Red Bean Soup With Andouille Sausage (Crock Pot)

Posting this for ZWT 2006 (French, Cajun & Creole region). I absolutely love red beans & rice though I make it my own weird way and when I found this recipe, I had to try it. I played with the spices some as it was rather bland the original way. I serve this kind of gumbo style with a scoop of cooked rice put into the bowls before I add the soup.

• Ready In: 4 hrs 55 mins
• Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 2  tablespoons butter
• 1  large sweet onion, diced
• 3  stalks celery, diced
• 1  small green pepper, diced
• 2  large garlic cloves, chopped
• 8  cups chicken broth
• 1  cup  chopped ham or 1  smoked ham hock
• 1 1⁄2 cups dried kidney beans, soaked in cold water one hour, rinsed and drained
• 1  bay leaf
• 2  teaspoons  cajun seasoning
• 1⁄2 teaspoon cumin
• 1  teaspoon chili powder
•  hot sauce
• 2  parsnips or 2  white potatoes, diced
• 1  sweet potato, diced
• 1  lb andouille sausage, cut into 1 inch pieces
•  salt and pepper

Directions

1. Melt butter in large saucepan. Add onion, garlic, celery and green pepper. Cook and stir for five minutes. Place in slow cooker.
2. Add broth, ham or ham hock, beans, bay leaf and other seasonings. Cover and cook on high for two hours.
3. Remove ham hock if you used it. Cut off what meat you can and add it to the crock pot. Add parsnips or white potatoes and sweet potato. Cover and cook for an additional two hours.
4. Add sausage. Cover and cook for an additional 30 minutes or until heated through. Discard bay leaf. Salt and pepper to taste and serve with rice.