Home » Kale, White Bean, And Sausage Soup

Kale, White Bean, And Sausage Soup

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!

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5 from 1 vote

Kale, White Bean, and Sausage Soup

This is a nice and easy version of a good, nourishing, familiar soup. You can substitute a handful of fresh spinach for the kale if you like.

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.

Notes

Parmesan Saltines
You’ll wonder why you haven’t been making these more often!  (That stuff in the green can is fine for these.  No, really. It is.)
1 sleeve of saltines
Soft butter
A big pinch of Italian seasoning
Grated parmesan cheese 
Preheat oven to 350°.  Spread a thin layer of butter on one side of each cracker and put the crackers in a single layer on a sheet pan, buttered side up.  Sprinkle with the Italian seasoning and parmesan cheese.  Bake just until crackers are lightly toasted, maybe 5 or 6 minutes.  Cool.  These can be stored in an airtight container for a few days.
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9 Comments

  1. Kim

    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.

    Reply
    • Malia

      LOL. I miss Jimmy Black!

      Reply
  2. Sabe

    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!

    Reply
    • Malia

      Yes, ma’am! As always, I considered adding a can of Rotel.

      Reply
  3. Mary Margaret

    I like your writing style. It reminds me of Peg bracken except that you like to cook.

    Reply
    • Malia

      Thanks, Mary Margaret!

      Reply
  4. Roberta L Oden

    5 stars
    YUM YUM YUM

    Reply
  5. Mara Hamner

    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.

    Reply
    • Malia

      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.

      Reply

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