Ingredients
- 1/2 lb sweet italian sausage (3 links, taken out of casing)
- 2 tbsp olive oil (divided)
- 1/2 small yellow onion, cut into small dice
- 1-2 carrots cut into small dice
- 1-2 ribs celery cut into small dice
- 5 large cloves of garlic, minced (2 Tbsp)
- 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 6 cups chix broth/stock (I use the tub one where you add water and make my own, I also typically put approx 12 c in my soup)
- 2 cans of cannellini or great northern beans (drained and rinsed)
- 1 lb kale (about 2 smaller bunches or 1 large bunch) rinsed, stems removed, leaves torn into bit size pieces (8 c. firmly packed)
- 1 tbs fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp finely grated lemon zest (optional but gives a great undertone of flavor in this soup)
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Mediterranean kale and white bean soup with sausage
Directions
- remove sausage from its casing and tear it by hand into bite sized pieces
- heat 1 tbs of olive oil in a 4-5 qt heavy pot/dutch oven over medium heat
- add the sausage and cook, stirring occassionally, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
- with a slotted spoon, trnsfer the sausage to a plate, leaving any rendered fat in the pot.
- add the remaining 1 tbs olive oil to the pot, increase heat from medium to high and add the onion. cook until fragrant or about 2 minutes
- add the carrot and celery and cook until they brown and soften, about 2 minute
- scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pan
- stir in garlic, pepper flakes, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper and cook, stirring until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute.
- add the chicken broth and bring to a boil over high heat
- when the broth reaches a boil, reduce heat to medium, add the sausage, along with any collected juices and half the beans.
- mash the remaining beans with a fork and then add to the pot, stirring to distribue.
- stir in the kale, adjust heat as necessary until kale is tender, about 15-20 minutes
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Summary
This is a delish soup. I love it and make about twice a month. It's very hearty and filling and is broth based and pretty low in fat. Plus, kale is amazing for you. Everytime I have company I make this and everyone loves it. The recipe looks like it's intense, but it's NOT. There is just a lot of prep to do with cutting up vegs. If you have all your prep work done before you begin, it will be a much faster process. I always add more stock and more kale to my recipe. It also freezes very well.
