Black Beans, Sausage And Rice

I had every intention of making a beans and rice meal and then I realized that beans and rice, while tasty as a side dish, may not keep my husband satisfied. He will, after all, be the one eating it over and over again as the main course.

Add another ingredient to the dish, like sausage, and we may have something here. Seriously, my husband and I have tried a variety of “beans and rice” meals and they are all boring. Good, but boring. I had some turkey sausage in the freezer so I threw it in and it totally fixes the problem. You could substitute the sausage with ground beef, chicken, or even tofu if you want.

You also need to include some of the liquid from the cans of beans into the pot. I know that may sound kind of gross (or at least it does to me), but it adds a lot of great flavor. Plus the liquid helps to create a quasi-sauce which makes it more interesting. Try it… even just once.

Now an aside… football. Are you ready for the big game? Since the Patriots didn’t make it to the Super Bowl this year (boo!), I’m not quite as excited to watch the game. It’s not as much fun when you don’t have a team to root for. My husband is rooting for the Panthers so that at least the team that knocked the Pats out of the running (the Broncos) can get their butts kicked for the favor.

Black Beans, Sausage and Rice Recipe
(about 4 servings)

Ingredients:

4 turkey sausage links, casings removed (I used spicy sausage.)
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cans (15.5 ounces each) black beans
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
rice (enough for 4 people)
sprinkling of chopped chives on top

Directions:

In a saucepan, over Medium heat, add the turkey sausage, chopped onion, and minced garlic. Break up the turkey sausage into pieces and stir everything together. Cook it until the turkey sausage is done cooking.
Reduce the heat to Low. Add in the first can of black beans without draining it. (In other words, use the liquid that comes in the can too.) Drain the other can and add just the beans. (You can use the liquid from both cans, but depending on how your beans are packaged, that can end up a bit too salty.)
Season with cayenne pepper and black pepper.
Let it cook until the beans are warmed up.
Cook the rice according to the directions on the box.
Plate as much rice and bean mixture as you like.
Sprinkle chopped chives on top.

Source: Tina’s Chic Corner

Rating: