Sandra's Blackened Smoked Sausage Cheesy Potato Soup

1.5 to 2 Beef Smoked Sausage links
8 Yukon Gold Potatoes
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1/4 tsp red pepper flake (use the amount you prefer)
2 cups diced Celery
2 cups diced Onions
8 Baby Portabella Mushrooms sliced
4 Carrots grated
2 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tbsp sweet basil
3 cans of Evaporated Skimmed Milk - Fat Free
1 pkg no fat cream cheese
1 cup mozzarella shredded cheese

I have an extremely large soup pan I use, if you have a dutch oven size pan you will need to half this recipe for that size pan.

Peel potatoes and dice into small cubes and put in pan of water as you work up your potatoes to keep them from turning brown. Cook on high heat and bring to boil, reduce heat to med high and allow to boil for 10 minutes. Check to see if potatoes are done by inserting fork to make sure it is tender all the way through. If not, cook until potatoes are tender. Take off heat and let set.

Cut up smoked sausage link into 3 long cuts lengthwise so you have strips of the sausage. Take large soup pan on high heat and place sausage in bottom of the pan. Meat will blacken (caramelize), turn sausage to blacken other side when ready. When both sides are blackened remove from pan to plate with paper towel to absorb grease. Set aside to cool.

In the soup pan you just blackened the sausage in add olive oil, butter and red pepper flakes. Once butter is melted add onion, minced garlic and celery, salt, pepper. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes then add mushrooms and carrots. Now add garlic powder, onion powder and basil and saute for another 2 to 3 minutes.

While veggie are cooking cut up blackened sausage into bite size pieces and add to veggie mixture. Stir sausage into mixture.

With slotted spoon remove cooked potatoes from water and put into soup pan. Add 8 cups of the water the potatoes cooked into the soup pan and stir. Reduce heat to medium and allow to simmer.

In small saucepan pour 1 can of evaporated milk and bring to low boil. Take cream cheese and cut off small pieces and put in with the milk to melt the cream cheese. Stir using a whisk continuously to break up the cream cheese and to keep from burning milk. Once cream cheese is melted add mozzarella cheese and stir to melt it as well. Once mixture is melted and thickened pour into soup pan and stir into soup.

Add remaining 2 cans of evaporated milk and allow to simmer on a med-low heat for 15 - 20 minutes stirring every 5 minutes or so.



Serving Size: Makes 12 large soup bowls