Does the title shock you? A NON-DESSERT recipe!
At the encouragement of my dear husband, I am going to be posting more healthy recipes on the blog. Not ALL the time, of course. The truth is that photos of sugar and chocolate laden baked goods are just so darn pretty. Healthy meals are – eh – so-so in the photography department.
I don’t eat blueberry muffins, banana bread, or chocolate and peanut butter cookies for dinner. Or lunch. This is the type of meal that we have at home for lunch and dinner. (Who am I kidding? I have a turkey sandwich every stinking day at noon.) Well, okay, dinner. This is an easy, one-pot, 30-minutes or less, healthy dinner.
This chicken sausage, white bean and kale soup is a perfect weeknight meal. I use fully cooked chicken sausage, canned beans and canned tomatoes in this recipe to save time. You may think that I’ve listed a huge amount of kale in the ingredients list, but it wilts down a bunch. If you like things with a little “kick,” add another 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes.
My favorite way to serve this soup is with heaps of day-old french bread. You can place it on the bottom of the bowl and pour the soup over it. Or, you can cut the bread into 1″ croutons and pour them on top.
SHOWN IN THESE PHOTOS
“Roulette” Low Bowls | Revsersible Placemat (SALE) | “Mallorca” Scalloped Saucer | Square Dish
Shot with a Nikon D7000 + 50mm f/1.4G Prime lens + 18-105mm VR lens
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 12 ounce package fully cooked chicken sausage links
- 1 15 ounce can Great Northern beans, rinsed (can substitute cannellini beans),
- 4 cups chicken stock (add more stock if you like it more "soupy")
- 1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes (do not drain)
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 5 cups bunch kale leaves (torn into small pieces)
- pinch of salt
- pinch of pepper
- 1 day-old baguette (optional)
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
- Add the onion and garlic and cook until onion is translucent, about 3 minutes.
- Add the sausage and cook, about 2 minutes.
- Add the beans, broth, and diced tomatoes, paprika, oregano and red pepper flakes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add the kale and a pinch of salt and pepper and simmer for an additional 5 minutes.
- Ladle soup into bowls and serve topped with bread cut into 1" croutons or shavings of Parmesan cheese.
Inspiration for this recipe can be found here, here and here.