lately léna

In winter, soup is my ultimate comfort food. Paired with a piece of crusty bread and a sprinkling of goat cheese, there’s nothing that warms me up better! Plus, soups are incredibly easy to put together and they only use one pot, so clean-up is a breeze.

This soup is definitely a favorite. I came across the original recipe in a Giada de Laurentis cookbook that I rented from the library a while back, and since then I’ve continued to fiddle and fine-tune it until it was perfect. Ready to get cooking?

This recipe makes enough for a whole week of lunches for me, so I make it on Sunday evenings and then I’m set for the rest of the week! It’s also totally freeze-able, so don’t worry if it makes too much.
To begin, you will need:

1 large yellow onion
1 lb breakfast sausage (I used spicy sausage, but you can use any kind or even omit the sausage to make this vegetarian*)
Chicken broth (I use the powder variety, but you can use the liquid, just add less water)*
Olive oil
2 cans white beans (I used butter beans)
1 large bunch of kale
Water

*Make sure to use vegetable broth if making this vegetarian

Begin by warming the olive oil on medium heat in a large pot (a couple of light glugs should be enough, but add more if omitting meat). Once the oil is hot, add the onions all at once.

Cook the onions until they ‘sweat’.

In the meantime, chop your kale up. No need for precision here, just chop away.

Make sure to stop and smile for the camera! (Very important step)

Next add the sausage and cook thoroughly. Maintain medium heat.

Once the meat is cooked, add the beans! Add enough water to cover the meat, onions and beans. Stir in the bouillon.

Finally, throw in your kale. It will look like way too much, but fear not – it will shrink.

Bring the liquid to a boil, then lower the heat and cover for 10-15 minutes. Go make a cup of tea and catch up on some trashy magazines current events.

A little while later, check on your soup. It should be looking something like this:

If you like, you can add some cornstarch to thicken it a bit.
Add some salt and pepper to taste, and THAT’S IT.