Camellia’s Famous New Orleans-Style White Beans & Shrimp

White beans and shrimp are a classic combination, and this recipe is one of New Orleans’ finest.

Cafe Reconcile’s White Beans & Shrimp

Festival season is upon us in Louisiana and that means creamy White Beans and Shrimp are on the menu. Cafe Reconcile’s take on it is one of our favorites.

Creole Shrimp & Red Bean Tacos

Shrimp covered in Creole seasoning, seared in a hot skillet, and served with a bit of Fresh Mex creates this a flavorful taco feast. Make with Camellia Brand Red Kidney Beans cooked in advance, and the dish comes together quickly, too.

Garlicky Shrimp & Blackeye Peas

Throughout the South, blackeye peas are popular New Year’s fare for the promise of luck and money (and because they taste so good). Good luck can grace your table all year long with this recipe.

Shrimp & Black Bean Skillet Casserole

Use make-ahead black beans, or Instant Pot Black Beans and prep your ingredients ahead of time for a one-pot, easy weeknight meal. The combination of shrimp, lime juice, cilantro, and green onions pairs perfectly with black beans and Jasmine rice, and this dish works well served hot or at room-temperature.

Camellia’s Shrimp, Andouille and White Bean Cassoulet

A labor of love, white bean cassoulet is a decadent and delicious way to savor the flavors of Louisiana and is topped off with shrimp.

Garbanzo Summer Salad with Feta and Shrimp

Fresh, colorful, and full of flavor, this hearty summer salad offers up the best of what’s in season.

Lima Beans with Shrimp and Andouille

A delicious and creamy dish, this Large Lima bean recipe comes to life when fresh shrimp are added near the end of cooking.

Grilled Corn, Shrimp and Pink Bean Salad

A perfect summer dish featuring seasonal ingredients, this pink bean salad hits the spot when you’re craving something light and flavorful.

‘Tis the season to celebrate with intention — and hosting a festive dinner party or Reveillon feast for friends, neighbors and family is a great way to pull out all the stops. Invite those whose company you enjoy the most, and plan a menu that includes one or two truly special dishes like the ones featured here — recipes that require a little extra time and effort but are worth all the love you put into them. Set a colorful, glittery table, let the wine and champagne flow freely, and treat yourself and your lucky guests to the kind of delicious mains that are worthy of becoming an annual tradition.

Lamb Shanks with Garlic & Butter Beans

Lamb Shanks with Garlic & Butter Beans is one of those incredibly flavorful entreés that makes a gorgeous presentation and a beautiful meal. A savory recipe from Chef Jennifer Hill Booker’s latest cookbook Dinner Déja Vu, it features slow cooked Camellia Brand Large Lima Beans (also known as butter beans) and fork-tender lamb shanks in a rich, creamy sauce. Made with garlic, shallots, brandy, ripe tomatoes, and copious amounts of white wine, it’s actually an easy-to-follow recipe, and any home cook can tackle it with a little time and patience. You’ll need a large dutch oven (at least an 8-qt.) with a tight-fitting lid because it simmers first on the stovetop, and then gets baked in the oven, and you should plan for about 4 hours of cook time. (Keep in mind that while a dutch oven is doing the work, that’s hands-off cook time that allows you to prep other parts of your menu.) The wonderful smells wafting from your kitchen will be so tempting, everyone will have trouble waiting to sit down at the table before digging in.

And since Lamb Shanks with Garlic & Butter Beans is both a main and side dish all in one pot, you can simply add a green salad, some crusty bread or soft dinner rolls and a few bottles of your favorite red wine. Your guests will be talking about how delicious it was long after the last plate is cleared.

Cassoulet

Another dinner party-worthy recipe for a rich, slow cooked bean casserole is Chef Jennifer Hill Booker’s fabulous Cassoulet, also from her Dinner Déja Vu cookbook. Featuring four different kinds of pork — smoked ham hocks, boneless pork shoulder, salt pork and Andouille sausage — as well as two pounds of Camellia Brand Pinto Beans and fresh herbs and vegetables, this heartiest of dishes will feed a large crowd of party guests.

You’ll need to start prepping the day before you plan to serve it, but the extra time and care involved is worth every bite. Like the Lamb Shanks & Butter Beans recipe, you’ll need a large dutch oven (at least a 6-qt.) with a tight-fitting lid, as well as about 6 hours to cook (plus more for prep time). After simmering the Cassoulet on the stove and then baking it in the oven, a rich brown crust of bread crumbs adds the finishing touch. With unbelievable flavor and the creamiest pintos ever, this dish is a total show-stopper.

