Hutterite Bean Soup with Sausage, Greens and Garlic

• porții: 6 servings
• timp total: 3-4 hours

Ingrediente

½ cup olive oil, divided

2 large links of sweet Italian sausage, casings removed (about ½ lb. to ¾ lb.)

1 onion, diced

2 celery stalks, sliced or diced

2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into half-moons or diced

3 cloves garlic, sliced

Kosher salt

A pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

½ lb. Belden Barns Hutterite Soup beans (if you soak them overnight, you can reduce the cooking time)

2 bay leaves

1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes

6 cups water

Freshly ground black pepper

3 to 4 cups shredded or thinly ribboned kale or chard leaves

Pecorino Romano cheese, grated

Instrucțiuni

Heat ¼ cup olive oil in a large pot on medium heat. When hot, add the sausage, breaking it up with a wooden spoon until it starts to brown, about five minutes.

Add the onion, celery, carrots, garlic, a pinch of salt, and if you like your soup spicy, a pinch of red pepper flakes. Cook with the sausage until the vegetables soften a bit, another 5 minutes.

Add the beans, bay leaves, tomatoes and water. (If you fill the empty tomato can with water twice, that’s about 6 cups and a great way to get any leftover tomato pulp in the can into your soup pot). Add more salt and black pepper to taste.

Bring to a simmer and cook until the beans are tender, about 3.5 hours with unsoaked beans or less time if you pre-soaked the beans. You may want to add more water if the soup gets too thick, though we preferred ours on the thick side. You could also cover the pot half-way through cooking to reduce the amount of liquid lost.

When the beans are cooked, add the greens and cook until the leaves are tender. Discard the bay leaves.

To finish, divide the soup among bowls, then add the remaining ¼ cup olive and 2 garlic cloves to a small skillet and heat over medium until the garlic softens and hisses. Drizzle this over soup bowls, and top with grated Romano, passing more at the table.

Note

Vegetarians take heart - you can do this without the sausage and still have yourself a rich, hearty soup to enjoy.

This recipe can also be made in the slow cooker! After Step 2, add the veggies/sausage and everything from Step 3 to the slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours. Then continue with Step 5. This is how we often make this recipe at our house.

Adapted from Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen