Ingredients
1 lb Camillia Brand Red Beans
(These really are the best and make a huge difference. I order them from the website and they come fast. Plus everything you ever wanted know about Red Beans is on their website, including lots of recipes. Otherwise use generic red kidney beans, but it wont be the same.)

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (start with less if you don’t like HOT)

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 teaspoons salt (more or less)

1 yellow onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

2 or 3 stalks of celery, diced

6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

olive oil

Directions

1. Rinse the beans well and add to a big pot with plenty of water.  ( Or homemade veggie stock. Don’t used canned or instant stock. Water is better. I do not soak my beans, but you can if you like.)
2. Add the bay leaves, thyme, cayenne pepper, black pepper to the pot
3. Bring the beans to a rolling boil for about 15 minutes, then turn them down to low boil for the remainder of cooking time.
4. While the beans are cooking, saute the onion, pepper and celery in olive oil over med heat until the onion turns translucent and everything just starts to brown around the edges.
5. Add the garlic to the veggies and saute for another minute.
6. Add the veggies to the beans.
7. Cook the beans until they are almost, but not quite done and add the salt. Start with 1 teaspoon and adjust to taste. (I always use 2)
8. Keep cooking the beans til they are done. If you need to add water, add boiling water.
9. Serve with rice that you made at some point during this process

The beans taste better the second day, so making them a day ahead is my “secret ingredient.”