Southwestern Ham, Sausage and Vegetable Soup

You all know how much I love stuff in my stuff. That goes for just about everything I cook. It was another soupy kind of day, and I had leftovers that needed a home, so I made a tasty soup that seemed like it had everything in it but the kitchen sink. And that is exactly the way I like my soups too. 🙂

I had a few sausages that needed to be cooked, but there were not enough to make them as meal by themselves. I used my leftover ham Hamming It Up and what seemed like a ton of vegetables. I was making up my recipe in my head as I was in the store, buying extra things I wanted to add to my soup. The list just kept growing. I kept thinking to myself, ” of this would be good, and this would be good too, and so would this.” The end product was a work of art. Ham and sausages were the meat, and then I added a bunch of vegetables. I decided to make it a creamy tomato based soup, which turned everything into a very tasty, spicy Southwestern soup. I served it with some of my garlic cheese bread and wine on the side, and all of a sudden the soup became a meal. We eat a lot of soupy meals when the weather starts to cool off. They are both simple and delicious, which makes them just simply delicious.

Southwestern Ham, Sausage and Vegetable Soup

1 lb sausage, cooked and diced

1-2 lbs ham, cooked and diced

1 large onion, diced fine

2 TBSP garlic

2-3 celery stalks, diced

1 zucchini, diced

1 potato diced

1 cup pumpkin, peeled and diced medium

3-4 roasted chilies, or to taste

1 cup corn

4 medium- large tomatoes, diced

6-8 cups chicken broth or ham broth

salt & pepper to tast2 cups heavy whipping cream

olive oil

6 fresh sage leaves, chiffonade

4-5 fresh thyme sprigs

Dice the cooked ham and cooked sausages and set aside.

Mix all the heartier vegetables together and set aside. In a separate bowl, combine the softer vegetables, including the zucchini and peppers and set aside.

Dice the tomatoes and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large soup pot, then add the heartier vegetables and saute for about 5-7 minutes, or until the onions become translucent and the potatoes soften up.

Add the rest of the ingredients and mix together well.

Add the broth to the meat and vegetables. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to cook for about an hour, stirring frequently. Since this is a tomato based soup, you want most of the tomatoes to break down and liquify.

Add the cream and combine thoroughly. Continue to cook the soup for about 30 more minutes, again stirring frequently.

Once the soup has cooked down, the vegetables are soft and tender, and all the flavors have incorporated themselves into the mix, it is now time to sit back and enjoy this delicious, hearty soup. You can also use chicken if you prefer as well.

When I make soup, I usually make a lot of it. We had a very similar meal a few days later when we went to Jonathan and Priscilla’s for mine and Priscilla’s annual caramel making tradition. (More on that coming later). I brought the soup and Priscilla made a light and easy salad and some focaccia to go along with the soup and a bundt cake for dessert. it was after all, National Bundt Cake day.

Stay safe and stay well Everyone. Don’t let all the craziness of the world bring you down. ‘Til next time.