Rev: Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice-CL 4/03

[swquilts]

From CL 4/03

This is soooo easy to prepare! I prepped all of the chopping last night, tossed everything in the crockpot this morning and poof! Done! This was really good, the sausage (I used Hillshire Farms Turkey Kielbasa) imparts a lot of flavor into the dish. House smelled great when I got home.

The only drawback was the heat factor. Even DH who LOVES hot food thought it was a tad too warm. I made it as written, next time I'll cut back a bit on the ground red pepper.

Oh and oops! I forgot the green onions.....no biggie.

Will definitely repeat.....with less heat!

[beckms]

Thanks for the review!

I'm wary of putting sausage in the crock for that long...I would think it would lose its flavor or fall apart after such a long cook time, as mentioned on another thread about one of the slow-cooker recipes from last month (the one with tiny French beans). Did you find that to be true? Did you wait to add the sausage?

[swquilts]

Since we're gone all day I put the sausage in at the same time as the other ingredients. I didn't think it lost much flavor, some maybe. Mixed in with all of the other "aromatics" helps keep the flavor in the dish, IMHO. Good stuff!

[HUNGRY!]

I liked this one too. The beans had a great flavor and the sauce was nice and flavorful. I didn't think that the sausage lost too much of its flavor- all of the flavors mixed together in a great way. I ended up cooking it on low for 10 hours (instead of the 8 in the rec.) and it turnded out fine.

The sweet and sour slaw on the same page went great with this and had a really good taste to it.

[beckms]

I made this yesterday, too, and liked it. I started it at 1, put it on low, and then realized at about 5 that it wouldn't be done until 9, so I turned it up to high for abou 2 hours. So total, it cooked on low for about 4 hours, then on high for 2. Every once in a while I came across a bean that wasn't quite done yet, but other than that, it was very tasty. I stirred the rice in instead of serving it over rice. I did think the sausage kind of lost its punch, so I think next time I'll cook it as directed and then add the other half of the sausage toward the end.

After reading this thread, I decreased the heat a little: I added about 1/2 teaspoon Penzey's half-sharp paprika, and about 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, and it was just the right heat level. Any more would have been too hot.

I served it with the slaw, which I really liked. I ended up spooning my slaw right into the bowl with the beans and rice, and the combination was even better than the two separate!

I also made Buttermilk Corn Bread (http://www.epicurious.com/run/recipe/view?id=4413&action=filtersearch&filter=recipe-filter.hts&collection=Recipes&ResultTemplate=recipe-results.hts&queryType=and&keyword=buttermilk+corn+bread&submit.x=17&submit.y=6) from Bon Appetit, which is my new favorite corn bread recipe. Slightly sweet, slightly crumbly, yum!

:cool:

[PoppyJ]

I made this yesterday and thought it was good also. It was a tad hot for me, but not for my DH. He likes to sweat when he eats though. Next time I won't use so much red pepper. I cooked it on low for 8 hours and it was perfect.

I served it with the slaw recipe on the same page. It was fine...nothing exciting though.

[crazyquilter]

I wonder if I'm reading the recipe wrong. It says to cook it on high for 5 hours. It seems like you guys have cooked it much longer than that. Do you think it won't be done in 5 hours? I was planning on starting it about 1 today, but will do it sooner if I need to. Thanks. CQ

[PoppyJ]

The recipe says to cook on high for five hours. In the notes, it does say you can cook it on low for eight hours. I think you will be fine if you put it on at 1:00.

[crazyquilter]

Thanks, PoppyJ. Gee, guess I need to read the notes, too, huh?:o

[swquilts]

I use a Christmas tree light timer to delay the start of the crockpot! Works GREAT!!! :D

[tuff2000]

I am dying to try this recipe. The picture looks sooo Good. But, I never eat sausage. I tend to stick to only chicken, seafood, and turkey. So, my question is what sausage do you all suggest I try? Is there a good low fat smoked turkey sausage? Thanks:)

[valchemist]

I use hillshire farms smoked turkey kielbasa. at least I think that is what it is called. something like that anyway.

[Linda in MO]

Originally posted by valchemist
I use hillshire farms smoked turkey kielbasa. at least I think that is what it is called. something like that anyway.

Ditto. That's what I always buy and it's really good. My family gobbles it up.

[AZLorena]

This one was dinner last night.....as per some of the reviews, I cut down on the red pepper, especially since I use a stronger, home-grown blend.......but I found that I needed more spice/heat to it. Otherwise, we really loved this dish. This one is a definite repeater.

Lorena

[tuff2000]

I have this in the slow cooker as we speak! It smells great. Only 1 more hour to go:) So that leads me to one more question...

