New Orleans Red Beans and Rice

Even though it was a sad time in New Orleans last week, I did enjoy some wonderful foods. We wandered into a bar on Monday night that offered free Red Beans and Rice to locals. At less than $2.00 per serving, it truly is a poor man's complete meal - packed with fiber and protein - but also has some modern health benefits - low saturated fat and no cholesterol. I decided to recreate it at home with faux sausage and boosted the flavor with lots of herbs and spices. To help the mock meat, I used smoked paprika instead of mild.

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New Orleans Red Beans and Rice
Servings: 6
Time: 15 minutes active; about 75 minutes total
Price: About $11.80 total; less than $2.00 per serving
Nutrition (per serving):
Calories: 403.4
Protein: 18.1g
Fat: 7.4g
Saturated fat: 1.2g
Carbohydrates: 69.1g
Fiber: 14.1g
Sodium: 688.5mg
Cholesterol: 0mg


1 1/3 cups long grain brown rice
2 1/2 cups water or vegetable broth
1 Tbsp EVOO
2 (3oz each) faux sausage, I used Lightlife Chorizo
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
3 celery, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 tsp thyme, garlic powder and smoked paprika, each
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, chili powder and dried oregano, each
1/4 tsp black pepper, marjoram and salt, each
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 (15oz) cans of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
28oz can diced tomatoes

1. In a medium pot over medium heat, add rice and toast 5 minutes. Add water and bring to boil, then cover, reduce heat and cook for 30-45 minutes. Remove from heat.

2. Meanwhile in a large pot, heat EVOO over medium heat. Add sausage, onion, pepper, and celery. Sauté 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, then add bay leaves, all the herbs and spices and garlic cloves. Cook 1 minute, then add beans and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat and cook 60 minutes. In the last 15 minutes, remove lid slightly to boil off some of the liquid.

3. Divide rice among 6 bowls and spoon hot red beans over top.