Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice

Ingredients

• 1 lb dried red kidney beans
• 12 oz andouille or smoked sausage, sliced
• 1 medium white onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 3 celery stalks, diced
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsp Creole seasoning
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp hot sauce, plus more to taste
• 2 bay leaves
• 7 cups chicken broth
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Cooked white rice, for serving
• Sliced green onions, for serving

Directions

1. Cover the dried kidney beans with cold water by 2 inches and soak overnight. Drain, cover with fresh water, bring to a boil, and boil hard and uncovered for 10 minutes, then drain again. Do not skip this step — dried kidney beans need a real boil before they go in a slow cooker.
2. Add the drained beans, sausage, onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic, Creole seasoning, thyme, hot sauce, bay leaves, and chicken broth to a 6 quart slow cooker and stir.
3. Cover and cook on HIGH for 6-7 hours, until the beans are completely soft all the way through.
4. Fish out and discard the bay leaves. Mash some of the beans against the side of the pot with the back of a spoon to thicken the whole thing up.
5. Season with salt, pepper, and more hot sauce to taste. Serve over rice with green onions on top.