Red Beans and Rice

Red Beans and Rice

This recipe carries more than flavor, it carries memory. Red beans and rice is a meal from my childhood, passed down from my dad, and now lovingly shared with my own husband and children. It’s one of those dishes that feels like home the moment it start simmering on the stove. Simple, hearty, and deeply satisfying, it’s proof that the most meaningful meals don’t have to be complicated. As a stay at home mom, those quick, soul touching dinners are a must.

On cold winter days, this is the kind of food that warms you from the inside out. It nourishes the body and comforts the soul. It invites you to slow down, gather close, and enjoy something made with love.

To me, red beans and rice represents fellowship, community, and sustenance. It is sometimes compared to the “red stew” from the story of Esau and Jacob in Genesis 25:29-34, symbolizing the immediate need for sustenance. It creates space to sit together at the table and share the gospel in the most natural way – over a nourishing meal.   Just as red beans and rice are better together, so are we. As Christians, we were never meant to walk alone, but to function together, united, strengthened, and made fuller in community. This meal is a reminder of togetherness, something we need in life and in faith.

This makes enough for a family of 5 or 6 with left overs. Feel free to change, add or take away from this recipe. We don’t always do sausage but its always just as good.

Cook Time:   30 minutes

Ingredients:

2 Lg. Cans Ranch style beans

1/2 lb. Sliced Sausage (I use down home, my favorite is the green onion)

Cornbread (Eggs and Milk, check your instructions)

1/2 tbsp. Garlic Powder

1/2 tbsp. Onion Powder

1 tsp Salt and Pepper

2 c. Rice (I use a rice cooker, if you don’t have one you should get one. They’re super easy)

Direction:

Preheat your own according to cornbread mix.

Mix your corn bread and set it aside for when your oven is ready. Cook according to the box or package.

In a metal strainer, wash your rice then put in rice cooker or pot. Start cooking it.

In a large pot, dump your beans and seasonings into the pot and let it cook on medium heat.

For the sausage, you can slice it how ever you like, rounds, half moons, or 4s. You can also cook this in  a skillet to brown the sausage or dump it in the beans and boil it for 15 minutes. (My husband and I have even fried the sausage after cutting it and it was amazing)

Once everything is done, make your bowl and enjoy my favorite comfort food.

Do you have a nostalgic meal- one that holds memory and meaning to you?