Easy Cajun Red Beans and Rice

The hubby is very predictable. Every night, when he gets home from work, he says, "what are you whipping up for dinner?" Unbeknowst to him, I had been doing "research" for the past couple of days about how to make homemade red beans and rice. When he asked me last night, I answered, "red beans and rice!" Anytime we have ever had red beans and rice in the past, I have used a boxed mix, Zatarain's. They make awesome authentic New Orleans boxed mixes, but they are LOADED with sodium, like 880 mg/serving in their red beans and rice mix!! YIKES!!! Since November of 2011, when I got diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure, I have been on a low-salt diet. I was never one to sprinkle a ton of salt on my food, but I used to eat Campbell's Chunky New England Clam Chowder Soup ALL the time !! A cup is 890 mg of sodium. Even though I take four medications for my heart, if I had some of that soup, I would blow up like a Pufferfish! Anyways, I tried really hard to make the red beans and rice sodium level realistic, so I could enjoy it. The hubby loved it, he had three helpings! When I was putting away the leftovers, there was about one serving left. The hubby said, "I wanted to save enough for you to have for lunch tomorrow!" He's such a sweetie!

Ingredients

One tablespoon unsalted butter
12-ounce bag Cajun Style Mirepoix Blend,
  frozen (I used the Kroger brand)
15.5-ounce can red beans, undrained
14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
3 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
13-ounce turkey sausage, fully cooked,
  cut into bite sized pieces

*2 cups cooked white rice

In a large skillet, melt the butter slowly and then add the Mirepoix blend. Cook over medium heat until the veggies (celery, green peppers and onions) start to get soft, stirring occasionally with a large spoon. Add the red beans, tomatoes, Cajun seasoning and turkey sausage. Mix well and cook another 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve over white rice.

*I like to multi-task, so while I was making the red beans, I was cooking the rice at the same time!!