Louisiana Red Beans & Rice (Light Version)
I have tried to create a red beans and rice recipe that would be a lighter version for those who are dieting. I have replaced smoked sausage with turkey kielbasa and left out some of the more unhealthy oils and used extra virgin olive oil instead. Using brown rice adds a whole grain and ups the fiber content.
I have tried to create a red beans and rice recipe that would be a lighter version for those who are dieting. I have replaced smoked sausage with turkey kielbasa and left out some of the more unhealthy oils and used extra virgin olive oil instead. Using brown rice adds a whole grain and ups the fiber content.
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- kosher salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 8 cups chicken stock
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 1 pound dried kidney beans rinsed, sorted
- 1 medium green bell pepper chopped
- 6 sprigs fresh parsley chopped
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme chopped
- 1 pound turkey kielbasa sliced
- 1 pound ham hocks
- 4 cups cooked brown rice
- herbs of choice to taste
- hot sauce to taste
- Carbohydrate 83.2159225 g
- Cholesterol 88.187 mg
- Fat 26.16029375 g
- Fiber 17.0649997369871 g
- Protein 48.0777 g
- Saturated Fat 7.6042165 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (807g)
- Sodium 1880.620375 mg
- Sugar 66.1509227630129 g
- Trans Fat 1.74299800000001 g
- Calories 759 calories
Step-by-step
- Put beans in a large bowl and cover with 3 inches of water. Soak for 10 hours.
- In a large stockpot, heat olive oil over medium heat and add onions, celery, green pepper and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until vegetables soften. Add fresh parsley, thyme, kielbasa, ham hocks and chicken stock. Bring to boiling (will be very soupy) and reduce heat to medium-low and cook stirring occassionally for 2 hours. In the last 15 minutes mash some of the beans until mixture becomes thicker and creamy. Remove hamk hocks & bay leaves and discard.
- During the last 5 minutes of cooking time, prepare 4 cups of brown rice. Spoon 1/2 cup of brown rice onto a plate and ladel red beans over the top. Garnish with herbs of your choice and hot sauce if desired.
Dried red kidney beans require an unlisted preliminary soaking window of 10 hours to rehydrate the cellular walls evenly throughout the seed coat. Without this hydration phase, the starch granules inside refuse to soften uniformly, leaving the exterior mushy while the center stays chalky. Fresh aromatics like chopped yellow onion, bell pepper, and celery undergo a fundamental transformation when introduced to hot extra virgin olive oil in a stockpot. These vegetables shed their aggressive sulfurous compounds as moisture evaporates, yielding a sweet, concentrated base known in Louisiana cooking as the holy trinity. Turkey kielbasa and smoked ham hocks provide a counterweight of cured proteins, releasing rendered fats and salt directly into the surrounding chicken stock over a two-hour simmering period. Dried herbs such as thyme and parsley lose their volatile oils slowly during this extended heat application, infusing the broth without retaining their fresh green color. A wide-bottomed stockpot works best for even heat distribution, though a standard Dutch oven functions adequately if monitored closely to prevent scorching at the base. Reaching the correct final texture requires mechanical intervention near the end of the cooking cycle. Mashing roughly twenty percent of the tender beans against the side of the pot releases natural starches into the liquid, thickening the stock into a glossy gravy without the need for flour or cornstarch. Brown rice supplies a nutty flavor and dense chew that contrasts with the creamy legumes. Serving involves layering half a cup of warm grains beneath a generous ladle of the finished bean mixture.
