The ultimate comfort soup in this bowl right here. This is the soup that I begin to think about mid-summer when I’m so over the desert heat and I’m ready to throw on my sweats and cozy up. Unfortunately, summers last forever in AZ so I have to wait a ridiculously long time until I can truly justify making this soup. It’s finally fall…and still 95 degrees but I’ve waited long enough, so bring on everything soup and roasted veggies! This is the first hot soup I made this season and let me tell you, it was sooo worth the wait!! It’s your lucky day because now you can make it too.
The most important trick to adding a massive amount of flavor to this soup is to include some leftover parmesan or romano cheese rind, you only need about 2 inches of the rind. The flavor the rind brings to the broth is unreal. This is a great trick with other broth based soups as well, the rind adds a new dimension and layer that you will never skip again.
This soup is hearty and earthy and all things that you crave about fall. The parmesan crisp takes all of 5 minutes in the oven, I wouldn’t advise skipping this either. Is anyone else thinking what I’m thinking? Yep, it seems like I might have a slight cheese obsession! Aside from the cheese, this bowl is filled with kale, sweet Italian chicken sausage and white beans. You will be so happy you added this soup to your recipe collection, it’s a keeper for sure.
- 1 lb sweet Italian chicken sausage
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 rib celery with leaves, chopped
- 1 tsp good quality extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme
- 1 tsp herbs de provence
- 5 C chopped dino kale
- 1 C dry white wine
- 1 qt (32 oz) low sodium chicken broth
- cheese rind (parmesan or romano) - cut off part of the rind - approx 2 inches
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp ground pepper
- 15 oz can white beans, rinsed and drained (cannellini or great northern)
- 1 C grated parmesan cheese
- Heat a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Cut each sausage down the middle and remove casings (outer skin of sausage) discard casings, dump sausage into pot. Break up sausage with a spatula as it cooks - approximately 15 minutes. Remove sausage and set aside. Add olive oil, after olive oil heats add onions and celery. Sautee for approximately 8 minutes until softened. Throw the sausage back in and add garlic, thyme, herbs de provence and kale and cook for 2 minutes until kale begins to wilt. Add white wine and cook until liquid reduces by half. Add chicken broth, cheese rind and S&P and bring to a simmer, continue to simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, add beans and discard cheese rind. Serve with parmesan crisps.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Place cheese into approximately 6 round piles, evenly spread out and flattened. Bake in oven for approximately 5 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to completely cool before serving.