Kale, Cannellini Bean, and Sausage Soup
This soup is packed with protein and vitamins. It is a perfect lunch on a cold day. You can add some small pasta and some grated cheese with a drizzle of olive oil. Dark leafy greens are good for the eyeballs, and beans are good for the heart and the sausage is full of protein for building and maintaining your muscles! A perfect meal in one bowl! Make a double batch and freeze in quart containers. Having this available to reheat when you are in a pinch for time is a dream.
Ingredients
- 8 cups stock, chicken, turkey or vegetable
- 1 10 oz package of fresh kale
- 1 28 oz cans white cannellini beans
- 1 lb. sweet Italian sausage
- 3 bay leaves
- Two shakes of hot pepper flakes – or to taste
- 1 teaspoon salt (if needed - adjust to taste)
- 1 teaspoon ground fennel seed
Instructions
- Take the sausage meat out of the casings and sauté the meat until cooked but only slightly browned. Remove the sausage from the pan using a slotted spoon and discard any fat rendered during the cooking.
- In a large soup pot, bring 8 cups of stock to a boil and then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Add the chopped fresh kale and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Add the rinsed cannellini beans to the soup pot along with the cooked sausage. Add the bay leaves, fennel seed, and pepper flakes. Cook for about 10 additional minutes to allow the flavors to mingle. Taste to adjust salt.
- Serve with a garnish of grated Pecorino Romano cheese, and a drizzle of olive oil.
Notes
You can use dried beans if you enjoy making beans from scratch. Soak ½ lb. of beans overnight in water. Then drain and rinse the beans, and place them in a large stockpot, and add enough water to cover the beans with at least 4 inches of water over the top of the beans. Then bring the pot to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and continue cooking for approximately 40 minutes, or until the beans are tender. Drain the beans into a colander or sieve. Discard the bean cooking water.
I also like to serve this soup with some small format pasta. I slightly undercook just enough pasta for what I intend to serve and add the pasta directly to the individual serving bowls of soup and ladle the soup over the pasta. NEVER add cooked pasta to the main soup pot as any uneaten leftover soup will have very soggy pasta which is unpleasant when reheated.