Sausage, Beans, and Greens Soup

Fall is my favorite season.  Well, if I'm being honest, I would have to admit that my favorite season is whatever season is beginning.  So, really I just like the change of seasons I guess.  I'm rambling.  

Fall is my favorite right now, and besides loving the changing colors, the cool crisp air, and crunching leaves, I love fall foods.  Apples, pumpkins, leafy greens, pies, and my absolute favorite, soups.  This soup was my first of the season.  Oh, by the way, as soon as I start back to school in September, it's fall in my book, forget the calendar.

This soup was so yummy that I'm a little sad it's all gone.  I loved eating it with a hunk of good bread to soak up the broth.

You will need:

• about a lb. of hot italian turkey sausage (removed from it's casing)
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 large shallot, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, diced
• about 5-6 cups chicken stock
• a large bunch of swiss chard, chopped roughly
• 2 cans of Great Northern White Beans
• Salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes

 Start by browning your sausage in a big soup pot.  Once it has started to get some good color, add the onion, shallot, and garlic.  

Let these cook down and get soft, maybe 3-5 minutes after you add the veggies.  Stir them occasionally to keep everything cooking evenly.  If you have a lot of fat, drain it.  Turkey sausage usually is very lean, so I didn't need this step.


While this is cooking together, go ahead and chop up your swiss chard.  I like to pull the leaves off of the stems, and then just give them a nice rough chop.  It will cook way down, so don't worry too much about the size.  

 

Then add the swiss chard, rinsed white beans, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes (to taste), and the chicken stock.  I just eyeball the stock.  I like my soups to be hearty, so I go a little light on the stock.  If you like more broth, add more stock. 

Give it a taste to make sure your seasonings are how you like them (I prefer heat over salt :), bring it to a boil, then let it simmer for about 15-20 minutes.  I topped mine the first two nights with a little Parmesan cheese, but it's not at all necessary.  Serve it up with a hunk of good bread (I love Wegman's garlic tuscan bread, or 7 grain sourdough.)  It makes about 5-6 good sized servings.