This spicy Cajun soup recipe from Hurst is one our best sellers. It is incredibly easy to make and costs less than $1.00 per serving (including some warm cornbread!). Any type of protein can be used, but this time I went with a Smoked Turkey Sausage that was on sale. Enjoy!
Hurst’s® HamBeen’s® Cajun 15 Bean Soup was an immediate success when first introduced several years ago. It is our spiciest “out-of-the-bag” recipe and customers really enjoy the great smokey flavor our secret seasoning blend provides.
What you need:
1- Package Hurst HamBeen’s Cajun 15 Bean Soup (If you look closely, you can see the flavor packet inside.)
As mentioned above, the sausage was on sale, so that made my protein choice a lot easier. I look for can goods that are on sale which really brings the final meal cost down.
Total cost of meal: $8.93
- 1lb. – Smoked Turkey Sausage (any type of meat, chicken, pork, or seafood can be substituted)
- 1 Can Diced Tomato
- 1 Large Onion, Chopped
- 3 Cloves Chopped Garlic (This can vary to individual tastes)
- Juice from 1 Lemon
- 1 Box Corn Bread Mix (At $.49, Jiffy was by far the lowest priced corn bread mix)
After sorting and rinsing the dried beans, place them in a large bowl and cover with 2″-3″ of water. Let sit for at least 8 hours. *TIP Do this right before you go to bed, then when you wake up, remove from the water and they are ready to go.
The beans will plump up from soaking in the water.
Place the beans in a large soup pot with 8 Cups of water and bring to a rolling boil. After boiling for several minutes, reduce the heat and simmer the beans for about 2 1/2 hours.
While you wait…
Prepare your onion, garlic, sausage, and lemon.
- Dice the onion into roughly 1/4 inch pieces
- The garlic can be prepared however you like. Some like whole cloves, others prefer minced.
- Slice the sausage on the bias (slight diagonal); it provides nice bite-sized pieces and just looks better than plain rounds.
In a large pan, put a small amount of oil (vegetable, olive, etc.) and heat at medium-high. Once the pan is hot, drop in the sausage and onions. You should hear a sizzle if the pan is at the right temperature. Once the onions are translucent and the sausage begins to brown, add the garlic. Saute for another 3-4 minutes and then set the mixture aside for later.
After 2 1/2 hours, your beans should look similar to these. Most of the liquid has reduced and the beans are almost completely tender. At this point, if the soup is too thick for your liking you can add a 1/2 cup or more of water to get your desired consistency. Remember that the can of tomatoes will also contribute some liquid to the dish.
Add the sausage/ onion/ garlic mixture, the diced tomato, and the lemon juice. Stir to combine all ingredients and then simmer for another 10 minutes.
The final step is to add the Cajun flavor packet and stir well to combine. Let the seasoning incorporate into the soup for at least 15 minutes, just enough time for:
This mix only required 1/3 cup of milk and 1 egg. I also had an extra can of sweet corn in the pantry, so I added it to the mix for extra flavor and texture.
Fifteen minutes later and the soup smells incredible! The beans are still intact and not mushy at all and the sausage (along with the seasoning) adds a delicious smokey flavor. Time to plate…
ENJOY!
oh, now this looks tasty! i’ll have to try and find thit mix ans try it!
So I didn’t have my reading glasses at the store when I bought this. I wanted to make sure I had this for the football game tomorrow AM so I am using the quick cook method. Smells AWESOME! I have a bit too much liquid in the pot so I am trying to reduce . . . hopefully it does not make the beans mushy. I will def try proper next time. Maybe use andouille next time!
Andouille works great, let us know how your soup turned out!
So this was AWESOME! A huge hit. I will def be trying the Andouille! You folks just got a new fan!
Glad to hear you enjoyed it! The Cajun 15 Bean is also really good with some fresh shrimp, just mix in during the last 5 minutes of cooking and they will be perfectly done.
Thanks!
So I tried this with Johnsonville Andouille sausage and it was absolutely fantastic! Basically I used the slow cook method on the back of the bag, substituted the Andouille for the Italian sausages and added an extra can of diced tomatoes. In my opinion it is perfect!
Glad you liked it! The Cajun flavor is also great with shrimp and other seafood. Add it in during the last 15-20 minutes of simmering for a delicious dish!
I want to add potatoes to this recipe. any idea when to add them?
also, I mistakenly threw away the bag the beans came in. Is there a way to make this in a crock pot?
Thanks for the questions…
1) If the potatoes are diced in small pieces, they won’t take long at all to cook through. Add in during the last 20 minutes or so of simmering and they should be ready when you serve. (Might take a little longer if cooking in a crock pot.)
2) Absolutely! Crock pots work great for cooking our beans. Remember that if you pre-soak the beans, you don’t need to add as much water or stock to the pot when cooking. Just brown the meat (if used in your recipe) and sauté the veggies in some olive oil. Dump everything into the crock and put on high for the day. When it’s time for dinner your soup should be ready to go! (Cooking time will be reduced if beans are pre-soaked, but the soup really gets better with time, so don;t be afraid to leave it on all day.)
Hope this helps, thanks!
I love your 15 bean soup, and am trying the cajun soup this time, but there was no season package in the bag. I have no idea what to throw in for spices other then garlic, paprika, chilly powder, salt and pepper?
Thanks for your help, and I am so happy to see your product in more places then a few Walmarts now!!!
Hi, first off I want to say that this is a pretty cool background with all the beans.
Now, I tried this recipe today because I threw away the bag after I had to soak the beans overnight. I know, smart right? Anyway, I have to say that this blog came to the rescue and thanks to you guys, tonight’s dinner was great! Even our three year old loved the “15 Bean Soup.” Great illustrations, too! Oh, I did use red onions instead of the Vidalia or white, but it was still delicious.
Hello Kevin,
I’m glad we could help! Good to hear the family enjoyed the bean soup, be sure to try some of our other great flavors.
Have a good week,
-Hurst Beans