Kale and White Bean Sausage Soup
sandravalvassori.com
Here's a nourishing Kale and White Bean Sausage Soup to warm up your chilly evenings. A one-pot, substantial meal that is packed with greens, veggies and meaty bites throughout. Best of all, it makes plenty for leftover lunches or to freeze for later.
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 3 15-ounce cans white beans, drained and rinsed, divided
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 2 medium carrots diced
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 1 small bunch kale, about 5 cups once chopped
- 12 ounces chicken sausage (2 to 3 good-sized links)
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning (see notes)
- 1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes, plus more to taste (optional, see notes)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 6 cups chicken stock, divided
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice, or more to taste
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, optional
Instructions
- Rinse and drain the beans. Scoop out 1 cup of the beans and place in a mini chopper or small food processor with 1/4 cup of water. Blend until smooth and set aside. The pureed beans will help thicken the soup and give it a nice creamy texture. (See notes.)
- In a large dutch oven or heavy-bottomed soup pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot and celery and sauté until very soft, about 6 to 8 minutes.
- Meanwhile, separate the kale leaves from the stalks (discard the stalks), then chop the kale into bite-sized pieces. Wash and partially dry the kale leaves (they shouldn't be dripping with water but a little wet is okay). Set aside.
- When the vegetables have softened, add the sausage, garlic, Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes, if using. Sauté the sausage, breaking it up as little or as much as you like, until browned in spots and no longer pink, 4 to 6 minutes.
- Add the whole beans, pureed beans, broth and bay leaves to the pot. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer, stirring occasionally until the soup thickens, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Remove the bay leaves and add the kale to the pot, pushing it down with a spoon to submerge it. Simmer until very soft, about 5 to 10 minutes.
- Stir in lemon juice and chopped parsley. Taste and season with more salt and chili flakes, if needed. Serve topped with a drizzle of olive oil and more chopped parsley, if desired.
Notes
Blending beans: Feel free to make the soup as thick or brothy as you like by blending more beans or none at all. If plugging in a blender of any kind seems like too much of a nuisance, skip it. A bowl and fork (or potato masher) will also do the job.
Italian seasoning: If you don't have Italian seasoning, use 1 teaspoon each of dried thyme, dried rosemary, and dried oregano.
Red pepper flakes: If omitting the pepper flakes, add 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper.