Sausage & White Bean Soup with Wilted Greens

It's true that Spring has technically arrived (says the calendar) but Old Man Winter is not taking the break up very well. In reviewing the weather forecast for the week as I made out my weekly meal plan, I realized I better put a hearty soup on the list for some cold, nasty weather we're in for mid-week. Today was absolutely disgusting. Cold, blowing rain all. day. long. Naturally I had both playgroup and a doctors appointment to get to. Well at least it made eating the soup even better after being out in that. 

I wanted a brothy (vs. creamy) soup and wanted to sneak some good greens into it, so I decided to basically make a sausage and white bean soup and wilt some greens into at the very end. It was hearty indeed. I told my husband as we sat down to dinner that I felt like I should be sitting down to this meal in an old hunting shack in the woods after a long day of hunting. 

Sausage & White Bean Soup with Wilted Greens

1 lb. mild Italian turkey sausage links

1 small onion, halved and thinly sliced

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

2 T fresh chives, finely diced

3 cups chicken stock

2 cups water

1 can white beans, rinsed and drained

2 cups winter greens (I used kale, spinach, collards and swiss chard; a mix available by the pound at the grocery store; use whatever green variety you like)

Heat a dutch oven over medium-high heat and add a drizzle of olive oil. Place the sausage into the pot and place the lid part way on (to reduce splatter). Turn each link after a few minutes on each side until all sides are golden brown. Remove the sausage links from the pot and place on a cutting board. Immediately add the onion to the pot and stir.

Meanwhile, cut each link slightly diagonally (it may not be fully cooked, but firm enough to cut; it will cook again, so just use common sense with the knife you use and sanitize it just in case). Return the sliced sausage to the pot and stir together with the onion. Cook long enough to sear the sausage pieces; add the minced garlic and cook another 30-60 seconds. Add the chives and combine. 

Add the chicken stock and water and scrape all the bits off the bottom of the pot. Add the white beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer about 20 minutes. This leaves you time to make corn muffins!

I used the recipe I posted here but instead used 1/2 c all purpose flour and 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (instead of 1 cup all purpose) and used 3 tsp baking powder (instead of 2 tsp). They were hearty and delicious, not to mention more nutritional.

Just before you want to serve the soup, add the greens in and cook just until wilted; probably 5-10 minutes. Serve immediately.