Cajun cooking is one of the most unique cooking styles in the world. Combining conflicting elements like sweet, spicy and savory elements, every dish is a hearty comfort food masterpiece that makes you wish you had been born on the bayou.
Beans are a key component in many cajun dishes. So, it’s no wonder our great northern beans work so well in this take on cajun beans and rice.
The base for that unmistakable cajun flavor comes from spices like chili powder, cayenne pepper and paprika and other ingredients like peppers, onion and sausage. All of which are definitely accounted for here. With cajun sausage, the traditional way to prepare it is with links that are then sliced into bite-sized pieces. That is what this recipe calls for, but if you prefer to use ground sausage that is fine too. It will still give the same flavors and a slightly different texture.
Besides all the great flavors and how easy it is to prepare, one of the reasons we really love this dish is that you don’t have to spend a lot to make something delicious. We did a little math and found this dish only costs around $2.45 per serving! Now, we normally don’t care for math, but we can get behind those numbers!
A little tip for this dish? Even once you think it is ready, let it sit for a couple minutes longer. This gives all the ingredients plenty of time to settle, deepen and mingle with a tastier end result. That is the reason that this dish makes such great leftovers too.
Ingredients
- 1 lb pork or chicken sausage (links or ground)
- ½ cup water
- 1 Tbsp. butter
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 jalapeno, diced and seeded
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 ½ tsp. dried oregano
- 1 tsp. paprika
- ½ tsp. cayenne pepper
- ½ tsp. ancho chili pepper
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 cup Randall Great Northern Beans, undrained and mashed
- 1 ½ cups Randall Great Northern Beans, undrained
- 1 cup chicken stock
Instructions
- Brown the sausage in a large skillet on each side on medium-high heat. Make sure to break it down to bite-sized pieces. Add water and cook 8-10 minutes or until sausage reaches 165 degrees. Remove from skillet and set on a plate, covered under a tent of foil.
- Drain all but 2 tablespoons of the water from the skillet. Return to the stove and add melt the butter. Add onion, bell pepper and jalapeno and saute until soft, about five minutes. Add the garlic, spices, salt and stir, cooking for another 2 minutes.
- In a small bowl, add 1 cup of Randall Great Northern Beans and mash with a fork until more than half of the beans are mashed. Add to the skillet along with the additional 1 ½ cup of beans and 1 cup of chicken stock. Bring to a boil and leave uncovered for 5 minutes.
- Add to the skillet and cook for another 2 minutes. The sauce should be thick and creamy. If the sauce has too much liquid, allow to cook uncovered for another 3-5 minutes.
Cajun cooking is just one unique cooking style that uses beans as a centerpiece in many recipes. All around the world, different cultures and countries use beans in different and delicious ways.
Are you hungry yet? Head out to the store, and look for Randall Great Northern Beans to make this dish tonight.
