Need comfort food? Try this 'Red Beans, Rice & Sausage' recipe!

As the cold weather approaches and the trying times are still lingering around, we all may need a little bit of good old-fashioned comfort food to help put us at ease.

Nothing is better than an easy-to-make soul food staple to put us right where we need to be.

Our new favorite recipe site, Cooking Professionally, is sharing their recipe for “Red Beans, Rice & Sausage,” and of course, we are bringing it to our readers.

Make a pot, say “yum” and thank us later. Enjoy!

Curious about the history of this classic dish? Red beans and rice is actually a native meal to Louisiana. Traditionally, this dish was prepared on Mondays using leftovers from Sunday dinner, cooked slowly in a pot, and served over rice. Typically comprised of red beans, veggies, spices, and meat such as ham or andouille—this dish serves a crowd and is now a staple in areas across the world. The best part of this particular recipe? Toss the ingredients in the slow cooker and voila, 6-10 hours later, you have a delicious and hearty dish to enjoy.

Ingredients

1 medium onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
3 celery stalks, chopped
3 cloves garlic minced
1 1/4 pounds chicken andouille sausage, cut into thin slices
1 pound dry red kidney beans
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon white pepper, optional
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 teaspoon fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried thyme
2 bayleaves
7 cups water
10 cups cooked rice

Directions

Rinse the kidney beans and drain.
Add all the ingredients, except rice, to the slow cooker.
Cook in the slow cooker on LOW for 10 hours or HIGH for 6 hours.
Optional: When there is one hour remaining, use a potato masher to go in and mash up some of the beans, then let it cook the remaining hour.
Prepare the rice separately, according to package directions.
Serve slow cooker ingredients atop rice and enjoy!