What I’m Loving: Kale, Sausage, and White Bean Soup

I don’t know about you, but in the middle of a season, I often find myself cooking the same few recipes–and well, it gets a little dull. After a serious hankering for a hearty, healthy soup last week, I came across a Kale, Sausage, and White Bean Soup recipe on Pinterest. I’ve had a few kale cooking doozies before, so I was a bit apprehensive, but after trying this one, I was sold. I love kale, but sometimes it takes the right dish when cooking with it. The best part is that it was pretty painless to whip up, and Preston loves it too!
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I tend to cook large pots of things, so I actually doubled the original recipe I found and amended it a little to my liking. Feel free to half this recipe if you aren’t a leftovers person. (:

KALE, SAUSAGE, & WHITE BEAN SOUP

1 lb Jimmy Dean Breakfast Sausage HOT

1 lb Turkey Breakfast Sausage

3 TBSP olive oil (divided)

1 Yellow Onion

10 Large Cloves of Garlic

1/8 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

6 Carrots (finely chopped)

4 Celery Stalks (finely chopped)

4 TBSP Tomato Paste

10 Cups Organic Low Sodium Chicken Broth

4 15oz cans of Great Northern Beans

2 Large Bunches of Kale (center ribs removed, leaves chopped)

2 TBSP Minced Rosemary

Freshly Grated Parmesan (optional)

Sea Salt, Black Pepper, Garlic Powder, Cayenne Pepper

DIRECTIONS

Heat 1.5 tablespoons of the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, rosemary, and a generous couple pinches of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 6 minutes. Add the tomato paste and garlic and cook until fragrant, 45 seconds. Add the broth. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium low, and simmer gently until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1.5 tablespoons of oil in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Combine the turkey sausage and Jimmy Dean sausage in a bowl and form small bite-sized meatballs. Add the sausage meatballs, and cook, flipping about halfway through, until browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes.
Add the kale to the soup; cook 1 minute, then add the meatballs (discarding any of the rendered fat and oil) and the beans; cook for 4 more minutes to meld the flavors. Season to taste with garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
Ladle into bowls and garnish with grated parmesan.

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