Tuscan White Bean & Sausage Soup

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp sun-dried tomato oil (from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes)
• 1 onion (medium, finely diced)
• 2 carrots (medium, finely diced)
• 2 celery stalks (finely diced)
• salt (to taste)
• black pepper (to taste)
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp calabrian chili (optional)
• 1 lb Italian sausage (or preferred protein)
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme (chopped)
• 1 tbsp fresh rosemary (chopped)
• 6 garlic cloves (minced, to taste)
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 0.5 cup dry white wine (optional)
• 30 oz cannellini or Great Northern beans (2 (15 oz) cans, drained and rinsed)
• 4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• Parmesan rind (optional)
• 1 Bay leaf
• 0.5 cup sun-dried tomatoes (to taste)
• 1 cup Freshly grated parmesan (plus more for topping)
• 0.5 cup half and half (or cream)
• 2.5 cup fresh spinach or kale (2-3 cups)
• Lemon juice (to garnish)
• Crusty bread (to dip)

Steps

1. 1

   In a large pot, heat about 1 tbsp of sun-dried tomato oil over medium heat.

2. 2

   Sauté the diced onion, celery, and carrot with salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and calabrian chili for a few minutes until the vegetables begin to soften.

3. 3

   Clear a center in the pot and add your preferred protein (Italian sausage). Allow a crust to form, then flip and break up with a wooden spoon. Cook through and combine with the veggies.

4. 4

   Add the chopped thyme, rosemary, and minced garlic. Stir and cook for another minute until fragrant.

5. 5

   Clear a center in the pot again and add the tomato paste. Let it cook in the pan for 1-2 minutes to develop flavor before stirring with the rest of the ingredients. Stir and cook for another minute or two.

6. 6

   Deglaze the pot with white wine, scraping up any brown bits (fond) on the bottom with a wooden spoon. Let it simmer for 1-2 minutes until slightly reduced.

7. 7

   Pour in the drained beans and chicken broth, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

8. 8

   Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low.

9. 9

   Add in the parmesan rind and bay leaf. Cover the pot and simmer for 20 minutes.

10. 10

    After 20 minutes, discard the bay leaf and parmesan rind (if you can find it).

11. 11

    Finish the soup by adding the sun-dried tomatoes, parmesan cheese, half-and-half, and spinach. Stir until the spinach is wilted.

12. 12

    Serve hot and top with more parmesan, a squeeze of lemon juice, and fresh black pepper. Enjoy with crusty bread!

Notes

The sun-dried tomato oil adds a lot of flavor, so use the oil from the jar if possible. If you cannot find the parmesan rind after simmering, it may have partially melted into the soup, which is fine.

Nutrition per serving

• soup
• main
• dinner
• Italian
• sausage
• white beans
• winter
• comfort food