One of our favorite one-pot meals is Treebeards’ Red Beans. Treebeards has been serving classic Cajun and Southern style dishes since 1978, and has five downtown locations. The casual restaurant’s Red Beans served over white rice is a popular dish, and is easy to prepare at home. The recipe comes from the Treebeards Cookbook, which is a great collection of no-fail recipes.
TREEBEARDS' RED BEANS
Author: Tag Sale Tastes
Recipe type: STEWS
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried light red kidney beans
- 2 quarts water
- 2 medium onions, chopped
- 2 stalks celery with leaves, chopped
- ½ large bell pepper, chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1-1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1-1/4 teaspoons garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 pound smoked sausage, cut into ½-inch slices
- White rice, for serving
- Shredded cheddar cheese, for serving
- Chopped green onions, for serving
Instructions
- Wash and drain red beans. Place beans in a large stockpot and add water. Soak overnight. (Alternatively, bring beans and water to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 1 hour.) Do not drain beans.
- Add onions, celery, and bell pepper to red beans and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for approximately 1-1/2 hours until beans are soft and begin to thicken. Avoid stirring too much, or beans will get mushy.
- Stir in seasonings and sausage. Simmer for 30 minutes or until beans are tender. Season to taste with additional salt, if needed.
- Serve hot over white rice, and pass bowls of shredded cheddar cheese and chopped greens, for topping as desired. (Note -- some people like to add a dash or two of Tabasco to theirs as well.)
Begin with light red kidney beans
Relieve holiday stress with this easy and hearty dish
