Creole Sausage and Bean Soup

Serves: 6-8
Prep Time: 20 min.  Cook Time: 1 hour

I have a fondness for Louisiana.  A stroll through Jackson Square.  Hearing the Jazz Bands play for the crowds. The pure nostalgia wafting through the air from Café Du Monde.  I love it all... especially the food, standing as the ultimate diverse and inclusive cuisine on the Western Hemisphere.  From Creole, to Cajun. African to French inspired traditions...Louisiana will always live in my heart.  This soup, a twist on ham and bean soup, is my homage, my way of saying thank you for every delicious gift from the bayou.

Ingredients

• 1 Lb. Andouille Sausage
• 1/2 Lb. Diced Ham
• 1/2 Lb. Thick Cut Bacon, diced
• 48 oz. Chicken Stock
• 1 Yellow Onion, finely diced
• 3/4 Cup Chopped Celery
• 1 Tsp. Kosher Salt
• 1 Tsp. Black Pepper
• 3 Cans Cannellini Beans, rinsed and drained (until water runs clear)
• 1 Tbsp. Spice Crack Creole Seasoning Buy Here
• 2 Tsp. Brown Sugar, preferably smoked brown sugar
• Celery Leaves
• Chopped Parsley

Directions

1. In a Dutch oven or soup pot, cook sausage over medium heat until brown.  Remove from pot and drain oil.  Repeat with Ham and Bacon, reserve 3-4 Tbsp. of remaining oil.
2. Add Onion and Celery, cook over medium heat until tender, no more than 10 minutes.
3. Add drained beans, tomatoes, and meat back to pot.  Add chicken stock and stir.  Add Creole seasoning, salt and pepper.
4. Bring to a boil over medium high heat (7-8 on numerical dials).  Once soup boils, reduce heat to medium low (3-4 on numerical dials) and simmer for 30-35 minutes.
5. Garnish with the celery leaves and parsley and serve hot!
   

Sulli Says: This soup can be kept refrigerated for about a week.  It can be stored in an air-tight container in the freezer for two months.  


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