I first made this soup ages ago when I needed to use up some kale. Now, I’m not especially fond of kale, in fact I pretty much loathe all cooked greens. What I am inordinately fond of is beautiful produce, and I have been known to bring home all sorts of pretty things, and then have no idea what to do with them. On the occasion in question, I had been in the local health food store and seen these stunningly gorgeous bunches of green leaves in the cooler. The sweet hand-written sign said, “Local Organic Kale”. How do you leave something like that at the store? (It’s local! AND organic!) If you’re me, you don’t. I took a bunch home and then I stared at it for a few days. It stared back and made me feel guilty.
I looked up a recipe for kale chips. I’d heard that even people who don’t like kale just ADORE kale chips. I cooked a few. Blech–I still don’t get it. Meanwhile, the rest of that sturdy kale was standing strong there in its jar of water in the fridge, mocking me.
Eventually I remembered Tuscan white bean soup and how it has spinach in it, and how I like it anyway. I thought I could probably southern-ify it some, and spice it up a bit, and maybe then I wouldn’t notice the kale. And that’s how Kale, White Bean, and Sausage Soup was born. It’s become a family staple. Now I buy kale on purpose, but I still use only half the bunch. The rest of it goes into a vase with flowers.
Kale, White Bean, and Sausage Soup is a good, comforting, cold weather soup. We’re partial to Conecuh sausage around here, but really any spicy smoked sausage will do. I use cannellini beans, great northern beans, or navy beans interchangeably in this soup. And I have ever tossed in a handful of baby spinach when I didn’t have kale. The very best accompaniment is good cornbread, of course, but this week was so hectic here that I REALLY phoned it in: I buttered some saltines, sprinkled them with parmesan cheese from a green can, and ran them under the broiler for a couple of minutes.
Bellissimo, y’all!
Kale, White Bean, and Sausage Soup
Ingredients
- 2 T. olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 1 stalk celery, diced
- 1 lb. Conecuh sausage (or other spicy smoked sausage), cut in ½” rounds
- 1 quart chicken stock
- 1/2 bunch kale, stemmed, trimmed, and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 t. dried thyme
- Pinch red pepper flakes
- 2 cans cannellini beans or great northern beans, drained and rinsed
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Sauté the onion, carrots, and celery until all are soft. Add the sausage and cook, stirring, until the sausage is browned. Pour in the stock, add the kale, garlic, thyme and pepper flakes.
- Simmer on low for 30 minutes. Add the beans and salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.
That looks like just the thing to have today. I love kale. My dad would cook them and leave them on my stove for me with a note, “Here’s your Yankee Collards”. He didn’t like collards and certainly didn’t like kale.
LOL. I miss Jimmy Black!
I’ve been making this soup for ages. I like to add some canned diced tomatoes with some of their juice. Easy to improvise, always satisfying!
Yes, ma’am! As always, I considered adding a can of Rotel.
I like your writing style. It reminds me of Peg bracken except that you like to cook.
Thanks, Mary Margaret!
YUM YUM YUM
Hey, did you use the light green curly-edged kale or the darker green Tuscan kale? I’m sure either will work fine – I’m just curious. I like kale but I prefer the darker green Tuscan variety. Swiss chard would also work well, I bet.
The kale I usually get is not curly, but if it’s non-local, it’s always curlier. (I have no idea how many varieties of kale enter my universe.) I have used local Swiss chard to excellent effect.