Cooking Louisiana  -  Jambalaya Meets Bean Soup
Jambalaya Meets Bean Soup

First of all soak a bag of mixed bean mix overnight in water...
Drain, and set aside in the morning

I used a spice combination from Chef Paul Prudhomme and it was perfect for this... Though I made one modification, I used 1/2 of the paprika measurement with a smoked paprika.

Chef's Combination:

2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes
2 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons paprika (I used one teaspoon sweet paprika and one teaspoon smoked)
2 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons dried cilantro (I used ground cilantro)
1 1/2 dried thyme leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons white pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Combine that all together and set aside

Slice three precooked chipotle sausages thinly and sauté in a stockpot with two tablespoons of oil that you will use to make the soup in, remove the sausage slices after they've curled up a bit, and sauté the following:

2 cups of onions
2 cups of peppers (green bells, red bells, Anaheim's, or a combination, like I did)
1 1/2 cups of celery

Sauté for a few minutes until they start getting soft then pour the spices on them, stir and turn to medium and let the veggies stick a bit, keep stirring now and then, but let them stick a bit. Let them get caramelized.

Deglaze the bottom of the pot with

2 - 32 oz of organic chicken stock
1 - 16 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 can of Rotel tomatoes and diced Chiles
1 - 12 oz can of tomato sauce

Add the beans and sausage, add about 2 cups of rice, bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Add chicken if you like. Add enough water to make it to a "soup" consistency.

Taste and adjust to your liking.

Cook for an hour or two... Taste again... Enjoy

Joy W.