Garlicky Shrimp & Blackeye Peas

Our Garlicky Shrimp & Blackeye Peas dish is also perfect for seasonal celebrations and get-togethers — especially New Year’s. Throughout the South, blackeye peas are popular New Year’s fare for the promise of luck and money (and because they taste so good).

In this recipe, we flavored Camellia Brand Blackeye Peas with bacon and Andouille sausage, lots of garlic and chicken stock, and made them extra special by topping with seasoned, sautéed shrimp cooked in butter, more garlic, lemon juice and white wine. Putting these two Southern favorites together in one dish — blackeye peas and Gulf shrimp — makes for a wonderful combination that everyone will love.

Pan-Seared Snapper with Red Bean Sauce

Another elegant choice is Pan-Seared Snapper with Red Bean Sauce. For the sauce, perfectly cooked Creole Red Beans are added to tomatoes, shallots and chicken stock, puréed in a blender, and then simmered on the stove with whipping cream. Seared snapper fillets are drizzled with the sauce and sprinkled with cubed, browned tasso. Talk about decadent! It’s a fabulous new way to enjoy your favorite red beans.

This holiday season, let one or more of these delicious dishes grace your dinner table, and make your festive dinner party a truly memorable occasion. Looking for great appetizers to serve before the special meal? These will create a colorful spread.

Tacos make people happy. They’re delicious, fun, easy to make, great for breakfast, lunch or dinner, and no one ever stops with just one. Of course, #TacoTuesday is a welcome time, but why wait for Tuesday to roll around? Here are 5 of our favorite ways to eat tacos any day of the week, with something for everyone — meat lovers, vegetarians and purists alike.

Starting with a simple, round warm tortilla (corn or flour), these tacos are meant to be filled with tasty ingredients, then folded and scarfed down. And since beans make any taco taste better, (not to mention adding both protein and fiber), you’ll find several varieties of beans generously sprinkled throughout the recipes below.

Shredded Pork and Pinto Bean Tacos

There’s so much to love about this recipe. It’s simple, full of flavor, and everything gets cooked down to delectable perfection in a slow cooker. Pork shoulder, Camellia Brand Pinto Beans, fire-roasted tomatoes, garlic, onion, jalapenos and spices come together to create a terrific taco mixture. Pile onto warm tortillas, top to your liking and enjoy. This dish makes a wonderful weeknight meal since the slow cooker does all the work, but it’s also great on gameday.

Creole Shrimp & Red Bean Tacos

This combo takes our best Louisiana ingredients, adds a bit of Fresh Mex and rolls it all up for unforgettable flavor. And with Camellia Brand Red Kidney Beans cooked in advance, the recipe comes together quickly, too. Shrimp covered in Creole seasoning are seared in a hot skillet, a lively coleslaw is tossed with a cilantro-lime dressing whirred in a blender, and they’re combined with tender red beans in a warm tortilla. Top with salty, crumbly Cotija cheese and more fresh cilantro, and you’re good to go.

Chicken Tinga & Black Bean Tacos

Originating in Puebla, Mexico, Chicken Tinga is a mouth-watering dish made of shredded chicken covered in a savory chipotle tomato sauce. And this recipe makes it as fast as it is flavorful — by cooking it in the Instant Pot. In fact, the Camellia Brand Black Beans are quickly cooked in the Instant Pot too, making the whole thing doable on a weeknight. Of course, it’s so good, you might want to put it on the menu for a weekend taco get-together with friends. Chopped fresh cilantro, chopped white onion and chopped radishes are all that’s needed to make these tacos irresistible.

Jamaican Jerk Black Bean and Corn Salsa Tacos

A great-tasting, colorful vegetarian recipe, this taco combo features cooked Camellia Brand Black Beans, roasted corn, red onion, cilantro, fresh lime juice and Jerk seasoning blend. A slew of toppings keep things fresh and add zing. Tasty alternative: for a totally different take on the flavor and some Louisiana lovin’, simply replace Creole seasoning with the Jerk seasoning.

Oven-Baked Beef & Pinto Bean Tacos

For those who appreciate a crunchy taco shell and that all-American filling of ground beef with cooked Camellia Brand Pinto Beans, this classic’s for you. Perfectly seasoned (no need for store-bought taco seasoning with this easy recipe), the filled tacos are topped with shredded cheese, baked till hot and melty, and then crowned with crisp shredded lettuce, salsa, sour cream and whatever else your heart desires. Be forewarned: the kids will inhale them all, if you don’t get your hands on them first.