Italian Sausage, Kale and White Bean Soup

It’s COLD!

But I don’t care because I make my own chicken stock, and that means I can make awesome soups.

This recipe is something that I threw together and was an amazing success. It will be part of my cold weather repertoire from now on. Simple, and delicious.

This version probably serves 6-8 people. We fed our family of 4 and had enough for leftovers. The fennel from the sausage really comes through in the soup. Top it with some parmesan cheese and some crusty bread and it’s a meal.

Here we go:

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lb of prosciutto, chopped
6 sweet Italian sausages
Crushed red pepper to taste (I was cooking for kids, so I kept it mild, but I would add like a teaspoon in the future)
1 large carrot, diced
1 bay leaf
1 bunch kale, cut in to bite sized pieces. I used the curly kind, because that’s what I had on hand, but I would use Toscano kale in the future
About 2 quarts chicken broth (enough to cover the kale)
2 cans cannelini beans
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

• In a large skillet, brown the sausages with 2 TBSP of olive oil. Don’t worry about cooking them through, just get the outside nice and brown.
• Remove the sausages and once they are cool enough, slice them in to bit size pieces. Set aside
• In the skillet, add the onion and cook until translucent
• Add the garlic, prosciutto, and red pepper flakes and cook for 2 minutes more
• Add a bit of the chicken stock to deglaze the skillet, making sure to scrape all of the tasty brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
• Transfer the mixture to a soup pot and add the rest of the stock, as well as the bay leaf, carrots, kale and the sausage pieces.
• Let the soup simmer for 30 minutes on low, until the insides of the sausage are done.
• Take one can of cannelini beans and , without draining them, puree. Add to the soup to thicken it.
• Take the other can of beans, drain and add.
• When the beans are heated through, season with salt and pepper, and serve topped with parmesan cheese. (Remember to remove the bay leaf before serving.)

Go to bed with a warm, full, fat belly.