Ingredients:

  • 4 strips thick-cut bacon, diced
  • 8 oz smoked andouille sausage, sliced into half-moons
  • 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
  • 1 green bell pepper, diced
  • 2 stalks celery, sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  • 2 cans (15 oz each) black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
  • 1.5 cups long-grain white rice, thoroughly rinsed
  • 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 dried bay leaf
  • Salt to taste
  • Cracked black pepper to taste
  • 3 green onions, sliced for garnish

Instructions:

  1. Place diced bacon in a cold Dutch oven over medium heat. Render the fat until bacon is crisp. Add the sliced andouille sausage and sear until caramelized and mahogany-colored. Remove meats with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving the rendered fat in the pot.
  2. Add the diced onion, celery, and bell pepper to the hot fat. Sauté for 5-7 minutes until onions are translucent. Stir in minced garlic, dried thyme, and red pepper flakes, cooking for 60 seconds until fragrant.
  3. Stir in the rinsed black-eyed peas and chicken broth. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil.
  4. Add the rinsed long-grain white rice and the bay leaf to the pot. Stir once to combine. Return to a simmer, then reduce heat to low and cover with a tight-fitting lid.
  5. Simmer for 15-18 minutes until the liquid is absorbed. Turn off the heat and let the pot sit undisturbed for 10 minutes to allow the rice to finish steaming via residual heat.
  6. Remove the lid, discard the bay leaf, and fold the reserved bacon and sausage back into the rice. Fluff with a fork and garnish with sliced green onions before serving.