Cajun Red Beans

Enjoy these delicious Cajun red beans over rice with some cornbread.

• Preparation Time: 20 mins
• Cooking Time: 7 hr
• Total Time: 7 hr 20 mins
• Calories: 383 Calories

Ingredients

• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• ¾ cup chopped celery
• 3 bay leaves
• ¾ cup chopped green bell pepper
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• water as needed
• 3 tablespoons bacon grease
• 1 pound dried pinto beans
• 3 tablespoons chopped garlic
• 1 ½ cups chopped yellow onion
• ¼ cup chopped salt pork
• 1 pinch chipotle chile powder
• ½ pound smoked sausage, split in half and cut into 1-inch pieces

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Place the pinto beans into a large container and cover with several inches of cool water. Soak beans 15 minutes; drain and rinse.

Step 2

Heat bacon grease in a large pot over medium-high heat. Cook and stir salt pork in hot grease for 1 minute. Add onion, celery, bell pepper, black pepper, and chipotle powder to salt pork; cook and stir until the vegetables are soft, about 4 minutes.

Step 3

Stir smoked sausage, bay leaves, parsley, and thyme into salt pork mixture; cook and stir until sausage is browned, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute more.

Step 4

Stir beans into sausage mixture and add enough water to cover the beans. Bring to a boil, remove from heat, and transfer beans mixture to a slow cooker.

Step 5

Cook on High for 1 hour. Reduce to Low and cook until beans are tender, adding water as necessary, about 6 hours more.

Step 6

Mash about 1/4 the beans against the side of the slow cooker crock with the back of a heavy spoon. Continue cooking on Low until beans are tender and creamy, 15 to 20 minutes more. Remove bay leaves.