Andouille Soup with Red Beans and Rice
17
It wasn’t my intention, but I’m sharing this soup during a week that Chicago is supposed to get to 77 (!!) degrees. I’m pretty sure the temperature was in the 20s last week. Yay, Midwest! At any rate, while I definitely hit the soup hard in the winter months, I could easily eat it year-round.
I’ve mentioned many times how I like to make brown rice, but that method doesn’t really work well when you’re making one-pot meals. I love making (or should I say, eating) an andouille/red bean/rice one-pot meal, but I often have more issues with it than not. I end up burning the bottom because the rice absorbed all the liquid before I had the chance to notice, or I take the pot off the heat and then realize as we’re about to eat it that, oops, the stupid brown rice is still not cooked. I sometimes parboil the rice, but then you have to worry about figuring out how much liquid to add and just…enough already.
This soup allows me to have all the flavor of that meal without any of the worry. This soup is slightly spicy, very hearty, and quite delicious. This is definitely one of those meals you feed to someone who thinks soup doesn’t count as a meal. Between the sausage, brown rice, and beans, this one packs a protein punch and definitely fills you up. I use chicken andouille and since every other ingredient in this recipe is quite healthy, it also makes for a low-calorie meal. Score.
Andouille Soup with Red Beans and Rice
1 Tbsp. canola oil
12 oz. chicken andouille, sliced
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 Tbsp. Cajun seasoning, divided
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes (I usually use fire-roasted)
1 qt. chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1 (14.5 oz.) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/3 cup brown rice
3 green onions, sliced
Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the canola oil. Place the sausage in the pot and cook until nicely browned. Remove from the pot with a slotted spoon. If there is an excess amount of fat, drain it from the pot.
Reduce the heat to medium, and add the onion, bell peppers, and 1/2 Tbsp. (1.5 tsp.) of the Cajun seasoning. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are soft, about 5-7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add the diced tomatoes, broth, bay leaf, remaining 1.5 tsp. Cajun seasoning, and kidney beans into the pot; stir the sausage back in. Bring to a boil.
Place the brown rice in a small mesh strainer and run cold water over it until it runs clear, about 30 seconds. Add the brown rice to the soup. Simmer over medium-low until the rice is cooked, about 35-40 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Ladle into bowls and top with sliced green onions.
This looks tasty and flavorful!
Soup has been my uber favorite, go-to healthy meal lately. And I think it’s gonna have to stay even for summer. I’ll just eat it all cold. 😛
This does sound packed with flavor and could satisfy even the most vehement non-soup lover!
I miss those extreme changes of temperature. There’s no place like the Midwest, hehe. Great soup!
What a great and spicy soup recipe!
Looks delicious! And the weather over here is still pretty cold, so I’ll take the soup! 🙂
I don’t care if it’s always hot in Florida, soups are awesome any time of year. This looks delish!
This sounds delicious. I don’t make one pot meals with rice for the reasons you mentioned. They just never turn out correctly. Good idea to change this into a soup.
I love it. Chunky soups are always a good thing.
Yum! This looks so delicious! Maybe approaching a gumbo – but not quite? I’m going to have to try this one soon.
Delicious combination of flavours yet again Elly! Def a lot of protein and very filling too!
Ugh, I hate when I make a one dish rice meal and wind up scraping burnt bits of rice off the bottom or, like you said, biting into hard, not cooked rice. It’s such a delicate balance! This soup sounds amazing though, 70 degrees or not, I’d eat it!
It’s a great looking soup….
I am liking the flavours in this soup!
Made this the other night and it was delicious! I didn’t have a green pepper, so I used 2 red. I also added an extra can of beans.
Glad you liked it, Jan!