Sausage Ribollita Soup

Submitted by Chef Petunia

"This is an adapted recipe from the March/April Eating Well Magazine. I added a pound of spicy Italian sausage and replaced the water with chicken broth for added richness. Quote from Eating Well: "Ribollita, a traditional hearty Tuscan soup, typically uses day-old bread to add body and thicken the broth. This ribollita recipe uses a bean mash, which keeps the soup gluten-free and adds fiber. Garnish with extra-virgin olive oil or pepper and grated Parmesan." This is a beautiful, healthy and fulfilling soup."

 

• Ready In: 50mins
• Ingredients: 20
• Serves: 8

ingredients

• 1 lb hot Italian sausage, crumbed and cooked until done
• 1 (14 ounce) can whole peeled Italian plum tomatoes
• 2 (15 ounce) cans cannellini beans, rinsed, divided
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 medium leek, halved lengthwise, sliced and cleaned well
• 1⁄4 cup garlic, sliced thin
• 1⁄2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper, divided
• 1 cup carrot, diced
• 1 cup celery, diced
• 1 cup zucchini, diced
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1 bunch kale or 1 bunch swiss chard, trimmed and cut into 2-inch-wide slices
• 1⁄4 head savoy cabbage or 1/4 head green cabbage, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 cups russet potatoes, diced
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 2 cups water
• 1⁄2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1⁄8 teaspoon celery seed
• crushed red pepper flakes

directions

1. Crumble sausage and fry in a pan until no longer pink. Drain on paper towels.
2. Drain canned tomatoes, reserving the liquid. Dice the tomatoes. Using a potato masher, mash half the beans into a paste (add a bit of broth, if desired, to make mashing the beans easier). Set the tomatoes and beans aside.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add leek and garlic; cook, stirring, until translucent and tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Do not brown. Season with 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Stir in carrots, celery and zucchini and the remaining 1 tablespoon oil; cook, stirring, until nearly tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with 1/8 teaspoon each salt and pepper.
4. When the carrots and celery are nearly tender, stir in kale (or chard) and cabbage. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted, 4 to 6 minutes. Add cooked sausage, potatoes, broth, water, the diced tomatoes and juice, the bean puree and whole beans, thyme and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Season with celery seed, crushed red pepper and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally and reducing the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer, until all the vegetables are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.