My father-in-law Bob loves soup and I have grown to love soup like he does. I started making this black bean soup recipe over twenty years ago. It is pretty simple and turns out the same every time. When I was younger, I would host a Super Bowl party where I would make the food from the host city. For example, when it was in New Orleans, I would make étouffée and red beans and rice along with lots of other yummy stuff. I made this soup for a Super Bowl that was in Miami years ago. This is not your traditional Cuban black bean soup, but more of a cross between a southwestern and a Cajun version of black bean soup.

Ingredients

twelve 15 oz. cans of black beans

one 24 oz. jar of medium chunky Pace picante sauce or your favorite chunky salsa

one can of lager beer or your favorite beer

1lb. boudin sausage or 1/2 cup of cooked rice

1 lb. spicy Cajun pork sausage or ground pork with creole seasonings

1 lb. of Andouille sausage

4 cloves garlic minced

1 teaspoon of cumin

1/2 teaspoon of ginger

3 bay leaves

1/4 cup of Cajun Power garlic sauce

3-5 dashes of Louisiana hot sauce or your favorite

Preparation - 25 mins, Cook Time - 2 hours

Using a colander on top of a bowl, drain the beans and keep the liquid. Due to the number of cans, I had to use two bowls with strainers.

With a knife, remove the casing from the Cajun pork sausage if they are links. If your market doesn’t have Cajun pork sausage, then you either order it from here or simply buy ground pork and use creole or Cajun seasoning to flavor the pork. This is an important step. In a separate sauté pan, cook the sausage thoroughly and drain it.

Slice the Andouille sausage into 1/8 inch slices on a bias and set aside.

Mince the garlic and set aside

In a large soup pot, add the bean juice, and let it reduce for 10 to 15 minutes. This will turn out to be the thickening agent for the soup. I use a third bowl to hold the drained beans.

The black bean liquid without beans begins to smoke as it heats up. The reason you want to reduce this liquid is to impart a nutty flavor as well as thicken it.

Once the black bean juice is reduced by half, add the black beans back into the mixture.

Add minced garlic to beans and liquid and give it a nice stir. Adding the garlic now allows it to cook longer and reduce the bitterness.

Add the jar of chunky medium Pace Picante sauce and stir to combine.

Add the sliced Andouille sausage and combine thoroughly.

If you don’t have the boudin sausage, then add the cooked rice to your ground pork with creole seasoning. Mix evenly and thoroughly.

Add the Cajun pork sausage or seasoned ground pork with cooked rice mixture to the beans. If you have the Boudin sausage, using a knife over the soup, cut open the Boudin sausage and let the filling drop into the soup. Boudin is an excellent alternative to rice.

Add the lager beer to the mixture and combine thoroughly. Any lager or light beer will work just fine. I would stick to ales, pilsners or lagers.

Add bay leaves to the soup.

Adding Cajun Power Garlic Sauce and combine thoroughly. You can order Cajun Power from here

Add cumin and combine thoroughly.

Adding ginger to the soup and combine thoroughly.

Add Louisiana hot sauce and combine thoroughly.

Let the soup cook for 2 hours over very low heat. The soup is done once the black beans begin to break down and texture becomes smooth like refried beans.

To serve, add a scoop or two to your favorite bowl and top with sour cream, if desired. This soup really goes well with corn bread. Enjoy!

Bon Appetit!