Red Beans and Rice with Smoked Sausage

Prepared in one skillet, this meal was quick, easy, delicious, and inexpensive. In my recent post about Garlic Skewered Shrimp I provided some links to information on eating healthy during tough economic times. This dinner fits right in those guidelines. You can get a bag of rice and a can of beans for a little bit of nothin'. And good news... beans are an excellent, lowfat source of dietary fiber and protein. There's also vitamin B in there. Score! Smoked sausage seems to go on sale quite a bit, so wait for a buy one, get one free sale and stock up. Bonus points if you can get the turkey kind and shave some fat out of your diet!

I started by heating a couple of tablespoons of oil in a large skillet. Then I added a medium onion, finely chopped and a can of diced green chilies. I grabbed for my Cajun seasoning and added about 5-6 twists of the grinder. I sprinkled with a little salt and pepper too. Cook until the onions become tender.



Next I added 3/4 cup of rice, 1 1/2 cups of water, and a beef bouillon cube. Bring it all to a boil and then reduce the heat and cover. I think my rice was ready at around 15 minutes. Cooking time will vary depending on the type of rice.



Add in a can of red beans (I only had dark red kidney beans in my pantry, red beans or pinto would have been better), 1/2 cup of shredded cheese, a pound of cut up smoked sausage (I fried mine first, but you don't need to. It's purely a matter of taste), and a teaspoon of Frank's Red Hot. Stir it up and heat through.



That's it! Super easy and really good! I topped mine with a little extra cheese and hot sauce. Sour cream would have been good too...if you don't feel guilty about that sort of thing. Dig in!



Red Beans and Rice with Smoked Sausage

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
Cajun seasoning
salt
pepper
1 can (4 oz.) chopped green chilies, drained
3/4 cup rice, uncooked
1 1/2 cups water
1 beef-flavored bouillon cube
1 can (16 oz.) red beans
1/2 cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
1 lb. smoked sausage, cut up
1 teaspoon of your favorite hot sauce (I used Frank's Red Hot)

In medium saucepan, heat oil over medium high heat; add onion, chilies, Cajun seasoning, salt, and pepper and saute until onion is tender. Add rice, water and bouillon cube. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer covered, 15 minutes or until rice is tender. Stir in beans, cheese, smoked sausage and hot sauce. Serve warm.
4 Servings.