Red Beans & Rice

Beans, beans
They’re good for your heart
The more you eat
The more you _______.

We all know the tune and I’m here to tell you that I have THE BEST recipe for Red Beans & Rice. Don’t believe me? Ask Darlene. She’s not even related to me and she’ll agree. The secret is in these particular canned beans:

Blue Runner Creole Cream Style Red Beans. I’m telling you, it makes all the difference in the world. My family has known about this secret for 20+ years and now I’m sharing it with you, dear readers.

It’s almost impossible to find these beans in Florida. I’ve put in requests at Publix, Winn Dixie, and even the Super Walmart. No one will carry them! And it’s twice as expensive to have them shipped via the web site. So, whenever someone I know is traveling here from Louisiana, I bribe/beg them to pick up a case for me. Yes, a case. This time the blessed traveler is my Uncle Mike, who will be arriving today. He’s bringing 5 cases with him: for himself, my mom, my mother-in-law, Darlene, and me. I’m sure when he purchased the 5 cases, the employees were wondering if it was canned crack or something. Who buys 120 cans of red beans at one time, especially if they don’t own a restaurant? I’m telling you, they’re that good. Enough convincing, here’s my recipe.

You’ll need:
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 lb cajun-style sausage
- 10 oz can Rotel tomatoes
- 2 cans of these beans (only these beans)
- 2 cups of rice

Directions:
Chop the onion. Slice the sausage into bit-sized pieces. Put the onion and sausage in a pot (medium-high heat) and cook for a few minutes, stirring often. When the onions start to stick to the pot, lower the heat and add the Rotel (don’t let the onions burn). Once the onions are cooked down to the texture you want, add the beans. Simmer on low, stirring occasionally, while you make the rice. If you don’t know how to make rice, you should be embarrassed. (Side note regarding rice preparation: Sometimes I substitute canned chicken broth for the water. It makes the rice really tasty.) Serve the beans over the rice. I like about 2/3 beans to 1/3 rice so that it doesn’t get dried out, but that’s a personal preference.