White Beans & Rice

Mama_Jennie's Note:

This recipe was passed down from my Cajun grandmother to me. It makes A LOT of food, and freezes well. I love to make this dish because the aroma that fills my house reminds me of back home. This can be made in a large crockpot, but I recommend a large stewpot as it makes a lot of food.

• Total Time: 4 hrs 30 mins
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 4 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 10

• 2 teaspoons canola oil (divided)
• 1 green bell pepper (chopped)
• 2 small onions (chopped)
• 4 -5 garlic cloves (minced or crushed)
• 1 1/2 stalks celery (chopped)
• 1 lb diced ham
• 2 (16 ounce) bags navy beans
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 6 cups cooked rice

Directions:

1. Wash beans & add to stew pot, boil for 30-45 minutes.
2. Brown ham in 1 tsp of oil until just brown.
3. Remove ham & add 1 tsp of oil, onion, celery, bell pepper & garlic, cook until soft. (If sticky, just add a LITTLE water.).
4. Add ham back to skillet and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes.
5. Add skillet mixture to beans & season with salt, cayenne pepper, & bay leaves. (You can use more or less of any of the seasonings to suit your taste. Taste the liquid to make sure that it agrees to your tastes.).
6. Cook in stewpot until beans are soft. (4-6 hours).
7. Remove 1 1/2 cups of beans & mash. Add mashed beans back to mixture.
8. Serve beans over rice.

Reviews

[kellychris]

These were AWESOME!! I used great northern beans- but kept everything else the same. I used my crockpot after I soaked the beans overnight. Put the beans in 1st and let them cook alone for 1 hr. on high. I sauteed the vegetables then added the ham to the skillet for about 10-15 min. I then placed it in the crockpot and let it cook with the beans all day on low. Served over rice. These were enjoyed by everyone. Thank you so much!! Made for herb of the month tag.

[gailanng]

My family likes their beans meaty so I added smoked sausage in addition to the ham. The diversity of this dish reminded me. I've always had the opinion that there is one thing with which I will never become bored...eating.

[KLBoyle]

Delicious! I took a major short cut by using 2 cans of beans after sauteing the onion, peppers, celery, and ham. My ham wasn't very smoky so I added a packet of Goya Sazon. I let this simmer while the rice was cooking and it turned out great, very warm and hearty. I will definitely be make this again but as written. Thanks for sahring!