My husband and I knew pretty early into our relationship that we would eventually marry and spend our lives together. Both somewhat phobic of relationships, we immediately clicked during my senior (his junior) year of college. Even our first Christmas was a special one, as he gave me one of my most cherished gifts I’ve ever received.

Long story short: we’d met through mutual friends but got to know each other during Hurricane Katrina evacuation in Atlanta just a few days after the school year had begun. His home in New Orleans flooded, and we bonded through one of the most emotional and stressful semesters of our lives. Just three months after we began dating, he “rescued” a leather-bound copy of one of my favorite books, Pride and Prejudice, from his house; he wrote the sweetest message in the cover and gave me the book before we both went home for Christmas break.

There are many other reasons why my husband is special, but one reason is particularly relevant to today’s post: he’s the first person to convince me to eat (and love) beans!

Though they’re now a staple in my diet (and his red beans and rice is one of my favorite meals), I used to cringe at the site of them. Red, black, white, pinto, garbanzo—it didn’t matter. Maybe they were never seasoned properly or perhaps they were often overcooked and mushy, but you couldn’t pay me to eat one. I just hated the texture!

Eventually, about a year into our relationship, Mark convinced me to try his red beans and rice. Since I love both Cajun and Creole spices, I immediately enjoyed the flavor. It took me a little while to get past whatever imagined texture anxiety I had, but beans of all kinds henceforth became a vital part of our kitchen repertoire.

For Crockpot Challenge #4, I give you Mark’s Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice (which is simply his stovetop recipe). I can’t really tell you how many servings this cooks (enough for a small army?); we usually eat it for dinner, have one or two lunches during the week, and freeze a big container for my parents. Feel free to halve (or quarter?) the recipe if you don’t enjoy leftovers or are cooking for just a few.

Mark’s Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice

Ingredients

• 2 lbs dry red beans (Camellia are the best, but any brand will do)
• 1 package andouille sausage, chopped
• ½ to 1 lb ham, chopped
• 4-5 ribs celery, diced
• 1 large green bell pepper, diced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
• Tony Chachere’s low-sodium Creole seasoning (to taste)
• Tabasco (to taste)
• 1 tsp Zatarain’s liquid crab boil
• Hot, cooked rice (though it’s less healthy, we always use white rice)

Directions

1. In a large stock pot, cover the beans with water and soak overnight
2. Drain and rinse the beans
3. Add beans to the slow cooker and cover with water
4. Add chopped vegetables, sausage, ham, and spices into the pot*
5. Mix, cover, and cook on low for 8-10 hours
6. Serve over rice**

*If you enjoy creamier beans, you may wish to add a pinch of cornstarch to the pot or mash a small portion of the beans to thicken. This isn’t necessary if cooking on the stovetop, as they thicken tremendously on their own (if left uncovered). While still delicious, our Crockpot version was a bit thinner than we prefer.

** Serve with a chunk of warm, flaky French baguette (if you’re feeling extra carb-y) and a cold Abita Amber for authenticity!