White rice OR Brown Rice?

[Leisa M]

What page is this on? I have the mag. but ...

[tuff2000]

Leisa, page 126 of april 03

Now for a review, this was absolutely the best recipe for something as plain as beans and rice. Even my "fast-food" loving room-mates went for seconds. No one could get enough! Thanks for the reviews and answering all my questions. This is definitley easy to assemble and totally worth it:)

Tara

[myrnas]

Made this last night for dinner because of this discussion. It is wonderful. Finally something from the crockpot that is really tasty and easy....we will repeat it over and over. My husband is from SW Louisiana and this tastes just like home for him. I used Healthy choice smoked sausage and it came out wonderfully. The sausage didn't fall apart at all. Also, since I have a large 6 quart slow cooker, I doubled the recipe (all except the red pepper). I cooked it 6 hours on high. This is a home run.

[Leisa M]

Instead of buying sausage, I am going to use some deer sausage of which I have an abundace. I'll report back and let you know how it goes.

[laughsandlaughs]

If you don't have a slow cooker are there any instructions or ideas on doing this stovetop?

[Gahoona]

I too have a large 6 quart crock pot, so do I need to make any modifications in the cooking time to compensate? I don't want to double the recipe (one can only eat so many beans in a week). I planned to start in the a.m. before work and leave it 9 hours on low until I get home. Will it burn in the larger size crock pot? Help.

[SusanL]

in 8 hours at low, with the addition of a can of crushed tomatoes. I would be leery about having them on for that long of a period of time without more liquid. Just my $.02. I also put the sausage in half way, and it was quite bland. But I would make it again and possibly put the sausage in for the last hour. Let us know how yours works out. Maybe you can use a timer and set it for 7 hours instead of 9.?

[JHolcomb]

Originally posted by SusanL
in 8 hours at low, with the addition of a can of crushed tomatoes. I would be leery about having them on for that long of a period of time without more liquid. Just my $.02. I also put the sausage in half way, and it was quite bland. But I would make it again and possibly put the sausage in for the last hour. Let us know how yours works out. Maybe you can use a timer and set it for 7 hours instead of 9.?

I thought it was really bland, too. I cooked it for 6 hrs on high (my crock pot doesn't have a 5 hr setting, but I checked it at 5 hrs and it wasn't done). Dh seemed to like it fine, though.

[GrinsandGiggles]

Originally posted by Leisa M
Instead of buying sausage, I am going to use some deer sausage of which I have an abundace. I'll report back and let you know how it goes.

Leisa, please do! I also have an overabundance of deer sausage left from hunting season and would love to find more ways to use it. I already have a tried and true red beans and rice recipe, but I think I may try this one too. Love using my crockpot! :)

[beckms]

I have a 6-quart crockpot, and I made the recipe as written and it was still plenty liquid-y at the end. It was the perfect consistency after I mixed in the cooked rice.

[LauraBL]

Here is the recipe if anyone needs it for importing into MC.
I made this yesterday and thought it was easy to throw together. Now granted, this is the first time I've used my marital crock pot so I was pretty thrilled to see how well the beans cooked. I would definitely make this again but I'd probably increase the spices and maybe throw in some okra. I'd love to see CL doing more of these "budget dishes".

Laura



* Exported from MasterCook *

Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice

Recipe By :Ann Taylor Pittman
Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
3 cups water
1 cup red kidney beans -- dried
1 cup onion -- chopped
1 cup green bell pepper -- chopped
3/4 cup celery -- chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon paprika
3/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 package smoked sausage -- (1/2 of a 14 oz package) turkey-pork, and beef smoked sausage such as Healthy Choice (kielbasa) thinly sliced
1 bay leaf
5 cloves garlic -- minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups hot cooked rice
1/4 cup green onions -- chopped

Combine first 12 ingredients in an electric slow cooker. Cover with lid; cook on high heat for 5 hours. Discard bay leaf, stir in salt. Serve over rice; sprinkle servings evenly with green onions.

Yield: 4 servings

serving size: 1 cup bean mixture, 3/4 cup rice, and 1 T. green onions

Description:
"Main Dish"
Source:
"Cooking Light April 2003 "Dinner on a Dime" feature"
Copyright:
"© Copyright Southern Progress Corporation, 2000"
Yield:
"4 cups"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 403 Calories; 4g Fat (8.3% calories from fat); 17g Protein; 76g Carbohydrate; 10g Dietary Fiber; 6mg Cholesterol; 384mg Sodium. Exchanges: 4 1/2 Grain(Starch); 1 Lean Meat; 1 1/2 Vegetable; 1/2 Fat.

