So you have taken care of your leftovers in a frugal manner and are looking for a dish which can soak them up and turn into something really tasty as well as being laughably cheap?
Red beans and rice! A Creole favourite, it uses simple basic ingredients which you should already have in your pantry and soaks up leftovers like nobody’s business. You can also toss everything into the slow cooker and come home to a wonderfully fragrant house with dinner ready and waiting for you.
1 pound dry red kidney beans
3 qts water or stock*
1 pound diced cooked ham, bacon, or sausage*
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup Worcester sauce*
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper (chili)
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
3 bay leaves
hot cooked rice
Wash and sort the beans, discarding any that are broken. Combine beans and water in a large Dutch oven and cook for 40 minutes.
Add the next 8 ingredients, cover the pot, reduce the heat, and simmer for 2 hours. Bring to a boil, uncover the pot, reduce the heat to a simmer, and simmer uncovered until desired level of thickness is reached. Discard bay leaves and serve over rice. You can also do what I do and toss all the ingredients into the slow cooker and let it rip all day!
* Vegan/vegetarian alternative: swap out about 1/4 cup of the beans for 1/4 cup of black turtle beans, add about a cup of coarsely chopped dried mushrooms and soy sauce to taste.
Red beans and rice! A Creole favourite, it uses simple basic ingredients which you should already have in your pantry and soaks up leftovers like nobody’s business. You can also toss everything into the slow cooker and come home to a wonderfully fragrant house with dinner ready and waiting for you.
1 pound dry red kidney beans
3 qts water or stock*
1 pound diced cooked ham, bacon, or sausage*
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup Worcester sauce*
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper (chili)
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
3 bay leaves
hot cooked rice
Wash and sort the beans, discarding any that are broken. Combine beans and water in a large Dutch oven and cook for 40 minutes.
Add the next 8 ingredients, cover the pot, reduce the heat, and simmer for 2 hours. Bring to a boil, uncover the pot, reduce the heat to a simmer, and simmer uncovered until desired level of thickness is reached. Discard bay leaves and serve over rice. You can also do what I do and toss all the ingredients into the slow cooker and let it rip all day!
* Vegan/vegetarian alternative: swap out about 1/4 cup of the beans for 1/4 cup of black turtle beans, add about a cup of coarsely chopped dried mushrooms and soy sauce to taste.