Easy Dirty Rice and Beans

Hey you guys!

Here is my recipe for Dirty Rice and Beans (non-spicy).

This is super quick to cook, under 10 minutes once all the chopping is done AND you can tailor the amounts of everything to suit your own families tastes.

Now about the amounts: I have to cook enough to feed 6 people, all grownups except one. So it is going to make quite a bit. Don’t fret! Cut the recipe in half if you want OR better yet, go on and cook it up as I do and freeze the leftovers for another day. It freezes up just fine!

We also have some very picky taste buds in our house so this is very light with the seasoning. Don’t be ashamed to give ‘er a taste test after its been simmering a few minutes. Turn it up if you need to!

The Ingredients

• 2 pouches of boil in the bag rice ( I use family size minute rice)
• 2 beef sausages
• 2 cans dark red kidney beans
• 1 small can diced tomatoes, drained
• 3 stalks celery (chopped)
• 1/2 large onion (chopped)
• 1 bell pepper (chopped)
• 1 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp garlic salt
• 1 tbsp chives
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp salt
• pepper (couple of shakes)
• red pepper flakes (a shake or two)

 

Prep

Get out two large pots. You need one for boiling rice and a big one for mixing the goodies in.  Go on and fill one with water and get it on HIGH to boil, and while that is heating up drag out all your ingredients.

Slide the rice pouches in to boil, and set the timer as directed on your box. You can even use left over rice, or make the rice earlier in the day so its good to go.

Chop your veggies and the sausages and drop them into the pot. Add all the other ingredients. Mix well, cover with lid and bring to a boil.

Once it starts to boil, turn it down to simmer, give it a stir and stick the lid back on it. It will make juice as it heats up, and that is fine. That will soak up into your rice in a minute anyway!

When the rice is ready, drain it and open the pouches. Put the rice into your simmer pot, mix it all up and stick your lid back on there. Bring it back to a boil, then set it back to simmer. 

Let it simmer with the lid on for about 5 -  10 minutes, to let the juices get sucked into the rice. That way every bite will have flavor.

That’s it! Wasn’t that easy?

Serving variations:

I like mine served on a heaping bed of baby spinach! Jesse likes his with cheddar cheese. Harm just eats the rice and sausage out of hers, so someone gets extra veggies added to their plate in our house. LOL

For the leftovers:

This is great for lunch the next day! Kind of like a meatloaf does – the flavor gets better the longer it sets.

This freezes well. I don’t have any leftovers now that I have tweaked the recipe enough to suit our family, but the first few times I made it we did. I did freeze it a couple of times and it reheated well. I was worried the rice would get mooshy, but it was fine.

The leftovers are great recooked into stuffed bell peppers! Just add some tomato sauce and cheddar to the mix, throw it in some peppers and bake them suckers right up. *nomnomnom*

Penna with Sausage and Red Bell Pepper Sauce

This recipe is quick and easy, but tastes and looks like you spent ALL DAY in the kitchen!

• 1 package of sausage (I use Johnsonville Italian Sausage) – deskinned
• 1 red bell pepper – deseeded and chopped
• 1 green bell pepper – deseeded and chopped
• 1 large tomato – chopped
• 1 onion (yellow or white) – chopped
• 1 1-lb box of penne pasta
• 1 jar of traditional spaghetti sauce
• olive oil – as needed
• dried basil
• garlic salt (I use Garlic  Salt with Parsley)
• 1/4 cup grated or shredded parmesan

In a large pot, fix penne as suggested on package.

Meanwhile, in a DEEP skillet put about a teaspoon of olive oil and heat on med/high.  Sprinkle with a little garlic and basil.  Add in the meat from inside the sausage casings and allow to brown. 

Once the sausage is almost all the way brown, drain off most of the “fat”.  Return meat to skillet and add in: bells, onion, abt a half tablespoon of dried basil. 

Sprinkle with garlic and simmer until the veggies brighten (tender crisp).  Once the veggies have peaked, add in diced tomatoes.  Simmer 3-4 minutes stirring occasionally.  Sprinkle with Parmesan.

 

You can actually serve this as is, which is AMAZING as an appetizer with toasted asiago or bagguetts!
OR
you can make it more saucy for the MAIN COURSE by adding a jar of plain spaghetti sauce. 

Great served with garlic toast and a salad!

This recipe makes enough to feed a family of 4 with enough leftovers for another night.  Freeze up the leftover sauce for an easy night of pasta later down the road!

Big Boy Breakfast Bake

• 6 med potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 4-6 green onions, chopped
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 egg yolks
• 3/4 cup milk
• 2 tbsp parsley flakes
• 1 tbsp chives
• 1 tsp
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
• 2 Smoked Sausages, sliced and quartered
• 2 tbsp grated parmesan

Boil the potatoes until tender, and then mash.  Mix in the onions, garlic, milk, butter, eggs, pepper, and nutmeg.  Beat until nice and fluffy.  Stir in the parsley, sausage, and cheeses.   Grease up a 2 qt baking dish, and spoon in the mixture.  Sprinkle with thyme and chives and bake uncovered at 400 for 30-40 minutes (until golden brown). 

Enjoy!

Homestyle Breakfast Sausage

This is a large large batch of sausage. I make it ahead of time and freeze the patties, great to grab in the morning and just toss in the skillet, no messy hands! 

• 10 lb ground pork
• 4 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp pepper
• 2 Tbsp sage
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 Tbsp pancake syrup
• 1 tbsp bread crumbs (only if needed to “firm” up the mix)

Prep: Tear a stack of saucer sized wax paper squares (for freezing)

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.  Roll into balls and smash into patties.  Stack them alternating on wax paper.   Wax paper,patty, wax paper, patty, wax paper, patty…  and freeze.

When you’re ready to cook, just grab a few patties and pull off the wax paper.  Fry em up.  GREAT served on biscuits! 

EZ Sausage and Tator Bake

This is one of my families favorite meals, and it’s SUPER easy!  One of the few meals my ENTIRE family enjoy.

• 2 Beef Sausages
• 1 Onion
• Potatoes (peeled and cut up, abt 6-7 med, enough to fill pan)
• seasoning  - OPTIONAL

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.    In a 9 x 13 cake pan,  put a layer of potatoes.  Slice up sausages and layer them on the potatoes, slice onion and layer on sausages, fill pan with remainder of potatoes.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper, or Seasoned Salt if you like.  The juices from the sausage will seep into the potatoes seasoning them, so you really do not need to add ANY seasonings if you don’t want to.  Drizzle with abt a tablespoon of water.  Cover with foil, and bake for abt an hour (just until tators are tender)  Be careful to not over cook because the potatoes will turn to moosh.