The weather this summer has been quite interesting. Normally, we would be sweating like crazy at the end of July. Instead, temps dipped down into the sixties last night. In July. In Texas. Crazy!
It was 71 degrees when I went running at 7 p.m. last night. There have been summers where I would have to go after 8 p.m., and still have to endure upper ninety degree temps. Needless to say, my run was pretty nice. The humidity was high, but the cool temps certainly made up for it. By the time I got back, it practically felt like Fall out there.
So, even though I’ve already been making soup regardless of what the weather was like, last night REALLY was soup weather!
I picked up some Andouille Sausage at our local Natural Grocers the other day. It’s from Teton Waters Ranch and it’s 100% grass-fed beef sausage.
Now, on to the soup! Since we had just been to the store, I had plenty of vegetables on hand. The zucchini was a last minute decision, but a good one. I know some people would just slice the sausage in half lengthwise and make half-circle cuts, but I like to have a bit of sausage in every bite, so I chop mine in half lengthwise, then in half lengthwise again.
I debated over whether to use red beans or black beans, but in the end, I decided I’d rather have black beans. I used canned beans for this recipe, but you could cook up some dried beans before making the soup if you want. I bought the Westbrae Natural brand of beans, which comes in BPA free cans.
The andouille sausage adds a lot of flavor, but I threw in a little “Slap Ya Mama” Cajun Seasoning to add just a little more.
This soup turned out great, and I will definitely be making it again!
This post has been updated with a new photo.
Black Bean and Andouille Sausage Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp coconut oil (or oil of your choice)
- 1 large red onion , diced
- 1 large red (or green) bell pepper, diced
- 3 stalks of celery , diced
- 2 large cloves garlic , minced
- 1 medium zucchini , diced
- 1 package of fully cooked andouille sausage , diced
- 1/2 tsp Cajun Seasoning (I used Slap Ya Mama brand)
- 1 (25oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 4 cups of vegetable stock
Instructions
- In a large soup pot, heat 1 tbsp of coconut oil (or olive oil) over medium heat. Add the onions, bell pepper and celery and saute until softened, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds more. Stir in the cajun seasoning. Add the vegetable stock, sausage, zucchini and beans to the pot and stir. Let simmer for 10 minutes. Check the seasonings, adjust if necessary, then serve.