Hearty Winter Soup :: Sausage, White Bean & Kale

I'm such a bad grocery shopper, I don't plan my meals ahead so I never really know what to buy. I usually just go in and buy an assortment of food groups that good at the moment and I luck out if I can make a meal out of it without having to go back out to the store. On my last trip I did manage to buy a few cans of cannelini beans, a package of sweet sausage and a bag of fresh kale and these three ingredients were the base of an amazing soup I'm about to tell you about.

For this sausage, white bean and kale soup, you'll need: 

2 cans of cannelini beans

1 package of sweet sausage (about five links)

A bag of fresh kale

1 12-oz can of diced tomatoes

1-2 quartsof chicken broth

salt and pepper to taste

This soup comes together in minutes and is arguably one of the best soups I've ever pulled off.

Here is what you do:

Take the sausage meat out of the casings and sauté it until cooked

Add the can of diced tomatoes 

Add 1-quart of chicken broth

Let this come to a boil and then keep on a simmer

About ten minutes after, add the beans

Let this all simmer with the lid off so the soup thickens a bit 

Taste it, add some salt and pepper to your liking

In a separate pot, boil some pasta to put in it when you're serving. I used mini-farfalle and they were perfect.

While the pasta is cooking, add a couple of handfuls of kale to your soup, not too much, you don't want it to be too "kale-y" so use your judgement here. 

Let the kale soften until it reaches a nice consistency and then you're ready to serve. If you find your liquid evaporated too much and you want more, just add some chicken broth until you get it how you want it.

To serve, spoon out the desired amount of pasta and then add your soup on top. 

Top with freshly grated parmesan cheese and some nice bread and mangia!