Red Bean, Mustard Green, and Green Onion Sausage Soup
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Recipe by:
Serves: 6 to 8
Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon bacon grease or vegetable oil
  • 1 ½ pounds raw pork sausage, such as Cajun green onion
  • 1 cup diced yellow onion
  • ½ cup diced celery
  • ½ cup diced green bell pepper
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 1 pound pickled salt pork
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 pound dried red kidney beans, rinsed and picked over, soaked overnight in water
  • 2 quarts chicken stock
  • 1 teaspoon Acadiana Table Cajun Seasoning Blend, see recipe here
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 can (10 ounces) mild diced tomatoes with green chiles, such as Rotel
  • 4 cups chopped mustard greens, woody stalks removed
  • 1 cup diced green onion tops
  • Cornbread, for serving
Instructions
  1. In a large cast-iron pot over medium-high heat, add the grease. If in casings, remove the sausage and add to the pot in thumb-size chunks. Cook the sausage until just beginning to brown and add the onion, celery, and bell pepper. Sauté until the onions turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, salt pork, and bay leaves, and continue cooking for 1 minute.
  2. Add the beans to the pot, along with the chicken stock and enough added water to cover them. Turn the heat to high until the liquid reaches a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and cover the pot. Simmer for 20 minutes.
  3. Uncover and stir. As the dry beans soak up the liquid, check the level, and add more water so that the liquid comes above the top of the beans. Add the Cajun seasoning along with a sprinkle of salt and black pepper. Cover the pot, and simmer for another 20 minutes.
  4. Uncover and stir again. The beans should be plump as they soak up the liquid. Add more water if needed. Cover and simmer for another 20 minutes.
  5. At this point, the beans have cooked for 1 hour and should be fully cooked. With a measuring cup, scoop out 1 cup of beans with their liquid and pour into the container of a blender. Blend on high speed until the beans are pulverized and have achieved a creamy texture. Pour the “bean cream” back into the pot of beans and stir to incorporate. Add the Rotel tomatoes, mustard greens, and green onion tops; cover the pot and continue to simmer for 1 hour longer. Turn off the heat and keep warm until ready to serve.
  6. Ladle the soup into bowls with a portion of sausage and greens in each. Hot cornbread to sop up the juices is the ideal accompaniment.
Notes
Cooking and prep times do not include soaking beans overnight. Here’s the deal: If red beans are for Mondays, then Red Bean Soup is a Tuesday recipe. So, make the beans ahead of time and serve over rice in the traditional manner. Then on the next day, add the mustard greens and tomatoes and serve as soup. Mustard greens have a nice bitter contrast in this recipe, but feel free to use turnip greens or collards. While this is supposed to be a spicy dish, go easy on the Cajun seasoning; remember there is lots of spice in the sausage and some in the mild Rotel.
Recipe by Acadiana Table at https://www.acadianatable.com/2022/01/31/red-bean-mustard-green-green-onion-sausage-soup/