Creole Sausage And Rice Pie With Red Bean Crust

Total Time: 1 hr 55 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr 30 mins Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 lbs andouille sausages or 2 lbs polish sausage, cut into 1/2 inch rounds
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups long-grain rice
• 3 3/4 cups chicken broth
• chopped green onion, for garnish
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 cup chopped red bell peppers or 1/2 cup green bell pepper
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 cups canned red beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 cup chicken broth

Recipe

• 1 make the red bean crust—heat the oil in a 4-quart saucepan; add in the onion, celery, chopped pepper, and garlic; stir/saute until the onion is translucent, about 4 minutes.
• 2 add in the beans, salt, pepper, and bay leaf, stirring to combine; slowly pour in the broth, and simmer for 30 minutes (may refrigerate the beans until ready to proceed).
• 3 preheat the oven to 375°; in a 12-inch saute pan, heat the oil; add in the sausage; stir/saute for 2 minutes; add in the onion, celery, garlic, green pepper, cayenne, and salt; stir/saute for 4-5 minutes until the onions begin to turn golden.
• 4 add in rice and stir to coat it evenly.
• 5 gradually add in the chicken broth, stirring up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
• 6 transfer the rice mixture to a 13 x 9 inch casserole dish or a 4-quart casserole; bake for 15 minutes.
• 7 after 15 minutes, the rice should have absorbed most of the liquid; carefully spoon the red bean crust over the top of the rice.
• 8 bake for another 10 minutes until the rice is tender; garnish the casserole with the chopped green onion.