Tuscan White Bean & Rosemary
Prep Time: 45 mins | Servings: 6 (with lots of leftovers)
Perfect For: Sunday Afternoon Soup for Supper
SOUP STORY
The first time I cooked for Rich, I invited him to my apartment on 58th Street and Sutton Place for a winter lunch. I didn’t realize that day I was introducing my future husband to my love of soup-making. This is a hearty enough soup to be called dinner and it is packed with protein and nutrients. I also make this soup without the sausage. It tastes just as good…but I do love the earthy flavor the sausage brings to this recipe. This soup needs some time for the flavors to blend so I find it is at its best if it’s been on the stove for a while. I hope you enjoy this delicious and hearty soup perfect for fall or winter.
INGREDIENTS
64 ounces of cannellini beans (butter or northern work too and I love a mix of your favorites). I love the Eden Organic canned or preferably soak your white beans overnight the day before
1 large Spanish onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic (2 cloves)
6 cups chopped heirloom carrots (yellow, red and orange), diced
4 cups medium-diced celery (8-10 stalks), diced
15 ounces of Sweet Italian Sausage, ½ ground and ½ diced
4 quarts of chicken stock
Drizzle of good olive oil
2 tablespoons of fresh diced rosemary
Kosher (always) salt and pepper to taste
15 ounces of Sweet Italian Sausage
DIRECTIONS
In a large stockpot on medium heat and saute the onion and garlic with olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan
Add the carrots and celery until translucent but still firm, 8 minutes
Rinse and add ¾ of the white beans and generously salt the vegetables and saute until flavors blends, 2-3 minutes
Add the chicken stock and a few rosemary sprigs and bring to a boil and then simmer for 20-30 minutes. Remove rosemary sprigs
With an emulsion blender, blend the soup to your desired texture, I like it to be creamy but also chunky so I blend about ½ way
While simmering, removing the casing of ½ of the sausages and pulse in your Cuisinart. Dice the rest and saute in a tiny bit of olive oil until cooked through and the ground sausage is slightly browned
Allow to cool and then pat the sausage with a paper towel to remove excess oil
Add sausage to the pot and then simmer again for 20-30 minutes or until the flavors are blended
Sprinkle the chopped rosemary and serve with Italian Tricolore Salad and warm focaccia bread
