Celebrate Mardi Gras with Red Beans & Rice-Sausage Soup #mardigras #soup #redbeansandrice

Mardi Gras is coming up on Tuesday! Why not have a fun at-home celebration? Fire up some festive zydeco music, put on some Mardi Gras beads...and make a simple, spicy dinner. My comforting Red Beans & Rice-Sausage Soup is an economical, delicious meal-in-a-bowl that's perfect for celebrating Mardi Gras! This hearty soup starts with a package of red beans and rice mix, and it's ready to eat in less than an hour. Most of that time is hands off while the soup simmers on the stove, though. This recipe makes a large pot of soup. We typically enjoy large bowls of soup for dinner, then have enough left to freeze a container to enjoy on another busy weeknight!

Red Beans & Rice-Sausage Soup

adapted from Zatarain's website

Ingredients:

• 1 tbs. olive oil
• 6 ounces diced andouille sausage [NOTE: use smoked sausage + 1 tbs. Creole seasoning if you can't locate spicy andouille]
• 4 ounces bulk ground pork sausage
• 1 cup diced onion
• ½ cup diced bell pepper
• ½ cup sliced celery
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced or grated
• 1 tsp. chopped flat-leaf Italian parsley
• 1 14-ounce can petite diced tomatoes
• 1 tsp. hot sauce [NOTE: I use Crystal]
• 8 ounce package red beans and rice [NOTE: I use Zatarain's]
  
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced

Directions:

Step 1: Heat a large Dutch oven over med-high heat. Add the olive oil and the two sausages. Cook until the sausages are browned. Add the onion, bell pepper, and celery. Cook until the veggies are softened and translucent, about 5 minutes.

Step 2: Add the garlic and parsley to the pot; stir until the garlic is fragrant. Add the petite diced tomatoes – juice and all – and hot sauce. Stir to combine. Finally, add the red beans and rice mix and chicken broth. Stir well to combine all of the ingredients, and bring the soup to a full rolling boil.

Step 3: Cover, reduce heat to med-low, and simmer the soup for 40 minutes. By then, the rice will be cooked and the beans will have softened. Just before serving, add the green onions and stir to combine. To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with additional green onions. Be sure to bring the bottle of hot sauce to the table for those who want their soup EXTRA SPICY!

Everyone who's tried this hearty soup raves about it and asks for the recipe! It has a fantastic smoky flavor, a double dose of meaty sausage, and plenty of earthy beans. I typically serve this soup with hot buttered cornbread...but crusty garlic bread made with French bread would work nicely as well. 

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