NOTES : This is the ultimate in thriftiness and convenience-beans in the slow cooker. The long, slow cooking time coaxes all the flavor from the sausage into the beans for a mild yet full-flavored dish. You can also cook it on low heat for 8 hours.

Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

[Leisa M]

When I made this Mon. neither my DH or I were impressed. The heat was OK, but it was "bland" as far as taste. We did not even keep the leftovers.:(

[SallyCC]

We had this the other night and it was disappointing. I cooked it for 8 hours on low (probably should have gone to 10 hours). The beans were ok,but could have been softer. The flavor was off....bland to the initial taste, but then our lips were burning. I would like to rework this one because I think it could be a great recipe!!

[beejayw1]

Originally posted by Leisa M
When I made this Mon. neither my DH or I were impressed. The heat was OK, but it was "bland" as far as taste. We did not even keep the leftovers.:(

So I wonder what would happen if you put half the kielbasa into the crockpot and then, say, 1/2 hour before serving heated up the rest of the kielbasa, cut it up, and put it in with the rest?

[RunnerKim]

We weren't impressed with this either. In fact I didn't even finish my serving. Beans were definitely done (on the mushy side). We cooked for 5 hours on high. I just thought it was very bland. We did reduce the heat spices, so I could handle it heat-wise.

Kim

[Meganator]

I made this last night, and we thought it was good. I don't have a slow-cooker, so I just cooked it in a casserole dish in the oven. I think it was about 3 hours on 350, then lower for about an hour, probably about 300, then just on warm for another couple hours until we were ready to eat. It was pretty much done (i.e. beans were done) after about the first 3 hours. I used some locally-made sausage, since that's what I had on hand. The sausage didn't slice well, so it was all crumbly, which was non-traditional but good. That probably added some extra flavor, too, since it was not low-fat sausage.

I am surprised that some thought it was bland. The spice mixture is very similar to that used by Paul Prudhomme in many recipes (minus the white pepper), and tasted authentically Louisiana to me. Also, we like spicy dishes, and this had the right amount of heat - meaning, hot enough that DH liked it, but noy TOO hot for me!

[2manyfreckles]

I'd like to make this tomorrow. I have some pre-cooked sausages from Trader Joe's (Applegate Farms Organic Turkey Andouille) - would you suggest adding them at the beginning as the recipe calls for or later?

[Leisa M]

So I wonder what would happen if you put half the kielbasa into the crockpot and then, say, 1/2 hour before serving heated up the rest of the kielbasa, cut it up, and put it in with the rest?
__________________________________________________ ___________________


I don't know. I had to use venison sausage since that is all I had. But it is spiced to some extent when it is made.

__________________________________________________ ________________
I am surprised that some thought it was bland. The spice mixture is very similar to that used by Paul Prudhomme in many recipes (minus the white pepper), and tasted authentically Louisiana to me. Also, we like spicy dishes, and this had the right amount of heat - meaning, hot enough that DH liked it, but noy TOO hot for me!
__________________________________________________ ____________________

The taste was bland, not the heat. There is a difference.

[greysangel]

well this is on the menu for tonight, but here's what I'm doing :D

The beans are in the crock on low as we speak with water and bay leaves

Tonight I will get home and brown the onions and garlic with the smoked sausage, add the spices and veggies and then the beans :)

Somehow I can't get past the feeling that the consistency of the sausage would be weird sitting in a crockpot all day, and I think there's a lot more flavor released when you brown stuff on a stovetop!

I'll report back tonight!

JeAnne

[Linda in MO]

Can't wait to hear your results, JeAnne. I've got all the ingredients for this.

[valchemist]

I am interested, too. The reviews on this one have been so mixed. I'll look for your review, JeAnne, and yours too, Linda. :)

[mrswaz]

I made this last night for dinner. I thought it was bland. DH said to make it again. I did everything as the recipe called for except that I cut back on half the cayenne and left out the sausage. I had planned on putting sausage in towards the end, but we had icy weather, and I decided not to brave the elements for sausage. I'm sure the sausage imparts flavor to the beans, but it really was bland without it. I ended up adding lots of Penzey's Northwoods seasoning to it.

I've had much better red beans and rice. I won't make this again as is. It needs a lot of tweaking IMO. (And probably the sausage.:rolleyes:)

[shoefling]

I made this last night and we thought it was okay. We gave it a 5-6 out of 10. I put too much cayenne pepper in and I thought that there was too much heat. DH had to add a lot of salt and pepper and then proclaimed that it was much better. I used the Healthy Choice Smoked Sausage, which I have used before in other dishes, and it did seem to retain its flavor. I think that process of slow cooking just seems to meld everything together, which is good in most cases. But this dish just seemed to need something. I don't think I will make this again, if I do it will be with some tweaking. I will be interested to see how JeAnne's version comes out. Hopefully browning some of the ingredients will help!

