your slow cooker.
Set Up the Rice Trick
Mix rice and water in a loaf pan. Cover tightly with foil – needs a good seal.
Set the pan right in the bean mixture in your slow cooker. The beans cook around it.
Cover and cook on LOW 4-5 hours or HIGH 3-4 hours. Beans should be completely tender.
Finish It
Carefully remove the loaf pan.
Blend 1 1/2 cups of the bean mixture until smooth, ~30-45 seconds. This thickens everything.
Stir the purée and refrigerated sausage into the slow cooker. Cook on HIGH ~10-15 minutes until hot.
Taste and adjust seasoning.
Serve
Remove foil from rice and fluff with a fork. Serve beans over rice.
Fish out the bay leaves if you spot them. The trinity (onion, bell pepper, celery) is non-negotiable for authentic flavor. Real andouille makes a difference – kielbasa works but isn’t the same.
Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds andouille sausage split lengthwise and sliced into thin half-moons
- 1 large yellow onion chopped
- 1 green bell pepper seeds removed and diced small
- 2 celery ribs diced fine
- 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 1/4 teaspoons dried thyme
- Sea salt and black pepper
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 pound dried red kidney beans picked through and rinsed
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice
- 2 cups water
Instructions
- Brown andouille slices in Dutch oven 8-10 min until edges crisp. Remove and refrigerate.
- Cook onion, pepper, celery in sausage fat 5-7 min until soft.
- Add seasonings and cook 1 min.
- Add broth, beans, bay leaves. Bring to boil, simmer 25 min.
- Transfer to slow cooker.
- Place foil-covered loaf pan with rice and water into bean mixture.
- Cook on LOW 4-5 hours until beans are tender.
- Remove rice pan.
- Blend 1.5 cups beans until smooth.
- Stir in puree and reserved sausage.
- Cook 10-15 min more on HIGH.
- Fluff rice, serve beans over top.
- Remove bay leaves before serving.
