Beans go from dry to delicious

Place your dry beans in a large stockpot or bowl, add enough cool water to cover by several inches, then cover the bowl and forget about it overnight. In the morning, drain the beans and proceed with your recipe. It’s really that simple.

RED BEANS WITH ANDOUILLE SAUSAGE

Start to finish: 1 hour 20 minutes (20 minutes active)

Servings: 4

1 teaspoon vegetable or canola oil

1 medium yellow onion, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1-pound bag dried, small red beans, soaked overnight and drained

4 1/2 cups water

1 pound andouille sausage

Coarse salt and ground pepper

In a large saucepan over medium, heat the oil. Add the onion and garlic to the pan. Saute until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the beans and water, then bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, partially cover, and cook until the beans are tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours, adding more water if necessary.

When the beans are nearly done, heat a grill or grill pan to medium. Cook the sausage until they have prominent grill marks and are heated through, about 4 minutes per side.

Season the beans with salt and pepper, then spoon them into 4 serving bowls. Top each serving with a sausage.

Nutrition information per serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 666 calories; 192 calories from fat; 21 g fat (9 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 63 mg cholesterol; 72 g carbohydrate; 46 g protein; 29 g fiber; 1,146 mg sodium.

(Recipe adapted from the November 2009 issue of Everyday Food magazine)