We’ve tried a number of different RB&R recipes, and the ones I tend to like are those that are soupier. Our old stand-by started with Jeff Smith’s (from The Frugal Gourmet Cooks American) , but we’ve adapted it to produce a nice vegetarian RB&R as well.

Vegetarian Red Beans and Rice – Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients:

1 pound Red Kidney Beans, soaked overnight
1 medium Yellow Onion, peeled and chopped
1 bunch Green Onions, chopped
7 cloves Garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 cup Flat Leaf Parsley, chopped
1 rib Celery, chopped
1/2 cup Catsup (we call that Ketchup, thank you)
1 medium Green Bell Pepper, seeded and chopped
1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
Tobasco to taste. For less of a bite, substitute Louisiana brand Hot Sauce
2 whole Dried Bay Leaves, or 1 Fresh
1/2 tsp Liquid Smoke

4 cups Cooked Rice. We like to whip up a fragrant garlic-herb basmati for this dish.

Salt and Black Pepper to taste

For Non-Vegetarian Recipe, omit Liquid Smoke and add:
1 pound Smoked Sausage, cut into bite size pieces.

1 pound Pickled Pork (optional)

Method:

Drain and rinse beans and place in a large heavy pot. Add enough water to completely cover beans. Cover and simmer for at least and hour and make sure the beans remain covered by water the entire time. Add the remaining ingredients except the cooked rice to the pot , and add any water if needed to cover. Simmer loosely covered for at least 2 hours.

Red Beans and Rice is actually a very simple dish to prepare, and its roots as a “Wash Day” dish testifies to this. It can be assembled pretty quickly, and allowed to simmer over the course of an entire day. Since I telecommute, I let my red beans cook all day, and by the time my wife gets home, all the flavors are well developed. If you’re cooking over a long period of time – make sure to check the water level periodically and add water as needed.

For service, spoon or mold about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of rice in the center of a shallow bowl, and spoon red-beans around. Make sure to include plenty of soup. Garnish with small parsley sprig, and serve with Tobasco or Louisiana Hot Sauce.

Here in Alabama, we use Conecuh Sausage http://www.conecuhsausage.com/ for the smoked sausage, but most smoked sausages should be OK. I haven’t tried Tasso in this dish, and I wonder how it would work. It’s pretty salty, so it may be a nice substitution.

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