Fix-It and Forget-It Revised and Updated: 700 Great Slow Cooker Recipes (96 page)

1 tsp. salt

1. Soak beans in water overnight in large soup kettle. Cook beans in water until soft, about 1½ hours. Drain, discarding bean water.

2. Mix together all ingredients in slow cooker. Mix well.

3. Cover. Cook on Low 10-12 hours.

Red Beans and Rice

Margaret A. Moffitt

Bartlett, TN

Makes 8-10 servings

Prep. Time: 5 minutes

Soaking Time: 8 hours

Cooking Time: 10-12 hours

Ideal slow-cooker size: 3½- to 4-qt.

1-lb. pkg. dried red beans

water

salt pork,
or
ham hocks,
or
sausage, cut into small chunks

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

3-4 cups water

6-oz. can tomato paste

8-oz. can tomato sauce

4 garlic cloves, minced

1. Soak beans for 8 hours. Drain. Discard soaking water.

2. Mix together all ingredients in slow cooker.

3. Cover. Cook on Low 10-12 hours, or until beans are soft.

Serving suggestion: Serve over
rice
.

Variation:

Use canned red kidney beans. Cook 1 hour on High and then 3 hours on Low.

Note:

These beans freeze well.

New Mexico Pinto Beans

John D. Allen

Rye, CO

Makes 8-10 servings

Prep. Time: 5 minutes

Soaking Time: overnight

Cooking Time: 6-10 hours

Ideal slow-cooker size: 6-qt.

2½ cups dried pinto beans

3 qts. water

½ cup ham,
or
salt pork, diced,
or
a small ham shank

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tsp. crushed red chili peppers,
optional

salt to taste

pepper to taste

1. Sort beans. Discard pebbles, shriveled beans, and floaters. Wash beans under running water. Place in saucepan. Cover with 3 quarts water, and soak overnight.

2. Drain beans and discard soaking water. Pour beans into slow cooker. Cover with fresh water.

3. Add meat, garlic, chili, salt, and pepper. Cook on Low 6-10 hours, or until beans are soft.

Scandinavian Beans

Virginia Bender

Dover, DE

Makes 8 servings

Prep. Time: 1½-2 hours

Soaking Time: 8 hours

Cooking Time: 5-6 hours

Ideal slow-cooker size: 4- to 5-qt.

1 lb. dried pinto beans

6 cups water

12 oz. bacon,
or
1 ham hock

1 onion, chopped

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

¼ tsp. pepper

1 tsp. salt

¼ cup molasses

1 cup ketchup

Tabasco to taste

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

¾ cup brown sugar

½ cup cider vinegar

¼ tsp. dry mustard

1. Soak beans in water in soup pot for 8 hours. Bring beans to boil and cook 1½-2 hours, or until soft. Drain, reserving liquid.

2. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker, using just enough bean liquid to cover everything. Cook on Low 5-6 hours. If using ham hock, debone, cut ham into bite-sized pieces, and mix into beans.

New Orleans Red Beans

Cheri Jantzen

Houston, TX

Makes 6 servings

Prep. Time: 1¼ hours

Cooking Time: 8-10 hours

Ideal slow-cooker size: 4-qt.

2 cups dried kidney beans

5 cups water

2 Tbsp. bacon drippings

½ lb. hot sausage, cut in small pieces

2 onions, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. salt

1. Wash and sort beans. In saucepan, combine beans and water. Boil 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Soak 1 hour.

2. Heat bacon drippings in skillet. Add sausage and brown slowly. Add onions and garlic and sauté until tender.

3. Combine all ingredients, including the bean water, in slow cooker.

4. Cover. Cook on Low 8-10 hours. During last 20 minutes of cooking, stir frequently and mash lightly with spoon.

Serving suggestion: Serve over hot cooked
white rice
.

Hot Bean Dish Without Meat

Jeannine Janzen

Elbing, KS

Makes 8-10 servings

Prep. Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 3-4 hours

Ideal slow-cooker size: 4-qt.

16-oz. can kidney beans, drained

15-oz. can lima beans, drained

¼ cup vinegar

2 Tbsp. molasses

2 heaping Tbsp. brown sugar

2 Tbsp. minced onion

mustard to taste

Tabasco sauce to taste

1. Place beans in slow cooker.

2. Combine remaining ingredients. Pour over beans.

3. Cover. Cook on Low 3-4 hours.

Variation:

Add 1 lb. browned ground beef to make this a meaty main dish.

Barbecued Beans

Jane Steiner

Orrville, OH

Makes 12-15 servings

Prep. Time: 5-10 minutes

Cooking Time: 4 hours

Ideal slow-cooker size: 4-qt.

4 11-oz. cans pork and beans

¾ cup brown sugar

1 tsp. dry mustard

6 slices bacon, diced

½ cup ketchup

1. Pour 2 cans pork and beans into slow cooker.

2. Combine brown sugar and mustard. Sprinkle half of mixture over beans.

3. Cover with remaining cans of pork and beans. Sprinkle with rest of brown sugar and mustard.

4. Layer bacon over top. Spread ketchup over all.

5. Cut through bean mixture a bit before heating.

6. Cover. Cook on Low 4 hours.