KALE, WHITE BEAN & SPICY TURKEY SAUSAGE SOUP

Happy Monday! How was your weekend? It was a work weekend for me, which means I ate like crap most of the weekend. Junk food tastes even better to me when I'm working hard. I'm not the only one who feels that way right?? Well by Sunday, I had to get my act in gear and I did it with this soup. Fall = soup season I am THRILLED about that! This kale, white bean and turkey sausage soup is my first homemade soup of the season and it did not disappoint! I knew I would be busy this weekend, so I actually made this last weekend and froze it so I could have a quick meal on hand. There are several versions of this soup out there, so I researched a few of them and came up with this recipe. I used spicy Italian turkey sausage to spice it up and more beans to make it a little thicker. If you are weary of kale, know that its bitterness cooks out and takes on the flavors of the rest of the soup, so no worries there. This was so good and so filling. It was really like a hug in a bowl...

Here is what you need and what to do:

1 lb spicy Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 celery rib, diced
3 garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 15 oz can tomatoes (I used the tomatoes seasoned with basil and oregano)
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 15 oz cans cannellini beans, rinsed
1 large bunch kale, rinsed, stems removed, chopped

1/ Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy bottom 5-quart pot or Dutch oven. Add the sausage. Use a wooden spoon to break it up into bit sized pieces. Cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to a plate. Leave the renderings in the pot.

2/ Increase the heat to medium-high and add the onion. Stir frequently and cook until they start to soften and turn translucent, about 2 minutes.

3/ Add the carrot and celery. Cook until they begin to soften.

4/ Add the garlic, salt and pepper. Stir until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute.

5/ Add the tomatoes and chicken broth and bring to a boil over high heat.

6/ Once the comes to a boil, add the sausage along with the juices and 3/4's of the beans. Mash the remaining beans with a fork and add them to the pot. The mashed beans will thicken the soup.

7/ Stir in the kale and turn the heat down to simmer. Loosely cover the pot and cooke until the kale is tender, about 20 minutes.

8/ This freezes beautifully, so freeze any leftovers!

Enjoy!

Images by me