Healthy-ish Cooking: Kale, White Bean and Sausage Soup

This is a perfect winter lunch. Put the football game on, grab a baguette or your favorite crackers and enjoy a hot bowl of healthy-ish goodness snuggled up with your dog!

"Wake me up when it's
done."- Fenway P. George

I pinned this last year and have made it twice now- halving the recipe each time and tweaking it a teeny bit. (Note: I made this last year using lamb sausage and am here to tell you...don't do that. It was so good but the lamb was overpowering and one can only take so much of it.) This time was even better and my husband, who does not eat beans or kale, said the broth was delicious.

Why do I say healthy-ish? Well.. kale = healthy! Beans = healthy. Sausage? So, so tasty!

My fellow blogger, Five Heart Home, deserves much credit for this delicious recipe. Click here for the full recipe (serves 6-8) or just to browse the site.

I halved it so it serves 3-4.

Ingredients (do yourself a favor and prepare, chop, measure etc. everything first!)

• 1 or so tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 6 ounces smoked sausage (I highly recommend a good southern smoke sausage like Carolina Pride but use what you prefer - kielbasa or andouille or another sausage - just not italian) Cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed (I press - so much easier)
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 2 3/4 cups chicken broth or stock, divided 1 3/4 and the other cup set aside)
• 4 ounces kale, tough stems removed and finely chopped/shredded
• 1 small bay leaf
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 15-ounce cans white beans (I used cannellini but any white bean will work) rinsed and drained 
• Important step here: take 1/3 of the beans and the 1 cup of broth and puree in a blender or food processor. Set aside.
• 1/2 to 1 cup of a good IPA or Pale Ale (the hops works so well with the bitter kale and sausage and will balance the hot sauce) Obviously this is optional but it does add a lot of good flavor. I must give props to my husband for suggesting the IPA. 
• Hot sauce (original recipe called for a few dashes...I used a LOT more than that!) I used Cholula but any hot sauce of your preference will work.
• Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste
• Shredded Parmesan cheese for garnish 

Directions:
1. Heat some oil in a big ole soup pot (I use my Le Creuset "Big Red") at medium heat and brown the sausage. About 5 - 7 minutes but could take longer. Brown = flavor so don't short change this! As pieces brown put them on a paper-towel-lined plate. Be sure to brown both sides. Set sausage aside.

2. Look at the pot - if it needs a little oil add some and then quickly cook the garlic - stirring in the oil. About a minute...be careful here and don't walk away. Garlic will cook and burn quickly (and burned garlic will ruin a dish.)

3. As soon as that garlic starts to turn color add the wine to deglaze the pot and stop the garlic from going too far. Scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pot and then add the 1 3/4 cups of broth.

4. Stir in the kale, bay leaf and garlic powder. The kale will overwhelm the pot at first - stir it and it will slowly wilt/reduce. Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer and let simmer for 5 or so minutes, until the kale is tender.

5. One the kale is tender: add the whole beans, pureed beans, and browned sausage to the pot.

6. Now it's time to season.  Salt, pepper and hot sauce...then taste it. Pour in about 1/2 cup of the IPA, and then if it needs, salt, pepper and/or hot sauce. Taste it. Need something else? Garlic powder? More IPA? More salt? Don't be afraid to season. (Oh - and get that bay leaf out.)

Serve with extra hot sauce (seriously - I could not add enough), and shredded parm sprinkled on top.