Kale, White Bean & Sausage Soup

This tuscan-style soup comes together super quickly and is made from staple ingredients that you most likely already have on hand. If you wanted to make this vegetarian/vegan, you could certainly leave out the sausage (though I’d suggest adding another hearty vegetable like potatoes for some extra body/protein if you leave out the sausage). One secret to making this soup uber delicious is throwing in a wedge of parmesan cheese (or a leftover parmesan rind) to simmer with all the other ingredients. The parmesan (while optional) is highly encouraged, as it adds a bit of salty / umami flavor that makes this soup just a liiiiitle something extra that will have you going back for seconds (and thirds)!

Kale, White Bean & Sausage Soup

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INGREDIENTS

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

  • 12 oz beef Polska Kiebasa Sausage , sliced into 1/4” thick slices

  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced

  • 2 cups chopped carrots (4-6 carrots)

  • 2 cups chopped celery (4-6 stalks)

  • 4 cloves garlic, minced

  • Parmesan wedge/rind (optional, but highly encouraged)

  • 5-6 cups chicken or veggie broth (or water)

  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano

  • 1 teaspoon dried rosemary

  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

  • 1 bunch kale, thick ribs removed and roughly chopped

  • 3 cans cannellini or great northern white beans

  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add sausage and cook until slightly browned, tossing occasionally, about 5 minutes. Remove sausage, while leaving any fat in the pot, and side aside sausage on a plate lined with paper towels.

  2. Return to pot with oil to medium heat, add onion, carrots, and celery with a pinch of salt and saute for 4-5 minutes (while scraping bottom of pan to get the browned bits). Add garlic, dried oregano, and dried rosemary and saute another minute longer.

  3. Stir in chicken/veggie broth (or water) and parmesan wedge/rind and season with salt + pepper to taste. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then lower heat to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes, until the soup begins to thicken a bit.

  4. Stir in chopped kale, cooked sausage, white beans (I like to include the liquid from the cans of beans, but you can drain if desired), and red wine vinegar and allow the flavors to meld over medium-low heat for about five minutes. Serve warm, top each serving with parmesan cheese.