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Monday, January 17, 2011

The Betty Crocker Project : 16 Bean, Leek & Tofurky Kielbasa Soup

This batch was made with Tofurky Kielbasa but I think Field Roast's Apple & Sage Sausages would be perfect!
Someone needs to say it. SyFy Channel's Vampire & Werewolf movie marathon this weekend was a little too heavy on the werewolves and had a significant lack of vampires. That's not to say it wasn't still completely wonderful! I mean, who doesn't love a good monster movie? But sometimes a gal needs more dialogue during the big bad death scene than most werewolf movies allow...  and less icky spine and muzzle faces.

So what do us Shannons make for dinner when there's this level of distraction? Pretty much what you would expect. We pull out the slow cooker and return to debating which movie has better werewolves; taking into account origin stories, transformation scenes, and CGI cheating, of course. But if werewolves aren't your thing, you might find yourself instead wondering: can I even name 16 different types of beans? And where would I even find them?

Fear not! They sell bags of 15 bean soup in the dry bean or soup aisles in most grocery stores, and that last bean is green beans. So relax. Pull out your largest stew pot or slow cooker, and let's make some soup!

16 Bean, Leek & Kielbasa Soup 
  • 1 Package 15 Bean Soup - 20oz (This is a package of assorted dried beans. Be sure to  read the ingredients; some have flavor packages that can have animal ingredients.) 
  • 1 Package Tofurky Kielbasa Sausages (Cut into coins; we used Tofurky Kielbasa, but next time I'm pretty sure we'll use Field Roast's Smoked Apple & Sage Sausages.)
  • 6 Cups Better Than Bouillon (Vegetable or Vegan Chicken)
  • 4 Carrots (diced) 
  • 4 Stalks Celery (diced) 
  • 1/2 Red Onion (diced)
  • 2 Teaspoons Olive Oil 
  • 1 Tablespoon Red Wine 
  • 1 Tablespoon Braggs
  • 2 Dashes Liquid Smoke 
  • 1 Teaspoon Thyme 
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Celery Seed
  • 1/2 Teaspoon  Tony Chachere Creole Seasoning
  • 1 Teaspoon Onion Powder
  • 1 Clove Garlic (minced) 
  • I Leek (sliced) 
  • 1 Can Diced Tomatoes 
  • 1 Cup Frozen Green Beans
  • 1/3 Cup Beer 
  • Dashes of Olive Oil and Liquid Smoke for cooking 
  • French Fried Onions for a topping 
In Slow Cooker :
Mix all ingredients except Sausages, Leek, Frozen Green Beans, Diced Tomatoes, Beer, and the Olive Oil and Liquid Smoke you'll want for Cooking. Cover and cook on the Low setting for 8 to 10 hours, until Beans are tender. You'll want to stir occasionally. Then, stir in Leek, Frozen Green Beans and Diced Tomatoes. Cover and start cooking your Sausages.

In your largest Stew Pot :
Mix all ingredients except Sausages, Leek, Frozen Green Beans, Diced Tomatoes, Beer, and the Olive Oil and Liquid Smoke you'll want for Cooking. Cover and cook on a medium heat for 6 - 8 hours, until Beans are tender. You'll want to stir occasionally. Then, stir in Leek, Frozen Green Beans and Diced Tomatoes. Cover and start cooking your Sausages.

In your hunky cast iron skillet, heat 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil, Beer, and a dash of Liquid Smoke at a medium heat. Slice your sausages into coins and toss in the skillet once the Oil is warm. Brown your Sausage until the Beer has cooked off and edges are crispy.

To serve, fill your soup bowl and then drop 3-4 coins of Sausage into each serving and sprinkle some French Fried Onions over the top.

7 comments:

  1. WOW! This soup looks amazing! I love the variety of beans and lots of different veggies in the soup, plus the Tofurky Kielbasa gives it a special touch. It looks like a very nice, savory dinner. I am sure that this would fill me up quickly. I love cooking with beer, it it a great addition to soups and stews.

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  2. This is a great blog! Just might want to mention, if you havent noticed google puts on an attachment of "you might also like" and its recipes using beef, chicken and bacon. Kind of disgusting. Might want to take that off your blog. Most vegans will and should be repulsed by that. It wont keep me from your blog though. Thank you so much for sharing <3

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  3. Yeah those are links to other vegan recipes in our blog. The titles don't always say "vegan" in them but every recipe is 100% vegan - even though they look like they are "meaty".

    I'm so glad you found us and hope you will visit us often! It is so nice to meet other vegans! XO

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  4. I like werewolves. Especially when the wolves are quadruped "real" wolf werewolves. :) More human form werewolves are okay but I HATE when they don't give them tails(!!!!!!) I mean, honestly and truly hate it. What, their spines can stretch, pelvises shift, FACES form muzzles but they don't get a tail? I'm sorry, furry human butts just look stupid (Van Helsing, I'm looking at you. Also, Underworld. And... well, ALL of the movies I can think of currently. But especially Van Helsing). Tails, please. Sheesh.

    (and yes, I realize I sound tre crazy being that bugged but it's both illogical and I find it aesthetically unpleasing from a design standpoint. Hee.)

    (PS: soup looks so good! Ranting and geekery was just more pressing.)

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  5. What a great sounding/looking soup. I love the idea of using a slow cooker. The thought of walking in from work and my dinner being ready sounds wonderful! I can't wait to try this.
    BTW....love your blog! :o)

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  6. I made this on Friday, but I only had 1 hour until dinner (expert planning!) so I used my pressure cooker to cook the beans. I used bob's red mill 13 bean soup mix - no seasoning packet. I added more creole seasoning. It came out amazing and thick, kind of like a stew. Thanks for the recipe!

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  7. Just made this soup, didn't have leeks so I added a chopped shallot and a scallion when I added the tomatoes. I soaked my beans over night and cooked this on the stove top this morning in about 1 1/2 - 2 hours. It is delicious! Thanks for an awesome, filling soup.

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