New Orleans is one of my all-time favorite places. On a recent trip, I picked up some red beans and rice from The Gumbo Shop and some beignets from Cafe du Monde and then went and had a lovely little picnic by the river. It was amazing!

So naturally, when I got home, I needed to recreate the red beans and rice. With the help of a cookbook that I picked up while there, I’ve come up with what I think is a pretty good red beans and rice recipe.

Red Beans & Rice (makes 5 servings)

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 large sweet onion, chopped
• 1 large green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 pound cooked sausage, sliced
• 2 (15.5 ounce) cans red beans (do not drain)
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes (do not drain)
• 1/2 – 1 (4.5 ounce) can chopped green chiles (add more or less depending on your preferred spice level)
• 1 cup long-gran brown rice
• 1 cup water
• 2 teaspoons cajun seasoning

To Make It

• Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper. Saute until onion becomes translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Add sausage, red beans with their liquid, diced tomatoes with their juice, green chiles, rice, water, and cajun seasoning. Bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat to low and cook until all liquid has been absorbed, about 35 minutes.

Note – This is one of those dishes that still tastes great the next day. So it’s a great meal to make and then use the leftovers for lunches during the week.

**Recipe adapted from Growing Up Cajun**