Red Beans & Rice - Wed Soup

Monday's red beans & rice dish left a large container of leftovers, including rice. And, we were not looking forward to the same meal twice in one week. It was OK on Monday, but today was Wednesday. Somewhere in a recipe book or in the vast file of online recipes, there's probably a recipe for red beans & rice leftovers soup and maybe it's even called that - how catchy! But instead of looking anywhere, this F&P recipe is entirely from Beatrice's mind and, as such, all measurements are approximate and spices are too, so taste, taste, taste and season away.

Part 1 (see below) is for newly added ingredients, which are similar to what was used for the original red beans & rice meal.Leftovers were added in Part 2.

1 large onion - roughly chopped
2-3 slices of bacon, cut up
1-2 pieces of Andouille sausage or other sausage, cut up (optional)
3/4 C celery, cut up
3/4 C chopped peppers (if available)
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 cans low-sodium chicken broth
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
Seasonings to taste - salt & pepper, Cajun or chili powder

Cook bacon in large pot until you have enough released grease to cook the onion, celery and peppers, and sausage, add olive oil as needed. Add canned tomatoes, spices and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and then simmer.

Part 2 is really easy: Add leftover red beans & rice and simmer for additional hour. If needed, cook a 1/2 C of rice and add to the mix.

Serve with salad and cornbread. Luckily, there was homemade cornbread in the F&P freezer - perfect with the soup.