Italian Sausage Kale Soup

Thirty-eight weeks. My last week of work before the baby. I told my supervisor Monday and she accepted it with relief and the look of a woman who will call me the second I'm eligible to come back. I understand. The floor is going into something and losing an experienced nurse to maternity leave at this moment is the wrong time and I know it. There's never a good time. The baby is coming. I'm going.

The governor declared a public health emergency on Tuesday. Schools are closing this week across Massachusetts. The city is beginning to lock down in the incremental way that things lock down: first the restaurants and bars at half capacity, then the event cancellations, then the schools, then the feeling in the air that something has shifted and the ordinary rules have been suspended.

Liam's daycare is closing Friday. He'll be home with Sean, who is on standby at the job site—construction is still running but with reduced crews—and my mother, who is seventy-one and who I've asked to stop coming over for the time being because her age and the virus and the uncertainty. She protested. I held the position. She protested again. I said "Ma, I need you to be okay in May." She was quiet for a moment and then said "alright." That was the whole negotiation.

Made enough food on Sunday to last two weeks: a big batch of chili, a pot of stock, cornbread, the jambalaya recipe that feeds four adults for three days. I cooked for five hours. Thirty-eight weeks pregnant. You do what you need to do.

The jambalaya was the anchor of that Sunday cook, but this soup — thick with sausage and kale and white beans — was the thing that kept reappearing in the refrigerator all week, ready when Sean didn’t have time to think and Liam needed something warm in front of him fast. It’s the recipe I come back to when I need to feel like I’ve done something solid and useful, when the situation is bigger than I can control but the pot on the stove is not. You make a big batch and the week gets a little more manageable. That’s the whole idea.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 40 min | Total Time: 55 min | Servings: 8

Ingredients

1 lb bulk Italian sausage (hot or mild)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 medium carrots, sliced into rounds
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cans (15 oz each) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 bunch (about 6 cups) curly kale, stems removed, roughly chopped
Grated Parmesan and crusty bread for serving

Instructions

Brown the sausage. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add the Italian sausage and cook, breaking it apart with a spoon, until browned and cooked through, about 6–8 minutes. Transfer sausage to a plate, leaving drippings in the pot.
Soften the aromatics. Reduce heat to medium. Add onion, carrots, and celery to the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5–6 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more, until fragrant.
Build the broth. Add diced tomatoes, cannellini beans, chicken broth, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper. Stir to combine, then return the browned sausage to the pot.
Simmer. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes to let the flavors develop and the vegetables finish cooking through.
Add the kale. Stir in the chopped kale in batches. Cook 5–7 minutes more until the kale is wilted and tender but still bright green. Taste and adjust salt as needed.
Serve or store. Ladle into bowls and top with grated Parmesan. Serve with crusty bread. Leftovers keep refrigerated for up to 5 days or freeze well for up to 3 months.

Nutrition (per serving)

Italian Sausage Kale Soup — The Batch Cook That Carried Us Through