Southern Crock Pot Pinto Beans with Sausage Recipe
This Southern Crock Pot Pinto Beans with Sausage recipe is an easy and flavorful slow cooker dish featuring tender pinto beans, a mix of ground meat and smoked sausages, and a blend of aromatic vegetables and spices. Perfect for a hearty and comforting meal, it’s cooked low and slow to develop rich Southern flavors that pair wonderfully with rice.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes (plus overnight soaking)
- Cook Time: 8 hours
- Total Time: 8 hours 15 minutes (plus overnight soaking)
- Yield: 12 servings
- Category: Slow Cooking
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: Southern American
Ingredients
Beans
- 1 Pound Dried Pinto Beans
Meats
- 1 Pound Ground Meat
- 1 Pound Smoked Sausage
- 1 Link Andouille Sausage
Vegetables
- 1 Each Sweet Onion, diced
- 1 Each Green Bell Pepper, diced
- 1 Rib Celery, diced
- 3 Cloves Garlic, minced
Seasonings
- 3 Each Bay Leaves
- 1 Tablespoon Creole Seasoning (or Cajun seasoning)
- 1 Tablespoon Onion Powder
- 1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder
- 2 Teaspoon Dried Thyme
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Liquids
- 5 Cups Chicken Broth
Instructions
- Soak the Beans: Place the dried pinto beans in a large bowl and cover with a few cups of water. Let them soak overnight so they double in size and become tender, which helps reduce cooking time and improves texture.
- Brown the Ground Meat: In a skillet over medium heat, brown the ground meat until fully cooked. Drain excess fat, then transfer the cooked meat to the crock pot.
- Prepare Vegetables: Dice the sweet onion, green bell pepper, celery, and mince the garlic cloves. Add all the chopped vegetables into the crock pot with the meat.
- Add Remaining Ingredients: Add the soaked and drained pinto beans, smoked sausage, andouille sausage, bay leaves, creole seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, dried thyme, chicken broth, and salt and pepper to the crock pot.
- Mix Well: Stir all ingredients thoroughly to combine flavors and ensure everything is evenly distributed.
- Slow Cook: Cover the crock pot and cook on low heat for 8 hours, allowing flavors to meld and beans to become tender.
- Serve: Remove the bay leaves and serve the pinto beans and sausage mixture over rice for a classic Southern meal.
Notes
- Soaking beans overnight is recommended but if pressed for time, use quick soak method by boiling beans for 5 minutes and letting them sit for an hour.
- Adjust seasoning to taste; the Creole seasoning can be spicy, so reduce if preferred milder.
- For a vegetarian version, omit meats and use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
- Leftovers store well and flavors improve after a day; refrigerate up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
