The night before cooking you need to soak the beans. In a large bowl dump in 1 lb dried kidney beans, preferably Camellia brand. Cover the beans in water, just eyeball it. Make sure there is plenty of water in the bowl as the beans will absorb water overnight. I fill with water until about 2 inches from the top of my large bowl. Cover and let sit on the counter overnight (about 7-9 hours). When ready to start cooking the next day, drain the water from the beans, and give them a good rinse. Add the soaked beans into the crockpot. Fill with 3½-4 cups of water. You can use chicken broth here, but I haven't noticed any difference.
Time to brown the sausage, this makes the texture and flavor of the red beans so much better. I cook one package of sausage at a time. Slice the sausage into 1 inch coins. Brown over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes stirring to brown each side. Add all of the cooked sausage straight to the crockpot.
To the same pan add in the diced onion, garlic, celery, and bell peppers. Sauté the veggies for about 4 minutes until they start to soften and become fragrant. Add the veggies right into the crockpot.
Season with 1 tsp of cajun seasoning and bay leaves. Stir everything together so the sausage and veggies are mixed in with the beans and water. Put lid on the crockpot and turn on low. With the crockpot on low this should take 7-8 hours, stirring occasionally. After time is up give it a good stir and the mixture should be velvety smooth, some of the beans should have dissolved and left you with a creamy pot of red beans. If there is too much water and you think it is a bit runny, crank the heat to high and let it sit uncovered for 20 or so minutes until the texture is how you want.
Taste and adjust for salt/pepper. I added an extra 1/2 tsp of cajun seasoning. Note: my cajun seasoning is salted so I did not use extra salt. Check your cajun seasoning and see if it is salted or unsalted and adjust as needed.
Serve over white rice, and topped with green onion and Tabasco. I like to add a few spoons of white vinegar in mine and it is so good, try it out! Dip fresh crusty bread in the red beans and savor every bite. Enjoy!
