Red Beans and Oats
In our version of this favorite Louisiana dish, steel cut oats stand-in for the traditional rice. Start your oats right before you begin preparing your beans.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp canola oil (15 ml)
- 1 onion medium, diced
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 2 celery diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp thyme dried (5 ml)
- 1 Tbsp hot sauce to taste (15 ml)
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (1 ml)
- 1 1/2 tsp salt (7.5 ml)
- 1/4 tsp black pepper (1 ml)
- 4 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth, plus additional if required (1000 ml)
- 2 x 19 oz red kidney beans (canned) drained and rinsed (2 x 540 ml)
- 2 cups steel cut oats (500 ml)
- 6 cups water (1500 ml)
- parsley fresh, chopped
- hot sauce for serving
Instructions
To make the beans:
- In a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat, sauté onion, bell pepper and celery until tender. Add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds.
- Add bay leaf, thyme, cayenne pepper, hot sauce, salt, pepper and stock.
- Bring to a boil, add beans, then reduce to a simmer.
- Cook uncovered, stirring often, for 20 minutes. Remove bay leaf.
- Transfer about 2 cups of the mixture into a bowl and mash well with a potato masher or hand blender.
- Return mashed beans to the pot, taste and adjust seasoning, and simmer for 5 minutes longer, adding additional stock if bean mixture is too thick.
- Serve beans over hot, cooked oats, sprinkle with chopped parsley and pass the hot sauce.
To make the oats:
- In a saucepan, bring 6 cups water to a boil.
- Stir in steel cut oats and 1 tsp salt. Reduce heat and simmer oats, covered or uncovered, for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.