With baby #3 coming very soon and 2 little ones that randomly need things, I’ve been trying to tighten up the food budget considerably without compromising the “awesomeness” taste and quality. Ok, so maybe we are getting more ground beef instead of steak, but that’s not what I mean! I don’t want to feel like I’m eating some super cheap, chinsy meal, I want to feel like I’m eating something yummy. Don’t we all always want something that’s yummy???
Well, I was a little nervous making this particular dish because of the beans…. which goes way back to a minor childhood “trauma” which is really just a funny story that I bring back up to my parents every once in a while… Mom made a new dish with kidney beans (using dried beans) and well, they weren’t cooked all the way when dinner was served. And…. dinner… was…. AWFUL!!! We can end the story there. 🙂 For this reason, the story, I always use canned beans. Let’s just say, this dish turned out pretty awesome. My 2 year old started to eat it really well, then just picked out the beans… my 1 year old devoured hers AND the leftovers of her sister! The hubby really liked it too and gave me permission to make it again (ha ha ha!).
The great thing about this meal is that it is totally versatile and can be easily changed according to the ingredients you have on hand. Don’t make a special trip to the store for this unless it’s just time to go to the store and it’s on the menu. I’ll put in (parenthesis) some ideas for substitutions. Of course, it’s not limited to those, try something new and let us know how it turned out!
What you need:
1 tbsp butter (olive oil, margarine, various cooking oil)
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped (any bell pepper-optional)
1 onion, finely chopped (any onion or dried minced/granulated onion can work too)
1 can diced tomatoes, drained, liquid reserved (fresh always works)
1 can white beans (any kind) drained and rinsed
1 package smoked sausage, cut into bite sized chunks (can also use ham or any other cooked sausage)
2 C minute rice
1 tsp chicken bouillon granules (added to water to cook rice-can also use chicken broth/stock)
1/2 tsp granulated garlic (fresh always works and will give you a stronger flavor)
1/4-1/2 tsp black pepper
In a large (5-6 quart) sauce pot, over medium high heat, melt butter. When butter is melted, add chopped onion and pepper and saute until soft, about 3-4 minutes (don’t let the edges turn brown). Add your seasonings and stir together. Add tomatoes, beans and sausage and mix together well. Use reserved juice from tomatoes and water(can use tomato juice or chicken broth/stock instead) to cook your rice (go according to your package directions but it should be equal parts water and minute rice-I used a total of 2 cups) and bring liquid to a rolling boil. Add rice and stir to coat with liquid. Cover, remove from heat, and let it sit until your rice is cooked (again, according to package directions), about 5-10 minutes. Enjoy!
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