RECIPE: Follow these shortcuts for red beans and rice in a jiffy
Red beans and rice is one of my favorite cool weather meals. It’s hearty, comforting and nutritious. But to prepare it the classic way — using dried beans — takes several hours and requires a spice rack’s worth of seasonings. To keep this dish within 5:30 Challenge recipe parameters requires some smart shortcut substitutions.
Traditional red beans and rice starts with what’s known as the “holy trinity,” a mix of finely diced onion, green bell pepper and celery, all cooked down gently until softened. These ingredients require quite a bit of chopping and would take up the majority of our five-item ingredient list. Instead, I use fresh celery (the only ingredient that needs to be chopped), along with a bag of frozen peppers and onions. These bags include peppers other than green ones, but an additional bit of color certainly doesn’t hurt the dish. Also, there’s no need to thaw the frozen veggies; simply add them to the sauteed celery and let them thaw and tenderize in the pot.
Instead of worrying about building a spice blend from scratch, I used jarred Cajun seasoning in this recipe. These mixtures include plenty of dried herbs, chiles and garlic, so you’ll get a big bang for your buck. Keep in mind that if your seasoning includes salt, you may not need to season with additional salt at all; taste the final dish before adding any.
Finally, for the beans and rice, I stick with 5:30 Challenge staples: canned kidney beans and bagged microwave white rice. The beans only need to simmer in the pot for about 10 minutes to turn flavorful and the rice cooks in less than two.
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 stalks celery, finely diced
- 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
- 1 (14-ounce) bag frozen three-pepper and onion blend (no need to thaw)
- 2 (14-ounce) cans kidney beans, with their liquid
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 (8.8-ounce) bags 90-second microwavable white rice
- Sour cream and hot sauce, for serving (optional)
- Coat the bottom of a large saucepan with olive oil and place over medium heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the celery. Cook, stirring, until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the Cajun seasoning and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add the bag of peppers and onions and increase the heat to medium-high. Continue to cook, still stirring, until thawed and softened, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add the beans and all of their liquid. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until flavorful and thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and season to taste with salt, pepper and additional Cajun seasoning.
- While the beans simmer, heat the rice according to the package directions.
- Serve the beans on top of the rice, topped with sour cream and hot sauce, if desired. Serves 4.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per serving: 376 calories (percent of calories from fat, 19), 11 grams protein, 66 grams carbohydrates, 9 grams fiber, 8 grams total fat (1 gram saturated), no cholesterol, 987 milligrams sodium.Read more stories like this by liking Atlanta Restaurant Scene on Facebook, following @ATLDiningNews on Twitter and @ajcdining on Instagram.
