Creole Navy Bean Soup
Ingredients:
- 2 Pounds Dried Navy Beans
- 2 Pounds Medium Sized Peeled Shrimp
- 1 Cup Chopped Red Onion
- 1 Cup Thinly Sliced Scallions
- ½ Cup Chopped Bell Pepper
- ½ Cup Chopped Carrots
- ¼ Cup Chopped Celery
- 2 Tablespoons Minced Fresh Parsley
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic
- 2 large Neck Bones, with meat
- ½ pound Creole Andouille Sausage, Chopped Fine
- 4 quarts Swanson Chicken Broth (Stock)
- ½ Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Pods
- ¼ Teaspoon Dried Thyme
- 2 Whole Bay Leaves
- ¼ Teaspoon Dried Basil
Preparation:
Soak the beans overnight in water, if possible. Put the beans along with all the other ingredients EXCEPT the shrimp, into a heavy 8-to-10-quart pot. You can also use a large crock pot, but it will take longer. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat and simmer for 2½ to 3 hours.
The beans should be very soft and the soup quite thick. You can add additional water to make the soup a little thinner if you care too. Remove the neck bones and visible chunks of meat with a slotted spoon, and discard. Then strain the soup through a coarse sieve. Remove about 2½ cups of whole beans from the solids remaining in the sieve and put them, along with the soup, back into the pot.
Bring the soup back to a slow boil and stir the shrimp into the soup. Reduce the heat and simmer for just a few minutes. That's it! Serve and enjoy.
Note:
You probably noticed I didn't include salt in this recipe. The chicken broth provides enough sodium to the soup for it to taste good. Be careful adding additional salt, because you might just over salt the soup.
