Black Beans and Kielbasa

I love cooking beans. They’re delicious when home-made, especially because you can make them taste however you wish – barbeque style, Mediterranean, or Southwestern. But I have to admit that canned beans are pretty good – especially in a pinch.

For this recipe, I used canned black beans. The only important thing is to drain them and rinse gently in a colander before using. Other than that, they require no cooking, so they can be added to whatever you’re making at the last minute.

This recipe is kind of like a chili, in that there are meat and beans, but the flavors are quite different. And unlike real chili, this dish can be thrown together in a matter of minutes. And it’s good, too!

Black Beans and Kielbasa

3-4 tablespoons oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 large red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 – 14 ounce package Polska Kielbasa, or polish sausage, cut into 1″ pieces
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 – 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon hot paprika
2 teaspoons dried oregano
3 cans black beans, drained

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over high heat. Add the onion, red bell pepper, and sausage and cook over high heat until there is some color on the sausage.

Turn down the heat to medium, and stir in the garlic. Then add all of the remaining ingredients. Stir well to combine, and heat through.

Serve hot. It’s really good with freshly made cornbread, like my achiote cornbread!