Quicker (and Lighter) Red Beans and Rice
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As a food blogger, I get a lot of great comments and emails and I also get a few more interesting ones. So before I get an email telling me I’m the Antichrist for using canned beans, tomato paste or chicken sausage in this dish, I will preface this post by saying that this recipe may not necessarily be 100% authentic. Thankfully, it’s 100% tasty.
See, it kind of starts when my “holy trinity” is really a “holy quintiply” (?) because of the use of frozen stoplight peppers rather than a green pepper. And then I used canned beans and chicken andouille sausage. Oh, the horror! Actually, now that I think of it, this meal would fit perfectly in the Cooking with Trader Joe’s cookbook, since all the ingredients are from there.
At any rate, there are two things you already know (or should know) about me: I like quick meals (especially one pot meals!) and my metabolism has waged a war against me, so I need to eat healthy 98% of the time (and that’s just to maintain my weight and complain all the time about how I eat healthy and exercise but don’t lose weight).
This is the first time I’ve used chicken andouille sausage, and it was very tasty. I admit, a few years back I was skeptical about substitutions like this. To this day, I still won’t use ground turkey in place of ground beef. But, I’m a convert in other regards – and so is my husband. I have found some really delicious chicken sausage that is a healthy alternative to your typical pork sausage, and now I don’t even think about buying the pork variety most of the time. My husband commented a couple times about how much he enjoyed this, and how he’s looking forward to the leftovers for lunch.
Red Beans and Rice with Andouille
Serves 4
1/2 Tbsp. canola oil
1 small onion, diced
2 ribs celery, sliced
1/2 cup diced bell pepper(s)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. creole seasoning, divided
4 links (about 12 ounces) andouille chicken sausage (or pork andouille, of course), sliced
1 heaping Tbsp. tomato paste
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
2 bay leaves
1 cup rice (and yes, I use brown)
2 cups chicken broth (or water)
1 can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
Heat the canola oil in a large skillet/saute pan (something that has a lid) over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, bell pepper, garlic and 1/2 Tbsp. of the Creole seasoning. Saute until vegetables are tender.
Add the andouille and brown. Stir in the tomato paste, parsley, bay leaves and rice and cook for about a minute. Add the chicken broth, being sure to scrape up all the browned bits, the remaining 1/2 Tbsp. creole seasoning, and the beans. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and cook until rice is done. Remove from heat and let stand for a few minutes (with the lid still on). Fluff with a fork and serve.
Nothing wrong with canned goods-to a certain point. As long as you enjoy it and it’s tasty then go for it! I’m a “bean” man so this recipe is right up my alley Elly!
Yum! I’m all about this dish, looks delicious!
Any quick meal that can looks this good, is a winner to me!!!! It is healthy and most attractive. You did well, Elly!!!
I can see why your husband would want seconds Elly:D
This looks delicious! Red beans and rice is one of our favorite meals.
It sounds delicious and a filling meal for lent.
Well, I guess I’m going to hell then cause I use only canned beans. 😉
That red beans and rice looks good!
This is a gorgeous dish! There is nothing wrong with lightening things up or using canned beans. I think it looks great!
Elly, you have a way with these Latin dishes…earthy, rustic and tasty!
Canned or not, this dish sounds delicious. I use canned chickpeas and kidney beans more often than not … can’t say there is an enormous difference in quality and when you’re working, have a family, etc., etc., using canned beans in a dish is most definitely not the worst thing in the world!
Yummy! This looks great – and canned beans are so easy to use that it’s hard NOT to buy them!
I’ve been trying to find healthier (and EASY) meals to make every day and this was so easy and delicious! Even the kids ate it! 🙂 I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on your blog for ideas!
So glad your family liked this, Shanna!
Looks delicious! I want to make this for dinner tonight but don’t have any chicken broth — think it doesn’t lose too much flavor if I just add water?
I’ve made it with water and it’s been fine! Hope you like it!
Thank you for sharing this! It is in our regular dinner rotation and my husband enjoys it so much that he learned how to make it – now his is better than mine 🙂
That’s great to hear! 🙂