Beans and Rice with Sausage

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure here.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

I love one-pot meals and this is another staple for my family. I keep these Beans and Rice ingredients on hand so I can throw this together in a pinch.

Add Flavor to Rice

For this Beans and Rice dish, you’ll cook the rice separately and then ladle the sausage and beans overtop the rice to serve. Follow the instructions on your rice to get it started – typically it’s a 2 to 1 ratio (2 parts water to 1 part rice). You’ll want 5 to 6 cups of cooked rice when it’s finished.

But… don’t just use water… use some of that homemade chicken stock I know you’ve put away. Not sure how to make your own stock? Read how to here. And always flavor your rice by replacing the water with stock (or potlikker, now that’s some good rice).

Grab Your Dutch Oven

I have mentioned the glory of the Dutch oven in previous posts so I won’t belabor the point. Let me say that once you make the shift to this marvelous kitchen essential, you won’t go back.

For this Beans and Rice recipe, I use my 7.25 qt. Le Creuset Dutch oven so I have a large surface area for browning the sausage.

Sear Your Meat

If you’re new to cooking from scratch, here’s a tip: when making a stew or soup, always sear the meat first (instead of adding it in to the other ingredients raw). “Searing” means to cook the outside of the meat in a hot pan for only a short time. This caramelizes the sugars in the meat and creates a beautiful brown crust – bringing out and building up the flavor of the meat.

Use Fresh or Smoked Link Sausage

You can use either fresh or smoked link sausage – I’ve done it with both and honestly don’t have a preference. It just depends on what we have on hand. I do suggest you use 2 lbs of sausage, though. The first few times I made this I used 1 lb and we always ran out of meat before the beans and rice were gone. (I have two growing boys!)

Heat the Dutch oven or large pot on medium high heat. To the hot pan, add lard, bacon grease, butter, or olive oil. All ingredient measurements are in the recipe below.

Cut the sausage links into 1/2 inch pieces. Brown the sausage in the hot lard by adding 1/3 of the sausage at a time. Remove the browned sausage with a slotted spoon before adding the next batch (and repeat). This ensures that all the pieces get browned.

Cook each batch 1-2 minutes, moving the pieces around a little to prevent sticking. Add more lard if needed. Set all the sausage aside once it’s browned.

Cook the Veggies Until Soft

Once the sausage is browned and removed from the pan, turn the heat down to medium and add the diced onion to the drippings left in pan. (There should be plenty of grease left over but add more lard if needed.) Cook the onion about 1 minute, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan to incorporate any sausage bits.

Stir in the bell pepper and celery. Cook roughly 5 minutes until vegetables are soft and tender. Mix in the garlic and cook another minute.

Blend in the tomato paste, red beans, white beans, Cajun seasoning, salt, and pepper. Add the browned sausage back to the pot and stir well.

Mix in the chicken stock and place a bay leaf on top. Turn the heat up to high and bring everything to a boil. Once boiling, turn it down to a simmer and cover. Cook on a simmer for 20 minutes.

Remove the lid. Using a potato masher, mash the beans slightly until thickened (only about 10 seconds). Continue to simmer, uncovered, another 10 minutes.

And you’re done! Serve this wholesome dish warm on top of rice.

Leave a comment below letting me know if you tried this recipe and what you thought! Are there any other toppings you include with your Beans and Rice?

---