Taking inspiration from Louisana’s Cajun cuisine, this slow cooker vegan kidney beans and rice recipe involves stewing the beans, green peppers, celery, and onion with a bit of smokiness, a bit of heat, and a lot of savory flavor. I love it on top of some short grain brown rice, but you could also have it over savory corn grits or with a big, thick delicious piece of cornbread.
A few notes…
- ・Make sure to only use canned kidney beans. Using dried kidney beans in a slow cooker can lead to food poisoning.
- ・I used Spice Hunter Salt Free Cajun Creole Seasoning for this recipe; however, if Cajun seasoning is hard to find where you are or if you don’t want to buy yet another spice blend, you can make your own.
- ・If you don’t have red miso, you can use fake chicken bouillon paste instead. 1-2 tsp will do the trick.
Slow Cooker Cajun Kidney Beans and Rice
2 Tbsp olive oil
1½ cup diced onion
3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 cup diced green pepper
1 cup celery chopped on a bias
½ tsp smoked paprika
2½ tsp Cajun seasoning (see note above)
½ tsp garlic powder
2 bay leaves
14.5 ounce can of no salt diced tomatoes
15 ounce can of tomato sauce
2 – 15 ounce cans of dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed (only use canned beans – see notes above)
2 tsp red miso
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Cooked short grain brown rice, to serve
Hot sauce, to serve – optional
1. First, you’ll need to sauté the aromatics for the Cajun beans and rice. In a medium sized skillet, add olive oil, onion, garlic, green pepper, celery, a dash of salt, and black pepper. Sauté over medium heat for ~10 minutes or until the onions become a bit golden.
2. Add smoked paprika, Cajun seasoning, garlic powder and the bay leaves, and sauté for another minute.
3. Then, add the can of tomatoes into the pot, and loosen any bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pot.
4. Add the contents of the pot to a slow cooker. Then, add the tomato sauce, kidney beans, and red miso. Secure the lid on the Cajun kidney beans, and cook on HIGH for 4 hours.
5. Remove the lid. Taste, and adjust seasonings, if needed (salt? hot sauce?). Serve the vegan Cajun kidney beans with brown rice and top with hot sauce, if using.
