You had me at ‘okra’. I love okra. Grilled, fried, sauteed, roasted… or tossed into this Creole-style bean soup. The okra helps thicken up the broth and adds such a great flavor. All the flavors of a gumbo, along with some hearty beans to boot. Easy to make and fantastic on a cold day.
I don’t add the shrimp to the entire pot of soup if I’m not going to eat the entire batch at once. Reheated shrimp are not my favorite thing. They get too tough. Instead, I transfer some of the soup (just enough for dinner) to a separate pot and then add the shrimp. It’s a bit more trouble but I think it’s worth it. I could leave out the shrimp entirely and still have a great soup, but it wouldn’t be the same, that’s for sure.
Also try my smoked turkey and file gumbo pie.
Creole-Style Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 3 15 ounce beans rinsed and drained. I used kidney, red and cannellini.
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 14 ounces smoked sausage sliced thin, browned first if desired
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- hot sauce
- red pepper flake
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 28 ounce diced tomatoes
- 1 6 ounce tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon dry mustard
- 1 pound okra frozen, sliced
- 1 cup shrimp small or medium, shelled and deveined
Instructions
- Place all ingredients except the okra and shrimp into a large pot or Dutch oven.
- Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and let simmer for 45 minutes.
- Add the okra and shrimp.
- Return to a boil and boil for 5 minutes then reduce again to a simmer and simmer until the shrimp are done.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are approximate.