Red Beans and Rice - $2.36 a serving

Name: Red Beans and Rice
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients: 2 cups red beans, dry; 8 cups water; 1 1/2 cups onion (chopped); 1 cup celery (chopped); 4 bay leaves; 3 tablespoons garlic (chopped); parsley (optional); 2 teaspoons thyme (crushed, dried); 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon black pepper; 1 cup red bell pepper (chopped - could also use green pepper); 2 cups cooked brown rice

Makes 8 servings · american · involved · USDA MyPlate Kitchen (public domain)

$18.87

basket total, in-store

$2.36

per serving (8 servings)

-$2.26

cheaper than the $4.62 median dinner

What it costs at Kroger - Kroger On the Rhine

Every non-staple ingredient matched to a real product on the shelf, priced on 2026-07-19 at Kroger - Kroger On the Rhine (ZIP 45202). 3 pantry staples excluded. Prices change without notice - this is what we paid attention to on that date, not a quote.

The recipe says	We found	Package	Uses	Costs	Left over
1. 2 cups red beans, dry	Kroger® Small Red Beans · 16 oz	$2.29	360 g	$1.82	$0.47
3. 1 1/2 cups onion (chopped)	Jumbo Yellow Onions · 1 lb	$1.19	225 g	$0.59	$0.60
4. 1 cup celery (chopped)	Sleeved Celery · 1 ctSIZE UNREAD - 1 PKG ASSUMED	$2.59	100 g	$2.59	-
5. 4 bay leaves	Simple Truth Organic® Bay Leaves · 20 ct	$2.49	4	$0.50	$1.99
6. 3 tablespoons garlic (chopped)	Kroger® Whole Garlic Bulbs · 5 ct	$2.49	3	$1.49	$1.00
8. 2 teaspoons thyme (crushed, dried)	Private Selection® Thyme Leaves Shaker · 0.68 oz	$3.49	2 g	$0.36	$3.13
11. 1 cup red bell pepper (chopped - could also use green pepper)	Fresh Red Hothouse Bell Pepper · 1 ctx2 est.	$1.67	150 g	$0.00	$3.34
12. 2 cups cooked brown rice	Kroger® Long Grain Brown Rice · 16 oz	$0.99	390 g	$0.85	$0.14

Where the money goes

dried thyme drives this basket at $3.49, 18% of the total. The next biggest lines are red bell pepper ($3.34) and celery ($2.59). $10.67 of the basket - 57% - is package remainder: food you buy because stores sell packages and recipes call for amounts. It does not vanish, it sits in your kitchen for the next meal.

What carries into next week

Fresh Red Hothouse Bell Pepper · about 90 g left, $3.34 of value
Simple Truth Organic® Bay Leaves · about 16 left, $1.99 of value
Kroger® Whole Garlic Bulbs · about 2 left, $1.00 of value
Jumbo Yellow Onions · about 229 g left, $0.60 of value
Kroger® Small Red Beans · about 94 g left, $0.47 of value
Kroger® Long Grain Brown Rice · about 64 g left, $0.14 of value

This flavorful dish is a Monday night tradition in many homes. This vegetarian recipe uses dry beans, onion, pepper, and spices.

Ingredients

2 cups red beans, dry
8 cups water
1 1/2 cups onion (chopped)
1 cup celery (chopped)
4 bay leaves
3 tablespoons garlic (chopped)
parsley (optional)
2 teaspoons thyme (crushed, dried)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup red bell pepper (chopped - could also use green pepper)
2 cups cooked brown rice

Directions

This recipe is credited to a partner program (Food and Drug Administration (FDA) US Department of Health and Human Services), so we don't reprint its directions - read them on the archived original.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) US Department of Health and Human Services. MyPlate took its recipe pages offline in 2026 - the original lives on at the Internet Archive. More on this: The protein math behind beans and rice.

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Build my cheapest week Price this at my store