Quick Red Bean Soup

• 6 ounces smoked sausage, andouille, or smoked ham, cut into small dice
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup chopped yellow onions
• 6 tablespoons chopped celery
• 6 tablespoons chopped green bell peppers
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 3 (16-ounce) cans cooked canned red beans
• 3 cups chicken stock or canned, low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup cooked long-grain white rice, for garnish
• 2 tablespoons chopped green onions, for garnish

1. In a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat, cook the sausage until browned and the fat is rendered, about 5 minutes.
2. Drain on paper towels and set aside.
3. To the fat in the pan, add the oil and heat over medium-high heat.
4. Add the onions, celery, bell peppers, bay leaf, salt, and cayenne and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are soft, about 4 minutes.
5. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds.
6. Add the red beans and their juices, cooked sausage, and 3 cups of the chicken stock, stir well to mix, and bring to a boil.
7. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until thick and reduced slightly, about 30 minutes, adding more stock as needed if the mixture gets too thick.
8. Remove from the heat and discard the bay leaf.
9. (If desired, the soup can be pureed at this point using a hand-held immersion blender, or in batches in a food processor.)
10. To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and top each portion with 1 to 2 tablespoons of the cooked rice.
11. Garish each serving with scallions and serve immediately.

sausage, vegetable oil, yellow onions, celery, green bell peppers, bay leaf, salt, cayenne, garlic, red beans, chicken stock, white rice, green onions

Taken from www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/quick-red-bean-soup-recipe.html (may not work)