Recipe: Kale, White Bean and Sausage Soup

Whenever we get that first taste of fall, I mean the days when highs are in the low 50s, and nights get into the low 30s, I get a little sad because I know that daylight savings time is coming to an end and even more cold, blustery days are ahead. I’m such a wimp, I’d never make it up north. The whole notion puts me in a funk and I just crave a bowl of some hearty soup to warm me up. I’ve all but given up on those canned soups – full of salt and processed junk that I don’t want or need to put in my body.

Thanks to my friends at Nature’s Garden Delivered, I had a nice bunch of Kale sitting in my refrigerator, not a typical ingredient in those canned soup varieties anyway. I started searching out recipes for what I could do with it, and found several recipes that incorporate Kale into a soup with carrots, beans and sausage. Sounds like the perfect comfort food to me. So, I played around with a couple of recipes and here’s what I came up with. It was really tasty, and I love that most of the ingredients are items I would have on hand anyway.

Serves: 6
If you want a vegetarian soup, or one less hearty, leave out the sausage and the soup will still taste fine.
1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 can white beans (such as great northern, cannelloni, or navy)
1 box chicken broth (32 oz)
5 cups water
2 teaspoons rosemary
2 bay leaves
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pounds fully cooked smoked sausage, sliced into ¼-inch pieces
1 pound kale, stems removed, chopped
2 teaspoons salt
4 carrots, peeled and sliced

In a large, heavy soup pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about five minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for one minute. Add stock, 3 cups of water, rosemary, bay leaves and black pepper. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered, about 45 -50 minutes.

Add kale, sausage, salt, carrots and remaining 2 cups of water to soup. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until kale is tender, about 12-15 minutes. Add beans (don’t drain as this will help thicken the soup) and let simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Taste, adjust for seasonings, discard bay leaves and serve.

Oh, and I used some pita bread for dipping in the soup.