Slow cooker red beans and rice

A super easy chop and dump slow cooker red beans and rice recipe. Great for a weeknight meal and easy on the budget.

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Slow cooker recipes for a weary soul

I often fantasize about coming home from a long day to a delicious home cooked meal already made for me.

Don't get me wrong, I love to cook.  I love real food.  I love getting creative in the kitchen, but sometimes I'm just not feeling the whole cookin' thang.  Sometimes even a quick thirty minute meal is just too much energy for me to expel.  Sometimes I'm just plain weary.  When life gets to that point, that's when I know it's time to break out the slow cooker because she's about to be put to work.  Right now I am at that point.  Weary is me.

I adore my slow cooker. She's my friend.

Do you know what I hate about a slow cooker recipe though?  I despise the ones that have so many steps that you might as well have not even made them in the slow cooker.  I mean, if I'm going to make half of it in a skillet, I might as well keep it in the skillet.  Am I right?

This super simple slow cooker red beans and rice is not one of those recipes with a million steps. It is a simple chop and dump, which I really appreciate when my soul is just completely burned out.

Do I have to soak the beans?

No, you do not have to soak your beans before adding them to the slow cooker. That's the beauty of this slow cooker red beans and rice recipe. Easy peasy and very little prep work. You may soak your beans for optimal digestion purposes, but it's not 100% necessary. If you find your beans are not getting soft after the elapsed time period, you may have very old beans that just aren't going to get tender.

It's time to travel deep south to Cajun country, friends.

Seasoning notes

This dish has some spice to it.  Spice is an individual preference, so for this recipe, it is about a medium temperature.  If you prefer more heat, add more cayenne and black pepper.  If you prefer a more mild flavor, start with ⅛ tsp each and work your way up until you are happy with the heat profile.

My broth was unsalted, so I added 1 ½ tsp of sea salt to this dish. If your broth is salted, start with ½ tsp salt and work your way up.  Remember, you can always add to, but you can't take it out once it's there.

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Slow cooker red beans and rice

Red beans and rice made simple in the slow cooker.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Cajun

Keyword slow cooker red beans and rice

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 6 hours hours

Total Time 6 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Equipment

• slow cooker

Ingredients

• 1 lb. sausage andoille or smoked sausage both work, sliced on the diagonal
• 1 ½ cup dry small red beans rinsed
• 1 onion diced
• 1 green bell pepper diced
• 2 celery stalks diced
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 cloves garlic minced or pressed
• 6 cups chicken broth or water
• ⅛ tsp black pepper
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp thyme dried
• 1 ½ tsp salt see notes
• hot cooked rice

Instructions

• Slice sausage on the diagonal and chop vegetables.
• Add everything to the slow cooker, except rice and stir.
• Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
• Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. Add more salt if needed.
• Serve over hot rice.

Notes

This dish has some spice to it.  Spice is an individual preference, so for this recipe, it is about a medium temperature.  If you prefer more heat, add more cayenne and black pepper.  If you prefer a more mild flavor, start with ⅛ tsp each and work your way up until you are happy with the heat profile.
My broth was homemade unsalted broth, so I added 1 ½ tsp of sea salt to this dish. Other times when I have just used water and my sausage was not very salty, I have added up to 2 tsp salt. If your broth is salted, start with ½ tsp salt and work your way up.  Remember, you can always add to, but you can't take it out once it's there.