Portuguese Bean Soup

Ingredients

• 2 smoked pork shanks or ham hocks
• 1 portuguese sausage, sliced
• 8 cups water

• 2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
• 1 large onion, cut in large chunks
• 2 large potatoes, cut in 1-inch cubes
• 3 carrots, sliced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika

• 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans
• 1 small head of cabbage, chopped
• 1 cup uncooked macaroni

Directions

1. 1

   Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Simmer ham and sausage for 2 hours. Remove ham and cut into bite size pieces, then return to pot.

2. 2

   Add potatoes, carrots, onions, spices and tomato sauce. Continue simmering until carrots are cooked (about 15 minutes), then add beans and cabbage. Simmer until cabbage is wilted.

3. 3

   Ten minutes before serving, add macaroni and stir well, then simmer until macaroni is cooked.

4. 4

   This soup is easy to personalize to your own tastes, so feel free to add any other veggies (green beans are a favorite!) or ingredients you'd like.