PINTO BEANS • SMOKED SAUSAGE • STOVETOP
Cajun Pinto Beans with Smoked Sausage
Rinse Ragin' Cajun Seasoned Pinto Beans, then cook with the enclosed seasoning and 10 cups of water at a low boil until tender. Keep fully cooked smoked sausage refrigerated while the beans cook. Brown it in a separate skillet near the end, add it directly to the tender beans and heat through.
- BEAN COOK
- 2–2½ hours after reaching a boil
- FINISH
- Heat fully cooked sausage through
- PLANNING
- Plus prep and water heat-up; rice cooks separately
- SERVING PLAN
- Divide pot among 6 bowls
Cajun Pinto Beans with Smoked Sausage
- BEAN COOK
- 2–2½ hours after reaching a boil
- FINISH
- Heat fully cooked sausage through
- PLANNING
- Plus prep and water heat-up; rice cooks separately
- SERVING PLAN
- Divide pot among 6 bowls
Tender pinto beans and browned smoked sausage make a satisfying bowl with rice, cornbread or slaw. Cook the beans first, keeping the fully cooked sausage refrigerated until the pot is ready for its final skillet-browned addition.
Cajun Pinto Beans with Smoked Sausage
Divide the finished pot among six bowls • Optional rice: 1/2 cup cooked per bowl • Low-boil beans for 2–2½ hours, or until tender, after reaching a boil. Allow additional time for prep, water heat-up and the sausage finish.
Ingredients
- 1 package Ragin' Cajun Seasoned Pinto Beans 16 oz
- 10 cups water, plus more as needed
- 12 ounces fully cooked smoked sausage, sliced
- 3 cups cooked long-grain white rice, optional
- Sliced green onion or chopped parsley, optional
- Hot sauce, optional
Equipment
4-quart or larger pot with a lid; separate skillet; stirring spoon; food thermometer; rice saucepan or rice cooker if serving rice.
Cook the beans and finish with sausage
- Remove the seasoning packet. Rinse and drain the beans. Keep the fully cooked sausage refrigerated while the beans cook.
- Put the beans and 10 cups water in a 4-quart or larger pot. Open the seasoning packet and add its contents. Cover and bring to a boil.
- Uncover, reduce the heat and maintain a low boil for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Add water as needed so the beans remain covered while they soften. Check the larger beans: their centers should be tender, not firm or chalky. Continue cooking as needed until tender.
- If serving with rice, prepare enough to yield 3 cups cooked, following its package directions. Start as the beans approach tenderness, allowing the rice package’s full cooking and resting time. Keep the rice hot if it finishes first.
- When the beans are tender, lower the heat to keep the pot gently simmering. Take the fully cooked smoked sausage from the refrigerator and brown the slices in a separate skillet over medium heat, turning for even color and following the sausage package’s heating directions. Add directly to the bean pot and heat through.
- Divide the bean-and-sausage mixture among six bowls. If using rice, add 1/2 cup cooked rice per bowl. Finish with green onion, parsley or hot sauce if desired.
Let tenderness guide the finish
The 2–2½-hour range is the bean-cooking stage after the water reaches a boil, not a complete start-to-finish time. Allow additional time for prep, heating the water and warming the sausage. The rice has its own cooking and resting time.
Adjust the broth after the beans soften
Add water as needed during cooking so the pot does not dry out. Once the larger beans are tender, add a little hot water for a looser bowl or continue gently cooking uncovered for a thicker broth. Stir and taste before adding salt; both the seasoning and sausage contribute salt.
Serve the pot
Divide the finished mixture into six equal shares. Serve as a bean bowl with slaw or cornbread, or use the optional 3 cups cooked rice for 1/2 cup per bowl. The final volume of beans and broth varies with evaporation and added water. For another bean supper, try Ten Bean Soup with Sausage.
Common questions
How do I know the beans are done?
Taste one of the larger beans. It should be tender through the center. If still firm, continue the low boil and add water as needed.
When do I add the sausage?
Keep fully cooked sausage refrigerated until the beans are tender. Brown it in a separate skillet, then add it directly to the beans and heat through.
Can I make this ahead?
Yes. Cool the beans and rice promptly in separate shallow containers and refrigerate within the limits in the recipe’s food-safety note. Reheat to 165°F; add a little water if the beans have thickened.
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