Posted in Homestead Kitchen
Budget Friendly Beans
Beans are one of the main food staples of our home. I serve bean based meals to my family 2 to 3 times weekly. Beans are a great way to stretch the family food budget. Beans can cost as little as 30 cents a cup. I find that 2 or 3 cups of dried cooked beans added to a little meat makes a hearty, economical main dish for my family of 8.
Here is one of my familyÂ’s favorite bean meals:
Red Beans and Rice
2 cups dried red beans
8 to 10 cups water
2 t. salt
3T olive oil
2 cups polish sausage or smoked sausage, cut up in small slices and then cut up in quarters
½ medium sweet onion, chopped
2 t. minced garlic
Hot cooked brown rice
In a medium to large stock pot add your beans, 8 cups of water, and salt. Bring to a boil and turn to low and let it simmer about 2 hours adding more water if the beans seem to need it. Near the end of the simmering time heat olive oil in a frying pan add the polish sausage, onion and the garlic. Heat this until the onion is soft and transparent and the sausage has cooked up a bit. Add all of this to the red beans and let this simmer for about ½ hour.
To serve this meal, add scoops of hot brown rice to a bowl and cover with the red bean mixture. If you like a little spice to your meals like we do you can add a splash or two of
This meal goes good with a green salad or a spinach salad.
