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Chef Gina Veneziano’s Kale, White Bean, and Sausage Soup

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After my love letter to soup last week, this week, I am making one of my favorites. It’s cozy and warm without being too heavy or rich. I came up with this for my fiancé, who recently has had to go gluten-free and desperately misses a similar dish I make, with sausage, kale, and pasta. 

You’ll notice the ingredients call for either broth or stock and while the two are practically interchangeable, there are a few, slight differences. Broth is made with vegetable and meat scraps while stock is made from simmering bones, making it slightly thicker albeit potentially, slightly less flavorful. Use whichever you prefer or have on hand. I always have one or the other in my pantry since I often substitute it for water in savory recipes as it adds extra flavor.  It’s quite easy to make your own stock/broth although there are a lot of good ones available at the market as well. However, you may want to taste your store-bought stock/broth first as they vary in saltiness, which will help you determine how much salt of your own to add throughout the cooking process. 

Like most soups, this one tastes better the next day and would be great served with crusty, rustic bread or a grilled cheese sandwich. Since it has meat and beans, it’s filling enough for a main dish. Enjoy!   

Kale, White Bean, and Sausage Soup

Total Time: 60 Min Prep Time: 30 Min

Makes: 6-8 Bowls

Ingredients

  • 2 TBS SUNFLOWER SEED OIL
  • 1 ONION, DICED
  • 1 CARROT, DICED
  • 4 GARLIC CLOVES, MINCED
  • SALT & PEPPER, TO TASTE
  • 1 LB. ENCASED SAUSAGE, SLICED
  • 4 CUPS CHICKEN STOCK, OR BROTH
  • 2 (16OZ.) CANS WHITE BEANS
  • 1 BUNCH KALE, RIBS REMOVED, ROUGHLY TORN
  • FRESH SHAVED PARMESAN CHEESE AS GARNISH

Directions

  1. Sauté diced onions in oil in a large pot until soft, 3-5 mins.
  2. Add diced carrots and minced garlic, continue to sauté 3-5 mins, add a few pinches of salt & pepper.
  3. Scrape any of the browned bits from the bottom of the pot, add sliced sausage, and brown for 5-7 minutes.
  4. Add chicken stock, white beans (not drained), and kale. Season again with salt & pepper.
  5. Bring to a boil, turn down to simmer, cover and let simmer for at least 30 mins.
  6. Serve warm with fresh Parmesan on top.

Tips

  • Any type of oil will work, I prefer sunflower seed in this application as it’s tasteless, less expensive than olive oil, and has a higher smoke point so you are not at risk of burning and getting that bitter taste that can sometimes come from olive oil.
  • I used chicken sausage to keep this soup light and healthy. If using pork sausage, you will likely want to brown the sausage as the first step, remove the meat from the pot and drain most of the fat drippings so the soup doesn’t become too oily. Leave 2-3 TBS meat drippings to sauté the onion, and continue from there as directed. 
  • Not draining the cans of beans adds additional liquid and a slight thickness. When all the ingredients are in the pot, if the liquid doesn’t cover the solid ingredients, you may want to add up to a few cups of water to ensure there is enough “broth”. To this particular batch, I added 8oz. water before bringing it to a boil.

About Chef Gina Veneziano

Hailing from a long line of chefs, Gina spent much of her early childhood at her family’s restaurant.  Always wanting to make a career of it, she has spent the last 15 years doing everything from interning at a butcher shop to concepting food trucks to catering sales to most recently, recipe development and culinary innovations. She prides herself in being the only person to successfully recreate her grandmother’s famous meatballs – you can usually catch her, apron on, and a glass of prosecco in hand – cheers!

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