Cajun Wedding Soup: Energize an Old Favorite
Cajun Wedding Soup isn’t something I’ve ever seen in New Orleans, but NOLA is what inspired this hearty, slightly spicy, soup.
Baby Boy is a sausage machine.
He loves most proteins, but sausage holds a special place in his heart. This soup is his favorite: sausage, plenty of chicken and, best of all, little baby meatballs! Who doesn’t love little meatballs?
The recipe is a scratch recipe, which means everything is cooked from, you know, scratch. But, this would work really well with rotisserie chicken if you don’t feel like prepping your own broth. Making the broth is certainly not hard, but it does take a couple of minutes. If using rotisserie chicken, add 4 cups of water and bump up the chicken soup base a little bit.
If you are making your own broth, start it out in a Dutch oven (affiliate link) that’s big enough for the whole recipe. There’s no need to dirty more than one pot for this: you don’t even need to clean out the pot between steps.
Let the chicken simmer until cooked through, about 15 minutes. Then remove it from the pot and allow it to cool. Scoop out the leftover veggies with a spider strainer (affiliate link), and discard. Pour the broth into a four cup glass measuring cup (affiliate link) and set aside.
After the chicken cools, shred it with your fingers into bite sized pieces.
Ideally, you’ll be able to find andouille sausage.
Andouille is a creole smoked sausage that has all the taste of the region. Unfortunately, our store was out, so I used regular hot Italian sausage. This is an excellent substitute, but kielbasa or chorizo would work well too.
Because it’s not cooked, I par-cook the Italian sausage for a few minutes in a bit of water so I can cut it. Keep the lid on, and once the sausage is barely cooked on the outside, remove it and cut it into diagonal pieces. Discard the cooking water in the pot.
Throw the sausage back into the pot and let it cook until it gets nicely browned, about 10 minutes. Then add the onion. The onion will help de-glaze the pan because of all the water in it.
Add the rest of the stock ingredients and bring to a gentle boil. The recipe for my cajun seasoning is stupid simple, but you can buy it pre-made just about anywhere these days.
Meanwhile, make the meatballs. It’s interesting that one of the best parts of this soup is the biggest pain. I have to admit that the meatballs tend to get bigger as I go along.
Don’t be like me.
Try to keep them around a teaspoon in size so they’re one biters. You don’t want anyone getting lockjaw trying to get the whole thing in their mouth. I like to form them on a platter then drop them into the soup to poach all at one time.
Let the meatballs cook for at least 10 minutes, then add the chicken back in and let it warm up. You can hold the soup for at least an hour at this point.
While you’re waiting for the soup to cook, why not read the perfect book for both the soup and the Christmas Season? (Affiliate link)
Take a quick look – it’s super cute.
Add the pasta and the spinach 15 minutes before serving, and make sure you stir it once in a while to prevent it from sticking.
Cajun Wedding Soup
Ingredients
- 1 pound Boneless, skinless Chicken Breasts (about 2 large)
- 2 ea Carrots, divided
- 2 medium Onions, divided
- 2 tbsp Dried Parsley
- 2 Dried Bay Leaves
- 3/4 pound Andouille or Italian Sausage, uncooked
- 28.5 ounce Can of Tomato Sauce
- 3 tbsp Chicken Soup Base
- 1/2 pound Ground Beef
- 1 tbsp Panko Bread Crumbs
- 1 Egg
- 4 ounces Fresh spinach
- Cajun Seasoning
- 1 cup Small Pasta (like acini de pepe or ditalini)
Instructions
- Combine chicken, 1 of the onions, quartered, 1 coarsely cut carrot, parsley, and bay leaves in a large soup pot or Dutch oven and cover with water. Add lid.
- Bring to a simmer, and allow to cook gently until the chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes.
- When chicken is done, remove to platter to cool. Fish veggies out of the broth and transfer broth to a bowl or large measuring cup.
- Add uncooked sausage to pot and add about 1/2 inch of water. Bring to a boil and allow to cook for a few minutes until the sausage firms up. If using a cooked sausage (like andouille), skip the par-cooking and proceed to the next step.
- Remove sausage from pot and slice it on the diagonal. Add back to pot and cook on medium high heat until browned. Finely chop remaining onion and carrot; add to sausage once the sausage is browned.
- Add stock and water totaling 4 cups into pot. Add can of tomato sauce and one half of an additional can of water. Add chicken soup base and 1 tablespoon of cajun seasoning and allow broth to cook over medium heat until lightly bubbling.
- Meanwhile, make the meatballs: thoroughly combine bread crumbs, 1/2 teaspoon of Cajun seasoning and egg. Add meat and mix until uniform. Shape into tiny meatballs, about 1 teaspoon each.
- Drop meatballs into lightly boiling broth and allow to cook through - at least 10 minutes, but for up to an hour.
- Shred cooled chicken. Add chicken, pasta and spinach to soup 15 minutes before serving, and stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
- Serve with additional Cajun Seasoning and plenty of Tabasco Sauce.
Serve with
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