Soyrizo or Sausage Kale Bean Soup

Soyrizo Kale Bean Soup served with grapes
and homemade Easy Delicious Oatmeal Bread

Recipe from Food.com

Husband-Tested Recipe from Alice’s Kitchen

I first tried this soup at our local food co-op, Lost River Market & Deli.  It was just so good, perfectly spicy and filling.  It was made with Chorizo sausage.  Now, my husband can’t have red meat due to a tick bite allergy. So, I bought some Soyrizo (a meatless soy chorizo) and tried the recipe using it instead of the sausage.  Oh, YUM!!!

This is good enough for company.  Serve it with a slice of homemade bread or cornbread for a fabulous tummy-warming winter dinner.

½ lb. ground Italian sausage or Chorizo or 12 oz. Soyrizo

2 Tablespoons olive oil

½ medium yellow onion, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

5 large cloves garlic, minced

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

½ teaspoon Kosher salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

6 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth

2 (15 oz.) cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained (divided)

1 lb. kale, rinsed, stems removed, leaves torn or cut into bite-sized pieces

1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

½ teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest

Parmesan cheese, shredded (optional)

(To make this even more filling, you can add 1 large potato, cut into cubes, to the broth.  Add a few mushrooms too if you wish.)

Heat the oil in a soup pot.  Add the sausage or Soyrizo and cook, working to break into bite-sized pieces, until lightly browned.  (You might need to add more oil when using Soyrizo because there’s no fat.) Remove the sausage or Soyrizo from the pot and set aside.  (If using sausage, leave the rendered fat in the pot.)

Add the onion, carrot, and celery to the pot. Cook, stirring frequently, until softened and fragrant.  Add the garlic, pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add the broth and bring to a boil over high heat.  When the broth comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and add the sausage or Soyrizo and half of the beans.  Mash the remaining beans with a fork or wooden spoon.  Add them to the pot, stirring to distribute. Stir in the kale.  Reduce the heat to a simmer.  Cover the pot and simmer until the kale is bright green and tender, about 10 minutes or so.  Stir in the lemon juice and zest.  Serve with a bit of shredded Parmesan cheese, if desired.