Easy Cajun Red Beans and Rice You Can Make at Home

Huge thanks to BUSH’S Beans and Soapbox Influence for sponsoring this post and letting me share my easy Cajun red beans and rice recipe. All opinions and photos are my own.
#BushsBeansFallFlavors

I have a special fondness in my heart for New Orleans. My husband and I spent time there on our honeymoon 20 years ago. We didn’t have a lot of money to travel and we both decided we’d love to go somewhere in the country where neither of us had been before. We had always wanted to visit NOLA so we decided that was the place to go. It didn’t disappoint. Despite the cold weather and rain (hey, it was December), we had a fabulous time. So much so that I’ve become a fan of all things Cajun and Creole.

We always knew we wanted to take our kids to visit one day and last year we got the chance. We took a Caribbean cruise that left from the Port of New Orleans so we made plans to spend a little extra time in the city before and after the cruise. My oldest daughter is quite the foodie and she fell in love with the city just like I did. Because, honestly, the food!!!!!

My girls and niece and nephew in New Orleans.

I have NEVER had a bad meal in New Orleans.

Living in Southern California, we don’t have many opportunities for those New Orleans dishes, so I try and make them as often as I can. I’m pretty partial to New Orleans style BBQ Shrimp, and I love a good Jambalaya. But, when you just need some serious comfort food… there is nothing like a pot of red beans and rice. It’s fast. It’s cheap. It’s easy. And it makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Just perfect for fall and winter. So without further ado, my red beans and rice recipe.

Ingredients:

2 - 14 oz. cans BUSH’S® Dark Red Kidney Beans
2 - 3 large sausage links of your choice (Traditional red beans and rice call for Andouille sausage. I used chicken and apple sausage but you can experiment with all types of varieties.)
1 cup cooked white rice
Cajun seasoning (store bought is fine)

Prepare rice as you normally would. While it’s boiling, you can slice your sausage into about 1/2 inches pieces and grill/saute them on the stovetop OR keep them whole and grill them outdoors and then slice them up.

When the sausage is done, add 2 cans of Bush’s Dark Red Kidney Beans to the pan. Do not drain the beans because you’ll want all that liquid goodness for the rice to soak up.

When the rice is ready, add to the beans and sausages. Stir well. Add in the Cajun seasoning and mix. Use a small amount at first. You can always add in more if you want it spicier or more flavorful.

That’s it! Really… no soaking beans or spending hours over a hot stove. You have a one-pot meal that will fill you up fast.

Pick up all the varieties of BUSH’S Beans at Walmart and keep that pantry stocked anytime you need a hearty and nutritious add-in or add-on to your meal.