Weekday Black Beans and Rice

Hey Jude's Note:

My family loves this recipe and it's so easy to throw together after work. It's pretty spicy, how spicy depends on the andouille sausage that you use, mine was quite hot and so the resulting dish was spicy hot, but good. I reduced the amount of red pepper flakes to appease my family's preference. This will make your house smell as if you've been cooking, rather than out working, all day! I found this in the Chicago Tribune, the author, Donna Pierce, re-worked her Grandma's recipe to make it after-work friendly.

• Total Time: 50 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 lb andouille sausage , cut into bite-sized chunks
• 2 stalks celery , chopped
• 1 large onion , chopped
• 2 cloves garlic , minced
• 2 (14 ½ ounce) cans black beans , drained and rinsed
• 1 (14 ½ ounce) can beef broth
• 1 (14 ½ ounce) can chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ teaspoon ground mace
• ½ teaspoon salt
• fresh ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 3 green onions , sliced
• 1 cup rice , cooked according to package directions

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat; add sausage; cook until just beginning to brown, about 3 minutes.
2. Add celery and onion; cook until softened, about 3 minutes.
3. Add garlic; cook until softened, 1 minute.
4. Stir in beans, beef broth, chicken broth, thyme, red pepper flakes, bay leaf, mace, salt and black pepper to taste; increase heat to medium-high, heat just to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer; cook until flavors come together, about 20 minutes.
5. Stir in cilantro and green onions and serve over rice.

Reviews

[PaulaG]

No one would believe that these are canned beans. They are full of flavor and taste as though they have cooked all day. I omitted the olive oil, used spicy chicken sausage and served it over cooked brown rice. Thanks for a wonderful recipe.