Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice is chock full of smoky sausage (add chicken or ham), delicious creole cajun spices, veggies and healthy red beans. Perfect for Mardi Gras, or anytime you need some delicious comfort food!
Heat a saute pan over medium heat and add a couple tablespoons of olive oil (or if you have a slow cooker to stove insert, do this in your insert). Rinse and sort* dried beans, set aside.
Saute onions, celery until translucent and slightly golden, toss in garlic for the last minute until fragrant. Stir in spices to coat onion, celery, garlic mixture and stir for a minute to bloom the spices. Place all ingredients into crockpot - slow cooker (except rice). Pour about 6 cups water, enough to cover everything by about ½ inch. Stir to mix everything, cover and set slow cooker on high between 6-8 hours or on low between 8-10 hours.
If using chicken breasts, add to crockpot about 4 hours before serving and shred before serving.
To thicken, use a potato masher and mash some of the beans, stir and cook an hour longer or so. Taste before serving, adding additional sea salt and pepper, if needed. Remove bay leaves. Serve red beans over bowls of cooked rice (white or brown)
Video
Notes
*Pour dried beans into a sieve and rinse with cool water well. Then sort through beans (see post for what you are looking for) and remove any broken, shriveled beans. Once I have rinsed the beans, I toss onto a sheet pan and "sort" them.Serving Suggestions
Stay Southern, serve with collard greens,Cream Biscuits or cornbread.
Make a nice big crisp green salad and serve with a loaf of warm French bread or Beer bread.
We are kind of crazy about naan in this house, which is delicious to sop up all of the juice!