Southern-Style Red Beans & Rice

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Dried red beans
• 2 cups Water
• 1 tbsp Olive oil
• 1/2 medium Yellow onion
• 1 stalk Celery
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 4 oz Smoked sausage (andouille or kielbasa)
• 1 tsp Smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp Dried thyme
• 1 Bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp Black pepper
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1 cup Cooked white rice
• 1 tbsp Hot sauce (optional)(optional)

Instructions

1. 1

   Prep (10 minutes): Rinse the red beans. Dice the onion and celery; mince the garlic. Slice the smoked sausage.

2. 2

   Cook aromatics (about 10 minutes): In a pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Sauté onion and celery until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook 1 minute.

3. 3

   Simmer beans (about 35 minutes): Add red beans, water, sausage, smoked paprika, thyme, bay leaf, black pepper, and salt. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low and cook until beans are tender and creamy, stirring occasionally, about 35 minutes.

4. 4

   Serve: Remove the bay leaf. Spoon the red beans over rice and finish with extra pepper (and hot sauce if using).