Italian Sausage, Kale and Cannellini Bean Soup

Italian Sausage, Kale and Cannellini Bean Soup

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound bulk Italian sausage
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 medium carrots, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 dried bay leaves
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup dry white wine
6 cups chicken stock
1 14.5-ounce can petite diced tomatoes
1 15-ounce can cannellini beans
1 bunch kale, tough ribs removed, chopped
Grated parmigiano-reggiano and more crushed red pepper flakes, for serving

Method

Heat the tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot over medium high. Add the sausage and cook until browned, breaking into chunks with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Using a slotted spoon, remove sausage to a bowl and set aside.

Add the onion and carrots to the pot and saute until tender, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic, oregano, bay leaves, pepper, salt and crushed red pepper flakes and saute 1 minute more.

Pour in the 1/2 cup white wine, scraping up all the bits from the bottom of the pot. Cook for about 2 minutes, until the wine is nearly absorbed. Add chicken stock, tomatoes, cannellini beans and reserved sausage. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 30 minutes.

Turn the heat down to low. Discard the bay leaves. Add the kale and stir for a couple of minutes, until just wilted.

Serve immediately with grated cheese and crushed red pepper flakes, if desired.

NOTES

I recently made my zuppa toscana with cannellini beans instead of potatoes, just to test it out, and loved it. Then my friend Ashliegh posted a photo recently of a similar soup with no dairy and added carrots and tomato. Somewhere in there, between the two, I decided to make this concoction.

It turned out soooo so good. Delicious, easy, hearty and healthy. Doesn't get any better.