Name: Red Beans and Greens Recipe
Total time: 2 h
Yield: Serves 4 to 6
Cuisine: SOUTHERN
Ingredients: 1/4 cup everyday olive oil; 6 ounces fresh andouille sausage, thinly sliced; 1 bunch collard greens, stems removed; Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper; 1 small yellow onion, sliced; 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced; 1 dried bay leaf; 1 pound dried red kidney beans (see Kitchen Note, below); Cooked white rice, for serving

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By Ben Mims

April 10, 2020

Take any greens, such as mustard, collard or kale, left over from your CSA or restaurant produce box and sauté them in olive oil, infused with andouille sausage, before stirring them into tender Cajun-style red beans for a hearty one-pot meal to eat over rice.

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¼ cup everyday olive oil

6 ounces fresh andouille sausage, thinly sliced

1 bunch collard greens, stems removed

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 small yellow onion, sliced

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 dried bay leaf

1 pound dried red kidney beans (see Kitchen Note, below)

Cooked white rice, for serving

In a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot, combine the olive oil and the sausage, then place over medium heat. Once the sausage starts sizzling, continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until it’s browned at the edges and some of the fat has rendered into the oil, 5 to 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to a bowl and reserve. Pour all the fat from the pot into a glass cup.

Return the pot to medium heat and pour in 1 tablespoon of the reserved fat. Add the greens, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted and just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Using the slotted spoon, transfer the greens to the bowl with the sausage.

Return the pot to medium heat and pour in the remaining reserved fat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown at the edges and starting to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and bay leaf, cook for 30 seconds, then add the beans, stirring to coat them in the fat. Pour in 10 cups of water and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally.

Once the liquid comes to a boil, let it boil for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to maintain a bare simmer and season the liquid with salt. Cover the pot and let the beans cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 50 minutes to 1 hour. If your beans aren’t tender after this time, keep cooking them until they are.

Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the reserved sausage and greens. Let the beans sit for 10 minutes, then taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve the beans and greens over rice.

Kitchen Note

If your beans are freshly dried, you will not need to soak them overnight. To test, cover them with cold water and wait 10 minutes. If you see the skins start to peel away from the beans, they don’t require soaking. Drain and dry and use them within one day. If they look normal, allow them to soak overnight, then drain before using them.

Make Ahead:

The beans and greens will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Ben Mims

Ben Mims is a former cooking columnist for the Los Angeles Times. He has written three cookbooks and has worked as a food editor and recipe developer for several food media publications, such as Lucky Peach, Food & Wine, Saveur, Food Network and Buzzfeed/Tasty.