Cajun Sausage and Sweet Potato Soup

 Cooking for the shelter has been a very interesting experience.  Finding good food at low prices is a challenge in and of itself.  Figuring out what to make with it is a whole other challenge. A local butcher had homemade Cajun andouille sausage on sale for 1.99.  And I found sweet potatoes on sale for 39 cents a pound. On first thought, these might not sound like a good combination.  However, they worked perfectly together.

In my continuing effort to empty my freezers, I pulled out a chunk of slab bacon, sliced it and browned it in my humongous pot.  I set it aside to drain and then chopped it up and added it back to the soup.

At first, I thought I would use carrots but then realized that with sweet potatoes, I really did not need them.  The 2 large packages of sausage cost about 10.00.

I sauteed lots of celery and onions in the leftover bacon grease. I spiced the soup with S&P, granulated garlic, thyme and celery salt.  Then I added the cut up sausage and browned it along with the vegetables.

I added chicken stock which I made from Teddy's roasted chicken from the other day.  Then added water and some bouillon for flavor.  Using a very flavorful sausage is the key to this soup.  I cubed all of the potatoes, 2 large bunches of kale and added them to the stock and brought it to a boil.  Then I added 2 pounds of dry pasta shells and turned off the heat, stirring them occasionally until they were cooked. As an afterthought, I cut up some of my oven roasted tomatoes and Turkish roasted peppers and threw them in too.  I also added Parmesan rinds which I had saved in the freezer.  They add excellent flavor to soups.  Remove them just before serving.

The smell was fantastic.  As soon as I walked into the shelter someone yelled, the soup lady is here.  Hahaha!

Though I made this up as I went along, I will definitely be making it in the future.  It ended up being one of the best soups I've ever made.

Comments

We are chilly here in Florida.....woke up to 43 degrees! ha ha!! Anyway....this soup is so colorful and the ingredients are wonderful, I would love a bowl. I have a new whole wheat/yellow cornmeal skillet bread recipe that would go well with this soup.

Happy Day. Blessing to you and those you feed.
We are chilly here in Florida.....woke up to 43 degrees! ha ha!! Anyway....this soup is so colorful and the ingredients are wonderful, I would love a bowl. I have a new whole wheat/yellow cornmeal skillet bread recipe that would go well with this soup.

Happy Day. Blessing to you and those you feed.
We are chilly here in Florida.....woke up to 43 degrees! ha ha!! Anyway....this soup is so colorful and the ingredients are wonderful, I would love a bowl. I have a new whole wheat/yellow cornmeal skillet bread recipe that would go well with this soup.

Happy Day. Blessing to you and those you feed.
John'aLee said…
That soup sounds divine especially seeing it is so cold here today. I've been making up a Chicken Tortilla Soup I created, roasting the ancho chiles, peeling the skin off and chopping it up finely along with all of the other ingredients. But the chiles give a remarkable flavor to it. But then why am I telling you this....you've probably done it a million times my friend. I also fry my own tortilla chips and put on top of the soup! Have a great Friday!
Diane said…
That sounds just perfect for a cold wet day like we have today. Bookmarked for when I have the ingredients. Have a great weekend. Diane
Anonymous said…
wow, sounds great!you definitely are making a name for yourself, sometimes these kind of recipes are what work out the best!
Anonymous said…
Looks delicious!
But I'm not a fan of sweet potatoes to be honest. I can eat it but that's it :-) But I like it in a pot when it flowers :-)

Have a great day!
Christer.
brokenteepee said…
Sometimes they are the best soups - the ones from "a little of this and a little of that."
It certainly looks delicious!
You are an ARTIST, in the kitchen! Only and Artist, could make something up, as they went along, and have it come out great, on the first try.

Boy oh boy, are they going to miss you, when you transfer your time to growing your gardens. -chuckle-
Guillaume said…
I wish I had eaten that tonight.
luckybunny said…
You know, I always love your recipes including the ones you've been making for the shelter but the most amazing part for me has been seeing all these recipes you've making in such large quantities while keeping the price reasonable. It's really neat and good to know. You make such good food and really stretch it. It's amazing.
Nellie said…
What a tasty,nutritious soup!
Dog Trot Farm said…
A creative cook I will never be, but I so look forward to seeing what you come up with each day. Teddy gets homemade meals too? SHHHHHHHH don't let Winslow Homer get wind of this, I'll be in big trouble! Have a good weekend, Julie.
jody said…
this soup looks wonderful! will have to try it! enjoy!!