White Bean, Sausage and Greens Soup
White beans and greens are an Italian traditional dish; super nutrition and taste come together again. Sausage adds protein and a great flavor kick.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Dried white beans (cannellini or Great Northern) Or 1 Can 15 oz Cannellini beans
- 1 onion, chopped small, or 1 leek chopped into rounds. Or some of each
- 2 cloves garlic or more to taste, chopped
- 2 Tbsp olive oil or butter
- 12 sage leaves, divided. 4 cooked with soup, 8 fried at end - optional, but tasty
- 4 -6 oz link sausage of your choice, Andouille, etc., cut into rounds
- 4 big handfuls greens like chard, spinach, young kale, collards, ribs removed and torn into smaller pieces
- 1 qt chicken stock, homemade or boxed
- Parmesan cheese, grated, to taste
- salt to taste at end
- pepper to taste
Instructions
- If cooking dry beans, pressure or slow cook them in with the sage leaves in plenty of water 5:1 until soft. 35 minutes in pressure cooker. Two toFour hours on high for slow cooker.
- In heavy soup pot heat the olive oil over medium flame. Add the onion and saute until soft. Add the garlic and saute another 5 minutes. Careful - It burns easily! Add the sausage and continue to sauté for8-10 minutes. Add the stock and beans, sage leaf to soup pot and simmer to blend the flavors. Add the greens at the last 5-10 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.
- For the grand finale, heat a small skillet with a bit of oil til hot. Add the 8 remaining sage leaves to the pan and let sizzle til crispy but still green.
- Serve soup with sage leaf garnish and parmesan if desired
- Ways to improvise: Add other vegetables to the onion saute, like carrots and celery, to boost depth. Maybe some zucchini toward the end of cooking.
- Substitute other meat like bacon or chicken or go meatless altogether. A great flavored vegetable stock will help keep the flavor up.