Red Beans and Rice - slow cooker

By tinathorn

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup diced yellow onion
• 3/4 chopped red bell pepper
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Kosher or sea salt to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons freshly snipped thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 (15 ounce) cans dark red kidney beans
• 3 cups chicken broth (low sodium, fat free)
• 1 lb lean ground turkey or chicken, 93% works well
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried sage
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 cups uncooked long grain brown rice

Details

Servings 8
Adapted from skinnyms.com

Preparation

Step 1

For the sausage:
Place all the above sausage ingredients into a large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly until well blended. Make into small meatballs, about 1/2". Refrigerate while veggies are cooking.

For the beans:
In a large skillet, heat olive oil to medium-low, add onions, bell pepper and celery, sauté until tender, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and sauté one additional minute. Add sautéed onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic and remaining ingredients to the slow cooker, stir to combine.

Add sausage meatballs and stir gently, cover and cook on low 6-8 hours. Recommend 4-6 quart slow cooker.

For the rice:
Separately, cook brown rice according to the directions on package.

To serve:
Remove the bay leaf and serve sausage meatballs and beans over a bed of brown rice.