Kale, Navy Bean and Sausage Soup

For years in North America , kale was that ubiquitous, deeply rich frilly green stuff that decoratively lined buffets everywhere.  This was the best kept health secret for years, having been enjoyed by the Portuguese culture among many others in their regular diet for decades (or centuries?).

Now that secret is out and it has been freed from its buffet prison, Kale is now everywhere. From juicing to chips, it has become the new darling of nutrition.  And why not?  It's super low calorie bursting with vitamins and other healthful things.  Read more about the benefits of kale here.

This is a soup I love to make that is good for you. Besides kale, it has healthy navy beans and tomatoes. I also use turkey sausages and olive oil. I did use a bouillon cube for added flavour ( I know, shame on me), but you can use a lower salt version or, replace the water indicated below with straight chicken or vegetable broth of your choice.

For a "stewier" rather than "soupier" version, use 2 cans of beans.  

Also, you can completely make this vegan and skip the meat but then do double the beans.  

If you'd like, you can use Italian sausages but drain the meat fat after cooking and add an extra 1/4 cup olive oil at the end to make up for having purged it with the other fat.  (My turkey sausage released no fat so the olive oil stayed in.)

Make a pot of healthful deliciousness now!

Here's what you'll need:

450 gm Italian sausage (hot or mild, your choice)
1 can diced Italian tomatoes (28 oz/796 ml), 
drained and well rinsed
1 can navy beans (19 oz/540 ml), drained and well rinsed
I large bunch kale
Olive oil
1 chicken bouillon cube (not shown)
(the kind that has to be added to 2 cups of water)

I know, it looks like a tree & you could hardly fit it in the bag!

It's very easy to work with.

Just tear off the leaves with your hands 

from the thick centre core.

They rip off very easily!

Here is my "mound o' kale" which I've hand torn 

into bite sized pieces.

Don't worry.  It will all shrink when heated.

Prepare your sausages.

Just run the tip of a sharp knife 

through the casing to expose the meat.

Dump the naked sausages into a soup pot with 1/4 C olive oil.

I know, it looks like something out of a "Halloween" movie!

With the flat end of a wooden spoon,

take your aggression out on the meat and chop it into pieces.

Cook on medium high heat, all the while stirring.

This is what positive aggression looks like.

After a few minutes when it's fairly cooked...

Add the kale.

Stir around until it looks slightly wilted, like this.

 Add the beans, tomatoes and bouillon (if using).

Add 4.5 C of water or, if you're not using bouillon, 

add the stock of your choice at this point.

Bring to a boil...

Then reduce heat to medium-low and 

simmer covered for about 15 minutes.

Finish with a couple of tablespoons of quality olive oil.

I love spice so I sprinkled crushed chili peppers on mine!

Rescued from buffets around the world, 

kale is the star in this satisfying soup filled 

with other companions of good nutrition!

Throw in some crusty bread and you've got the full meal deal!

Yummy!