Wednesday, March 8, 2017

Thrifty Meals Around $5 Or Less - Red Beans & Rice


I hadn't made this meal for quite awhile so it was definitely time to pull out this one out and dust it off.  This is my aunt's recipe and when she made it for us I absolutely loved it.  Thankfully she was more than willing to share her recipe and now I'm going to share it with you.

My Aunt's Red Beans & Rice

1/2 lb kidney beans
1/2 lb pinto beans
4 cups water
4 cups vegetable broth
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 bay leaves
1 can diced tomatoes w/ chiles
1 lg. onion chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 Tbs. parsley
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. apple cider vinegar

Sort beans, rinse and then soak overnight in a large bowl covered of water.  In the morning drain and rinse the beans.  In a large slow cooker combine all ingredients, stir well, cover and allow to cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours until beans are tender.

Serve on top of steamed rice.  Garnish with sour cream if desired.

This recipe makes a ton of food.  You could easily feed a small crowd or put up leftovers in containers and freeze for future meals.  If you aren't looking to keep it vegetarian you can also use chicken broth in place of the vegetable broth.  She also said it is really good with chopped kielbasa in it.  I've never made it that way, but I'm sure it is.


This is it how it breaks down:

Kidney beans - 69¢
Pinto beans - 50¢
Tomatoes - 59¢
Veg. broth - 99¢
Onion - 49¢
Rice - 50¢

Total = $3.76

Not too shabby is it?  A healthy, delicious and nutritious meal and there is still room in the $5 budget for a simple salad to go along with.  You could even boost it up a bit by stirring a couple good sized handfuls of spinach leaves into the beans before serving.


In some cases costs are approximated.  Groceries prices vary depending on where you live.  I don't include condiments, oils, herbs and spices when I figure the cost of a meal as it would be incredibly tedious to do so.  Plus condiments are subjective as each person uses more or less.



11 comments:

  1. I definitely will try this I love beans and rice.

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  2. Thank you for sharing your recipe. Circumstances find me suddenly buying my forever home, so we're eating out of the pantry and freezer until the dust settles. Only have spent about $10 so far this month on groceries, will need to buy milk and 1/2 & 1/2 but that's it for this week. Frugality is in high gear over here!

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    1. What a great reason for high gear frugality! Very happy for you and wishing you all the best with this. :)

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  3. I love red beans and rice also, with or without sausage!

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  4. When I lived in New Orleans, I learned some interesting history about red beans and rice. Back in the day, Monday was "wash" or laundry day. It would take the entire day for women complete the task. Since Red beans and rice required little to no attention it became the dinner meal on Mondays. To this day, Mondays are still red beans and rice day in the south.
    Vanessa B

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    1. How interesting, I love knowing that. Thank you for sharing this with us Vanessa.

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  5. Thanks Debbie. I hope you give it a try. :)

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  6. Beans and rice is such a classic combination, isn't it? Your recipe sounds very yummy! Thank you for sharing.

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