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Sausage, Kale & Butter Bean Minestrone

Felt lazy and indecisive, so I made a hybrid between sausage and bean stew with a minestrone flair. It’s intensely nourishing and veggie packed – a true one-pot comfort meal when your body needs minimal tasks, yet maximal TLC.

“Some foods are so comforting, so nourishing of the body and soul, that to eat them is to be home again after a long journey. To eat such meal is to remember that, though the world is full of knives and storms, the body is built for kindness” ~ Eli Brown – this soup is just that.

Lunch

Dinner

A Little Longer

Serves 4-6

Prep Time 10 Mins

Cook Time 45 Mins

Ingredients

Method

30ml extra virgin olive oil, plus extra
4 large natural pork and fennel sausages (nitrate / additive free)
1 large white onion, finely diced
3 medium stalks celery, finely diced
1 large carrot, finely diced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
25g unsalted butter
100ml dry white wine
500ml chicken bone broth (or chicken stock)
2 cups water
400g finely chopped canned tomatoes
1 cup green cabbage, finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried Aleppo pepper (or ½ teaspoon chilli flakes)
4g fresh oregano, finely chopped
10g fresh basil, finely chopped
10g fresh parsley, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
Juice of half a lemon
400g canned butter beans, drained
1 zucchini, grated
2 cups kale, stems removed and roughly torn
Salt
Pepper

To Serve:

Freshly grated parmigiano reggiano
Buttered sourdough toast
Flakey Salt

Method

1
Make a small incision lengthways down each sausage and remove the outer casings, reserving the meat to one side. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large stainless steel or non-stick pot over a high heat. Add the sausage meat, roughly breaking it up using the tip of a spatular. Turn down the heat to medium and brown until golden on all sides. Remove the sausage from the pan and transfer onto a plate lined with paper towel.
2
Clean out the pot and place back onto the stovetop. Add the remaining olive oil, onion, celery and carrot. Gently sauté the vegetables until the onion softens and turns opaque. Next, add the tomato paste, stirring until it starts to stick to the base of the pot. Deglaze the pan by adding the butter and white wine. Allow the alcohol to ‘cook off’ for 30 seconds.
3
Add the chicken bone broth, water, sausage meat, canned tomatoes, cabbage, Aleppo pepper, oregano, basil, parsley, garlic, lemon juice and a generous seasoning of salt and pepper. Bring up to the boil, then cover and turn the heat down to a gentle simmer for 30 minutes.
4
Remove the lid and add the butter beans, grated zucchini and kale. Cover and cook for a further 2-3 minutes or until the greens have just wilted. Uncover and drizzle over a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, then let stand for 3 minutes.
5
Ladle the soup amongst bowls, topping with freshly grated parmesan, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of flakey salt. Serve alongside some toasted and buttered sourdough if desired.