Swamp Soup

This Southern swamp soup is hearty, loaded with smoked sausage, beans, turnip greens, and pasta. It has gone viral all over the nation for a good reason!

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Keyword southern recipes, southern soup recipes

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 40

Total Time 55

Servings servings

Calories 610kcal

Author Kathleen

Ingredients

1 teaspoon bacon grease or vegetable oil
1 1/2 pounds kielbasa sausage cut into 1 inch pieces
1 1/2 cups onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, diced
2 large carrots
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce such as Tabasco®
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon Cajun or Creole seasoning
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon sugar
6 cups, plus more to thin as neeeded low sodium chicken broth
1 cup boiling water
1 heaping tablespoon chicken flavor Better Than Bouillon
1 can Rotel, undrained
2 (14.5-ounce) cans great northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 (12-ounce) bag frozen black eyed peas, thawed and drained
1 pound frozen turnip greens, thawed and drained
1 cups uncooked ditalini pasta
salt and ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons fresh parsley

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Heat (1 tablespoon) bacon grease or vegetable oil, over medium heat, in a large Dutch oven. Add sliced sausage (1 1/2 pounds) and brown on all sides. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the browned sausage to a paper towel-lined plate. If there aren't 2 tablespoons of oil and drippings in the Dutch oven, add enough vegetable oil to make up the difference.
Add onion (1 1/2 cups), celery (3 stalks), and carrot to the dripping in the Dutch oven. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until veggies are soft and onion is translucent, about 7-9 minutes.
Stir in garlic (1 tablespoon) and tomato paste (2 tablespoons) and continue to cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
Stir in Tabasco (1 teaspoon), bay leaf (1), Cajun seasoning (1 teaspoon), paprika (1 teaspoon), garlic powder (1/2 teaspoon), and sugar (1/8 teaspoon).
Add low-sodium chicken broth (6 cups), dissolved Better Than Bouillon (1 heaping tablespoon) and water (1 cup), Rotel (1 can), white beans (2 cans), black-eyed peas (12 ounces), and the browned kielbasa. Bring to a boil. Immediately reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
Stir in thawed turnip greens (1 pound) and uncooked pasta (1 cup). Adjust heat to achieve a moderate simmer. Cook until pasta is al dente. Adjust the seasoning, if the soup is thicker than you like, thin it with more chicken broth, ladle it into individual bowls, sprinkle it with fresh parsley, and serve.

Notes

Balance the spice: Start with the listed amount of Tabasco and Cajun seasoning, then taste at the end. It’s easy to add more heat, but you can’t take it away!
Brown in batches: If your sausage crowds the pan, brown it in two rounds to get that beautiful color instead of steaming it.
Let it rest before serving: The flavors meld even more if you give it 10–15 minutes off the heat before ladling into bowls.
Make it your own: Swap turnip greens for collards or kale, or try a mix of white and red beans for extra heartiness.
Next-day magic: Like most soups, it thickens and deepens overnight — thin with a splash of broth before reheating.

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