Smoked Sausage and White Bean Soup

Wendy@TN's Note:

This is a Emeril recipe that is such a great comfort food. And SO good (maybe even better) the next day. Most suggest 5 cups of stock is PLENTY !!!! I agree

• Total Time: 3 hrs 15 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 3 hrs

Ingredients:

Yield: 2 Quarts

• 1 lb dried navy beans, rinsed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 lb smoked pork sausage, sliced into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 8 cups chicken stock
• 3 cups water
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1 loaf crusty bread, for garnish

Directions:

1. Soak beans in cold water to cover, overnight (8 to12 hours). Drain beans and rinse well.
2. In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and saute for 5 to 6 minutes, or until browned. Remove the sausage from the skillet and reserve. Add the onions and cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, an additional minute.
3. Add the browned sausage back to the stockpot. Stir in the beans, bay leaves, and thyme. Add the chicken stock, water, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Bring soup to a boil; reduce heat to a simmer and cook, partially covered for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Skim off any fat, as necessary, if desired. (The cook time may vary depending on the beans, but they should be tender and falling apart when finished.)
4. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper, if needed. Using a potato masher or the flat side of a spoon, gently mash the beans against the bottom and sides of the stockpot, leaving some of the beans whole and some mashed. Continue to simmer the soup for 30 minutes, uncovered, or until desired consistency.
5. Ladle the soup into bowls. Serve hot, with crusty bread slices.

Reviews

[Debbie R.]

Absolute best bean soup ever. Made about half, with the following things:
48 oz. jar great northerns
2 T. truffle-flavored olive oil
1/2 lb. hungarian sausage
1 c. chopped onion
3 garlic cloves
1 bay leaf
1.5 t. dried thyme
4 c. chicken broth
1/2 t. black pepper
1/4 t. cayenne

Brown sausage (5-6 min); remove. Soften olive couple minutes; add garlic 1 min. Add broth, spices and sausage. Bring to boil; lower heat. When simmer, add beans. Simmer 30-45 min. Smash a few of the beans before serving.

I think the truffle-flavored olive oil added some nice depth, as did the Hungarian sausage.

[PaulaG]

I adjusted the recipe to cook all day in the crock pot. The onion was sauteed in a touch of olive oil and a carrot, celery and bell pepper added to the pot. The sausage was lightly browned and added about an hour before serving time. The soup was served with cornbread, green onions and a dash or 2 of Tabasco.

[TexasKelly]

5 stars for sure! I cut the recipe in half, used 4 cups of stock and 1 cup of water. I like our soups to be kind of thick so I also scooped out some of the beans, pureed them, then stirred them back into the soup shortly before serving it. It smelled wonderful while cooking, and I did let it sit on the stove and simmer probably for 3 or 3 1/2 hours, so the beans were nice and soft & the meat was super tender and tasty. This will definately be made again in our house- even my 1 year old liked it.