Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Bean and Bratwurst Soup

This is just a quickie post and not my usual full post with a detailed recipe and several photographs.  But it worked so well that I took a picture of leftovers the next night.  It reminded me of my favorite bean and bacon soup as a teenager, only better.


  • 2 lbs dried northern beans, soaked overnight
  • 19 oz Johnsonville bratwursts, removed from casings and crumbled
  • 1/2 cup each of celery, onion, and carrot, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, peeled minced
  • 2 quarts chicken broth
  • 2 bay leaf
  • 1.5 tsp Italian seasoning
  • salt and pepper to taste
  1. Brown the bulk bratwurst sausage in a large soup pot.  Remove to a colander to drain, reserving 2 Tbsp of the pork grease.  Refrigerate the meat.
  2. Saute the onion, celery, and carrot in the pork grease until tender, about 5-7 minutes.  Season with about 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper while sauteing. 
  3. Stir in 2 Tbsp of All purpose flour, garlic and cook another 1-2 minutes until coarsely blended. 
  4. Whisk in the broth.  Add the beans, bay leaf, and Italian seasoning to the pot.  Bring to a simmer, cover and maintain simmer for 1 hour.  
  5. Return the sausage to the pot and simmer for another 15 minutes.  Remove bay leaves.  Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper as needed.
Johnsonville Italian Chili Challenge
Johnsonville is running a new contest and I find the format very interesting.  They have 4 chili recipes.  Your challenge is to take one of them, change it up and then submit your modified recipe.  [OFFICIAL PAGE HERE]


Each of the 4 original chefs will select the one submission that they think best adapts their original recipe.  The four winners will each win a 5.5 qt Flame Stewpot from Emile Henry, a year's supply of sausage, and a $1,000 shopping spree!

I like the fact this is an adaptation recipe only contest and not requiring original recipes.   I can't wait to see how the winners put their spin on the 4 original recipes.  Can you imagine being one of the 4 judges, having one of your favorite recipes in this contest, and having to choose who modified YOUR recipe the best? 

Check out the link and see if you think that you have the perfect tweak to win the $1,000.

[Standard Disclaimer]  I have a business relationship with Johnsonville and receive some compensation from them for various activities.  But this is not a sponsored post.  In fact, I found out about this contest via Facebook just like anyone else would.