Smothered Cajun Green Beans

This is another FB discovery that I have tweaked to make my own. This is a very hearty dish that can stand on its own or be a robust side.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients:

6 slices smoked bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

~ 1 lbs andouille, sliced thin

2 Tbs all-purpose flour

1 Tbs cajun or creole seasoning

1 sweet onion, sliced thin

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 – 11/2 lbs red bliss potatoes quartered into bite-sized pieces (optional)

~ 48 oz of fresh green beans, trimmed into 2-inch pieces

1 Tbs butter substitute

1 bay leaf

3-4 cups vegetable broth or stock

Salt substitute and coarse ground pepper to taste

Instructions:

  1. In a Dutch oven on medium heat, fry bacon till crispy. Using a slotted spoon set bacon aside on paper towels
  2. Add andouille and sauté until browned in bacon grease, set aside with bacon
  3. Add onions and cook until clear. ( ~3-4 minutes)
  4. Add butter and when it melts, sprinkle flour over the onions. Cook and stir for 1 minute.
  5. Gradually whisk in broth, scraping up the browned bits off the bottom of the pot.
  6. Add beans, garlic, salt substitute, black pepper and cajun seasoning, and bay leaf, and cover with stock. Cook for ~25 minutes
  7. Add potatoes*(see note). Stir them in so they are submerged as much as possible. If you need to, add a little more stock. Cover and cook for 15 minutes.
  8. Uncover the Dutch oven and add sausage. Cook uncovered for 15 minutes (simmering until liquids cook down to your preferred “smothered” consistency.).
  9. Stir in bacon. Remove bay leaf and serve

Enjoy! 

Note:

* The addition of potatoes is usually something I reserve when I am serving this dish as my main course. Two to three lbs of beans plus another 1.5 lbs of potatoes makes for a pretty hefty side dish.