Sarah

[catharine]

Originally posted by shoefling
I used the Healthy Choice Smoked Sausage, which I have used before in other dishes, and it did seem to retain its flavor. I think that process of slow cooking just seems to meld everything together, which is good in most cases. But this dish just seemed to need something. I don't think I will make this again, if I do it will be with some tweaking.

I recently used the HC smoked sausage for the first time in the Pasta Jambalya and I found it to be very bland. I have used turkey sausage before and it seems to be a lot more flavorful. I guess the rule stands: more sodium and fat = better flavor.

[greysangel]

It's beans and rice and I think it's a fantastic recipe...one that I would do again when the mood for N'awlins strikes :) It was not bland at all and I thought all the flavors really came through. Here's what I did:

1)Beans with a can of lf beef broth and the rest water (to equal the three cups) and bay leaf in the crock all day on low.
2)I used Hillshire Farms light...couldn't find Healthy Choice.
3)Minced the celery (DH doesn't care for texture though he likes the flavor)

I browned the sausage with the onion, garlic and spices. Added the pepper and celery. Then added the beans after removing the bay leaf. Let that simmer away until the rice was ready (brown, not white!). By the time the rice was done, the liquid had reduced and thickened up rather nicely. :)

Next time I'll double this recipe... both DH and I really enjoyed it.

Jeanne

[SusanL]

I am printing out your recommendations and will try them soon.

[catmom]

Sorry, but we didnt care for this one. I am going to try and eat the leftovers today, but not really looking forward to it. This is on my "dont make again" list.

[Peggy]

What a contraversial recipe! I must side with the positive reviews. We had it tonight and loved it! They only change I made was cutting the ground red pepper to 1/4 teaspoon. Wasn't bland to us. A definate repeater!

I also made the Sweet and Sour Slaw to go with it. Very easy and quite good also.

Peggy

[misstapioca]

I cooked this in the crockpot on low for 8 hours. The aroma was wonderful. I also thought the flavor was a bit bland but the heat was right on. I used OPA's jalapeno smoked sausage(from Fredricksburg TX). I chopped all the ingredients the night before and it only took a few minutes to put everything in the crockpot and turn it on.

I also made the Sweet and sour Slaw It was pretty good and lasted a few days in the fridge. Good for leftovers.

[WWShannon]

I made this recipe today as we are preparing our house to go on the market. I chopped up all the ingredients in my food processor, threw the rest of the stuff into the pot around noon and forgot about it for about 5 hours. It was pretty tasty. I served it with white rice and that was it. Simple and tasty. I will keep this one on file and will make it again!
Shannon

[santacruzin]

I liked the that it was a crock pot recipe and that had beans in it, but my family really didn't care for it at all. Oh well. I guess I better get back to Mexican style recipes for them!

[semmens]

I made this today with some of the suggested changes; I browned the sausage (Hillshire Farms Lite) with the onions, garlic, celery and RED bell pepper.

I cooked for 5 hours on High and it turned out fine. I did think it was a tiny bit hot but DH thought it was perfect. I made converted rice in the microwave to serve with it.

Laura

[AmyO26]

We didn't care for this...we also ended up throwing the leftovers in the garbage. Our beans never really softened, and I know that we cooked it for at least 6 hours on high. The taste was just ok. This is one of the very few things (CL or other) that DH has requested "please don't make this again!"

[WWShannon]

I just made the leftovers for a quick meal tonight and I am totally not as impressed with the recipe as I was yesterday. The rice soaked up the liquer from the red beans and the overall effect made the meal taste really bland. The sausage today was also pretty mushy. Not one of my favorites to reheat, that's for sure!

Shannon

[semmens]

I usually store rice separate from the rest of the dish when I have leftovers; it seems to work better that way.

Laura

[jem927]

For those of you that have tried this recipe....

Do you think the recipe would work if I just browned the sausage and added it after the beans are cooked?

My reason for asking is that I have given up meat for Lent, but DBF probably won't eat it without the meat. So my thought is to cook the beans and rice, then add the meat just to his portions.

Thoughts?

TIA,

Jamie

[jena]

I thought this was terrible. I think, though, that the flavour I didn't like was that of onions thrown into the slowcooker raw. Maybe if onions, celery and green pepper were sauteed first it would be better? Don't know. Disliked it so much I won't go near it again, not even with tweaks. Also, there was too much liquid, and the sausage was transformed into some very strange non-sausage-tasting entity. Looked like sausage, but had the taste of the rest of the dish, which as others have said, managed somehow to be both bland and too spicy at the same time.