Corn and Lima Bean Soup with Andouille

I made this WAPO soup tonight. Yum! It's a real keeper. I didn't have any Andouille, so I used a smoked sausage. Actually, you can use most any sausage. The lemon at the end is the real secret. The difference before and after was astounding.

Corn and Lima Bean Soup With Andouille

By Aaron Hutcherson

This shoulder-season soup features sweet corn, buttery baby lima beans and smoky andouille sausage. (Use frozen or canned produce to enjoy it year-round.) Lemon zest and juice, alongside fresh parsley added at the end, brighten the soup and make it shine.

From staff writer Aaron Hutcherson.


Ingredients

Servings: 4 (makes about 6 cups)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
12 ounces andouille sausage, diced
1 medium yellow onion (8 ounces), diced
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon fine salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Kernels from 2 ears of corn (about 2 cups)
One (12-ounce) bag frozen baby lima beans (2 cups; no need to defrost)
4 garlic cloves, sliced
4 cups chicken stock or broth, preferably no-salt-added or low-sodium
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for serving

Total: 35 mins

Step 1
In a large pot over medium-high heat, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the sausage, onion, thyme, black pepper, salt and crushed red pepper flakes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions start to soften and turn translucent, about 5 minutes.

Step 2
Add the corn, beans and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes.

Step 3
Add the chicken stock or broth, bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally and adjusting the heat as needed to maintain a moderate simmer, until the beans are tender, 7 to 12 minutes. Remove from the heat, and stir in the lemon zest and juice. Taste, and season with salt and pepper, as desired. Ladle into bowls, garnish with parsley and serve.

[Jenise]

I love everything about this. And it goes in a different direction than any other soup I make so it would feel new in every way. I'll try it!

I love everything about this. And it goes in a different direction than any other soup I make so it would feel new in every way. I'll try it!

You won't be disappointed.

[Jenise]

And lima beans are a good protein. Bob's recent bloodwork was really good but for startlingly low serum protein levels--way way down--so I'm really focussed on getting more protein into him. He gets two eggs every morning now and a protein shake every day.

Factoid about lima beans: Raw lima beans contain a compound called linamarin, which turns into cyanide when consumed. The U.S. allows only those lima beans that contain the least linamarin.

You also can't eat raw kidney beans, which are quite toxic: Kidney beans contain high levels of a toxin called phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) that can cause severe nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. Symptoms can occur within 1–3 hours of eating the beans. Don't use a slow cooker on these. They have to be soaked and boiled for at least 10 minutes.

Cheers.

[Jenise]

Interesting stuff! I do love kidney beans. Weird fact: I am crazy about the combination of kidney beans and celery. As a kid one of my favorite salads my mother made was kidney beans, celery and onions in a mayo-based dressing. You wouldn't think I'd have loved that, but I did. I don't make that now, but I do include canned kidney beans in a tuna and pasta salad (with of course, lots of celery and onions). I'll try not to think about the chemistry next time I eat that.

Good timing. I ordered large, white lima beans with my Rancho Gordo order. I was out of two of my favorites and saw this bean for the first time on their site. It must be a new heirloom bean in the collection. Thanks for the recipe.

Let us know what you think when you make the recipe.

[Jenise]

Larry, soon! I bought sausage, limas and corn yesterday.

I made this soup today, and it is awesome. I loved the large, white lima beans from Rancho Gordo. They cooked up fast in the slow cooker, seasoned with chicken stock, garlic, and onion powders. I did use Andouille Sausage; it has a nice bite to it. I had a small package of frozen corn in the freezer, but next time, I will use fresh corn. Excellent recipe, thanks! Oh, the soup needed a bit of salt, so I used the Quebec Beef Seasoning. Will add the lemon zest and juice just before serving. YUM! Company worthy for sure.

Really glad you liked it. It is so simple and yet so awesome.

Yes it is.

I had the soup for lunch today, it had formed a thin fat layer on top, which I was able to remove most of it. I had never used Aidell's Andouille Sausage before and I liked the bite it had. After some research, I see that Aidell's makes several flavors. I don't know which one I got because I only saw one package and did not look to see what kind of meat it was made of. I am assuming pork, because of the thin fat layer. I highly recommend Rancho Gordo's large white lima beans to cook yourself, they are delicious. I am a soup lover and am pleased to have another great recipe to add to my collection.