I cut the recipe for red beans and rice in half. I am concerned about the cooking time and liquid ratios.

The original recipe called for 1 lb.beans soaked overnight and simmered in 2 quarts for 1.5 hours then adding sausage & spices and simmering for another 30 minutes. I cut the recipe in half, including the water and I'm 40 minutes into the simmering and I have A LOT of liquid, semi-tender beans and more veggies than beans. I assumed the cook time would be the same but am feeling that the cooking is moving along quicker than I expected. Should I adjust the cook time as I have done the liquid? Am I over reacting? Thanks.

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LeBec F.
LeBec F. December 29, 2013
Have you cooked your rice? because you could add your leftover bean liquid to the stock or water to make your rice. OR you could drain the beans when tender, and cook down the juices/sauce to thicken it, and add it back in to loosen up the beans and rice (which are often served soupy.)

if you have the frzr space, i think bigpan's advice is good for freezing. Funny, i just finished cooking red beans in some leftover duck stock, and they are delicious (I actually think i prefer red beans to great northern now) but they took something like 3-4 hours to cook, and they were just bought at the store. oh, and i had soaked them for 2 days, having added a pinch of baking soda (to test the gas-reducing theory.)
 
bigpan
bigpan December 28, 2013
Glad it worked out. I find the same thing with Chili. Just give it another hour and a miracle happens. With Red Beans & Rice, nothing wrong with making the full batch and freezing half. Makes for a quick dinner to just pull out of the freezer and reheat.
 
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