This recipe feeds a family of 4 for $10 or less. It is also super fast and easy to prepare–less than 30 minutes from start to finish. So you can see why this recipe has become a weeknight favorite around here.
Cooking on a weeknight can be challenging. After a day of school and work, everyone is hungry and no one wants to wait. Add in a recent time change that makes it feel even later than it is, and my kids’ patience for waiting for dinner is completely gone. Sometimes it feels like we should just get takeout, but that takes at least 30 minutes and can be kind of expensive. That’s when I’m grateful for recipes like this.
My other weeknight solutions are to use a slow cooker or cook something that I stashed away in the freezer (like this). The only problem with those ideas is that they require some advanced planning. I do love to plan ahead, but relying on my ability to do so doesn’t always work out. Do you have any favorite fast & cheap recipes? I hope you share them in the comments section.
Here is the breakdown of the cost of ingredients in Cajun Beans & Rice:
| Ingredient | Cost of Quantity Used |
| onion | $0.80 |
| green bell pepper | $1.00 |
| sausage, beef hot links | $3.59 |
| garlic | $0.05 |
| thyme, dried | $0.28 |
| oregano, dried | $0.07 |
| tomatoes, canned diced | $0.79 |
| honey | $0.07 |
| mustard, Dijon | $0.10 |
| beans, black | $0.79 |
| rice, jasmine | $0.78 |
| Total = | $8.31 |
Cajun Beans & Rice (adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home)
- 6 spicy sausages (I used these, and yes, I couldn’t get this song out of my head!)
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, seeded & chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 (14.5 ounces) can diced tomatoes
- 1 1/2 teaspoons honey
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
- 1 1/2 cups rice
- Cook the rice. (I like to use one of these.) Cut the sausages into coins.
- Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced sausage and cook until they release some oil. Add the onion and pepper and saute until the vegetables have softened and the sausage coins are slightly browned (about 8 minutes).
- Add the garlic, thyme, & oregano and cook until fragrant (about 1 minute).
- Add the tomatoes, honey, & mustard and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add the beans, cover, and cook until thoroughly heated (about 5 minutes). Serve with the rice.
