Sausage, Kale, and White Bean Soup

Wow, what an incredibly easy meal this is! I have seen similar soups to this one while out at restaurants and honestly, I never really paid much attention to them. They seem perfectly fine, but nothing too exciting. Well, I should have paid more attention to them! This soup is very versatile - just use whatever stock, green, sausage, and bean you have on hand. For the sausage use whatever kind you like best - next time I will try making this with hot Italian sausage for a little kick. You could use kale or any other green in this such as spinach, escarole, or beet greens, and for the beans use whatever you have in your pantry! The meaty sausage pairs so well with the creamy canellini beans and fresh kale to make a hearty soup that comes together in minutes, so give this soup a try! Enjoy :o)

Sausage, Kale, and White Bean Soup

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 tbsp. olive oil

1/2 lb. sausage (casings removed)

1/2 small onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 quart low sodium chicken or beef stock

3 cups (packed) chopped kale

1 can of canellini beans, drained and rinsed

pinch of cayenne pepper

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the sausage and use a wooden spoon to crumble it as it browns. Once the sausage is brown, add the onions and garlic and cook until the onions begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the kale, beans, and stock and bring to a boil. Add the cayenne and season to taste with salt and pepper. Allow the soup to simmer for about 5-10 minutes to blend the flavors, then serve. Yum!