Real Recipes From Real Home Cooks ®

black forest soup

Recipe by
Janus Joy Miller
Friendswood, TX

After reading that sprouting beans and grains released nutrients that were otherwise inaccessible, I've really gotten into sprouting. Interestingly enough, it makes the process of making beans a bit easier in that I can keep it sprouting until I'm ready to use it. I had planned to make typical red beans and rice, but I couldn't find any authentic Andouille. Whole Foods had some wonderful uncured Black Forest Ham with a flavor profile very close to real Andouille. I cooked the vegetables in the rendered turkey fat and added water to keep them from scorching. The soup is DELICIOUS!!

yield 25 serving(s)
prep time 30 Min
cook time 4 Hr
method Stove Top

Ingredients For black forest soup

  • 1 lb
    dry red beans
  • water as needed
  • 1 lb
    ground turkey
  • salt and black pepper as needed
  • 1 lb
    black forest ham, uncured, (about 2 thick slices, cubed)
  • 1 lg
    sweet onion, chopped small
  • 5 lg
    carrots, chopped small
  • 1 bunch
    celery, chopped small
  • 1 lg
    pasilla pepper, chopped small
  • 4 clove
    garlic, chopped
  • 1 Tbsp
    thyme leaves
  • 1 tsp
    gumbo file (ground sassafras)
  • 1 Tbsp
    fresh sage leaves, chopped
  • 1 tsp
    crushed bay leaves
  • 1 can
    crushed tomatoes
  • 1 can
    italian style stewed tomatoes
  • 3 Tbsp
    better than bouillon chicken base
  • water, as needed

How To Make black forest soup

  • 1
    Sprout the dried red beans as follows: Soak beans in water overnight. Drain. Keep covered at room temperature. Rinse twice daily for one or two days until you see a little sprout emerging. Sprouting the beans enhances their nutritional value. You can also simply soak them all day as you usually would.
  • 2
    Cook the beans on low all day in a crock pot until tender. (This is what I did because I'm not home long enough to cook things that take a long time to cook. This soup took just two sessions of half an hour of hands on work. The rest while I was away.)
  • 3
    Salt and pepper the ground turkey to taste, then saute on high.
  • 4
    Add the ham and all the chopped vegetables and saute until translucent.
  • 5
    Add cooked beans including cooking broth, all the spices, the tomatoes, and water as needed for soup consistency.
  • 6
    Simmer on low for 2 hours to let flavors marry - or enjoy as is. It just gets better and better.
  • 7
    I didn't use any cayenne or other hot pepper in this, but you can heat it to your liking.
  • 8
    Serve with jalapeno cheddar cornbread and a simple green salad.
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