Garlicky Sausage & Bean Soup
Serves 4-6
This soup is delicious and flexible. It is great for working with what you have on hand in your pantry. Our recipe calls for white beans and kale which could easily be substituted for other types of beans or leafy greens. Get creative!
Note: If you’re working with dry beans, you want to start this recipe the day before so you can soak the beans overnight.
Ingredients
16 oz of dry Cannelloni white beans (or two cans)
6 cups of vegetable or chicken stock
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound of sweet or spicy sausage
6 large garlic cloves, peeled
2 medium yellow onions, diced
2-3 carrots, scrubbed and cut into coins (about 2 cups)
1 bunch of kale, chopped (aiming for about 6 cups)
1 dried bay leaf
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flake
1 lime, zested and juiced (about 1/4 cup)
salt and pepper
Directions
Start by soaking the beans the day before you want to make the soup. Place the dried beans in a medium saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Once it has come to a boil, turn off the heat, cover the pot and let it sit overnight. Before you start prepping the soup the following day, turn the beans on to a low simmer and cook until soft (about 30 minutes). Add more water if you need. You can skip this whole step if you’re using canned beans.
In a large stock pot, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat and add the sausage. Cook until browned and remove with a slotted spoon. Set the meat aside for later on a plate.
Chop three of the cloves of garlic and add to the pot alongside the diced onions and carrots over medium heat. If the bottom of your stock pot is browning, deglaze the pan by adding 1/2 cup water to the bottom (you could also use 1/2 cup wine, beer or cider) and using a wooden spoon, scrap the bottom to loosen the pieces as you pour in the water. These caramelized pieces at the bottom add a lot of flavor but you don’t want them to burn.
Sauté the vegetables together until the onions become translucent and soft. Add in the dried herbs, red pepper flake and bay leaf. Rub the herbs with your fingers as you add them to the pot to help release the oils. Add salt and pepper. Add in the cooked beans along with the water they cooked in. Add more water or chicken stock to cover all the ingredients by one inch. Add the sausage back into the pot. Over a low heat, simmer for 30-40 minutes uncovered.
About 5 minutes before serving, add the chopped kale and stir. Taste the broth and add more salt if needed.
We like to serve this soup with fried garlic oil and lime juice on top. To make the garnish, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a small sauce pan with the remaining three garlic cloves, thinly sliced. Sauté over low heat until lightly golden brown (don’t walk away from the garlic while doing this - it can go from cooked to burned quickly). When serving the soup in bowls, drizzle with garlic oil, lime juice and zest, right before serving.