The History and Making of New Orleans Red Beans and Rice–Crockpot Style! #dishesbydev

When I think back on my childhood growing up in New Orleans, I remember my mama cooking up some red beans and rice every Monday. This ritual continued when we moved to Dallas as this was more than just what mama cooked on Mondays, but a renowned New Orleans tradition. 

History tells us this tradition came about during a time in New Orleans when Monday was laundry day and done by hand, using a crank and a wringer. Given this chore was more labor intensive than any domesticated person could imagine these days, there was no time to slave over a stove to cook dinner for the family. Thus, the tradition of cooking red beans on “Washday Mondays” came about since they require very little TLC  and practically cook themselves.

I’ve taken it a step farther by making it even more less labor intensive by cooking them in the crockpot, leaving me to do laundry, run errands or binge watch my favorite shows on Netflix without care. Lucky for you I’ve shared my recipe below—give it a try and let me know how it turns out!  

Ingredients 

• 1 pound red kidney beans (ideally Camelia Brand Red Kidney Beans)
• 1 pound smoked or andouille sausage, sliced
• 3 cups water
• 1 32-ounce container of no-sodium chicken broth
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 3 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
•  Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning to taste
• Old Bay Seasoning to taste
• Cayenne pepper to taste
• Cooked rice, white or brown
• Louisiana Hot Sauce Original 

Preparation 

• Combine first 13 ingredients in your crockpot.
• Cover and cook on HIGH for five hours or on low for seven hours until beans are tender, stirring about every hour.
• At the beginning of the last hour, use a wooden spoon to mash about half of the beans against the side of the pot; this will make the red beans thicker and creamy. Remember: mixture should be soupy but not watery.
• Once flavor is to your liking and red beans are tender, serve over cooked white or brown rice! ENJOY!