A common conundrum after cooking a bone-in ham is what to do with the ham bone and leftover ham. Problem solved! Loaded with healthy legumes, sofrito vegetables, and hearty spices, this soup makes good use of your leftover ham bone and some of the extra ham from that Easter Ham you cooked. Add some spicy smokey Andouille sausage to the mix and you’ve got a winner on your table! Laissez le bon temps rouler! Bon appétit y’all!

Cajun Bean Soup
Serves 8

INGREDIENTS

Water - for soaking beans
Pinch of baking soda + 1 teaspoon of salt
1 ½ pounds of 7 bean mix (or use 15 bean mix if you can find it; discard the seasoning packet)
1 large onion - chopped
1 large green bell pepper - chopped
2 stalks of celery - chopped
6 cloves garlic - finely chopped
8 cups chicken broth
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning (this gives you a mild-to-medium spicy heat: add more spice if you want more heat)
1 can (15-ounce) diced fire-roasted tomatoes - undrained
2 tablespoons tomato paste
¾ - 1 pound Andouille sausage - sliced
1 ham bone with ham on it or a ham-hock or 8 ounces of diced leftover ham
4 slices of bacon - cooked crisp and crumbled
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
Hot sauce to taste (use your favorite hot sauce)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper - to taste

PREPARATION

Approximately 1 hour before starting the slow cooker, bring a large saucepan with water to a boil. You want enough water in the pan so the beans will be covered by at least an inch of water. Rinse the beans and check for stones. Add the beans, a pinch of baking soda, and 1 teaspoon of salt to the boiling water; turn off the heat, cover, and let stand for 1 hour. Drain.
While the beans are soaking, in a large, heavy-bottom skillet, sauté the bacon until crispy and set aside on a paper towel. Brown the sausage and set it aside with the bacon.
In the same pan, sauté the onion, green bell pepper, celery, and garlic until barely tender scraping up any caramelized brown bits on the bottom of the pan.
Combine the beans, onion, green bell pepper, celery, garlic, chicken broth, bay leaves, and ham bone in a slow cooker. Cook 4 hours on high or 7-8 hours on low.
When the beans have approximately 1 hour to go on high or 2 hours to go on low, remove the ham bone and set it aside to cool so you can remove any ham left on the bone. You want about a cup of ham, so add diced ham to make a cup if necessary. Discard the bone.
Add the Cajun seasoning, tomatoes, tomato paste, sliced sausage, ham, and bacon to the slow cooker. Mix well, cover, and complete the slow cooker cycle.
Remove and discard the bay leaf. Adjust the salt and black pepper to taste and serve garnished with chopped parsley and hot sauce on the side. A good crusty bread for dipping is mandatory!

Leftover soup can be kept covered in the fridge for about five days, or frozen for about three months.

Wine pairing: full-bodied off-dry white wines like Riesling, Viognier, Gewürztraminer, or Chenin blank pair well with this soup. You could also try a Pilsner or Lager beer, or a Porter or Brown Ale. Avoid overly hoppy beers.

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Adapted from: https://www.fromachefskitchen.com/slow-cooker-cajun-15-bean-soup

This easy to make soup uses left-over cooked turkey or chicken, canned white beans, and pre-made chicken stock flavored with a smokey sausage like linguiça or chorizo, garlic, leek, and onion. The secret ingredient is Portuguese Red Pepper Paste which is a staple condiment in Portuguese cooking. The soup will still be delicious, hearty, and healthy without the red pepper paste, but this condiment gives the soup its distinctive flavor. I highly recommend you take a few minutes to make a small batch of this delicious flavoring condiment to keep in your fridge. Use it in soups, sauces, or to flavor meat, fish, or poultry.

Turkey Kale and White Bean Soup
Serves 6

Ingredients:

1-2 cups kale middle rib removed; torn in pieces
a 10-inch leek sliced white and pale green parts only
1 medium onion chopped (add another onion if you don’t use the leek)
4 cloves of garlic chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
a 6-inch piece of linguiça or chorizo sliced thin and chopped
1 cup cooked turkey or chicken cut into 1-inch pieces
2-15 ounce cans of cannellini or white navy beans
2 tablespoons Portuguese Red Pepper Paste
2 quarts of low-sodium chicken stock
½ teaspoon black pepper

Preparation:

Sautee the linguiça for a minute or two then add the leek, onion and garlic and sautee until the vegetables become soft.
Add the torn kale and sautee until it begins to wilt.
Add the red pepper paste and black pepper and stir for a minute before adding the chicken stock, turkey, and beans.
Simmer for a half-hour if you’re in a rush or preferably an hour to meld the flavors. Serve hot with a crusty bread.

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Cajun Bean Soup →

Turkey Kale and White Bean Soup →