Confederate Bean Soup

This soup is so fantastic! I was aprehensive about trying it at first because it wasn't like any soup that I had ever made. What caught my attention to it in the first place was that it contained Bush's Baked Beans, which I just love and can eat them cold right out of the can! I will definitely make this soup again and again. I just love Paula Deen, but I don't make enough of her recipes because they tend not to be on the lighter side. This soup made me realize that I can make her recipes, but with lighter ingredients. If you have more than three people in your family, you may want to double this recipe.

Source: Adapted from Paula Deen's Kitchen Classics

1/2 pound smoked sausage, sliced in 1/2 inch rounds ( I used Jenni O turkey keilbasa)
2 slices of bacon, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 green bell pepper diced (I used 1 whole pepper)
2 tbsp butter (I used 1 tsp)
16 oz can Bush's Baked Beans
1.5 c half-and-half ( I used fat free)

In a large pan saute thebutter, onion, bell pepper, garlic, and keilbasa . In a small skillet, cook the bacon until brown and crispy, drain and set aside. Add the beans and simmer for a few minutes over medium-low. Then add the half-and-half. Increase or decrease the half-and-half depending on your preference. Add in the bacon and stir. Serve with cornbread or dinner rolls.