Brothy Beans with Sausage and Kale

Easy meals that don’t sacrifice taste and health are the best meals, right?!

Here’s an easy meal that comes together quickly, has all the nutritional benefits of beans, and fresh kale, and has the flavour thanks to Italian sausage, and Pecorino cheese.  This dish is what you can turn to on a busy weekday, and leftovers taste even better on day two, in case you want to save some for lunch.

Brothy is the New Soup

Back in the day we would call a thick soup, with more ingredients and less broth, a Stoup.  Get it, half way between soup and stew?  Well these days, the buzzword is Brothy.  Meaning that there is enough broth that these meals require a spoon, but not enough broth that you would actually call them soup.  For me, this consistency is nothing new. I will always think of a classic Pasta Fagioli made by one of our neighbours when I was a kid which introduced me to this texture of thicker pasta, beans and broth. Such a comforting bowl of goodness, and it has always stuck with me.  

Now, the ‘brothy-ness’ of this soup is totally up to you.  If you would rather it be a bit thinner or looser, just add more stock.  This dish will naturally thicken up as it cools, especially if stored in a sealed container in the fridge overnight, so I always have a bit more stock or even water handy for loosening it up as it warms up in the pot.

The Joy of Canned Beans

When you see cans of beans on sale, stock up.  They are such an economical way to stretch meals, and get needed fibre, protein, and nutrients, can balance blood sugar, aid in heart health, and so many more benefits, as seen here!  They can be used in soups, stews, chilli, dips, salads, etc. These days, so many more types of beans are available ready cooked and canned or even packaged in glass jars.  After a good rinse to remove any of the extra sodium used to preserve them, they are ready to go.  If you are at a loss as to what to make for dinner, a can of rinsed beans, some canned salmon, tuna or sardines, La Bomba sauce, chopped onions, garlic and olives, and you have a fabulous salad.  Stir it all together in a skillet and add pasta, and suddenly you have the best dinner ever, all made with pantry staples.

Method

Pulling this meal together is so easy.  Diced onion, carrot, minced garlic, beans, and shredded or chopped kale are the vegetarian aspects of this meal.  Sautéed crumbled Italian sausage, and broth are the non-vegetarian ingredients.  If you want to keep this meal totally vegetarian, skip the sausage, and replace the chicken or turkey broth with vegetable broth.  The bonus flavour comes from the grated Pecorino cheese and pepper, kind of a Cacio Pepe vibe.

Start with removing the casings from your sausages.  Crumble the filling into a skillet, and sauté till crisp and golden brown.  Use a slotted spoon to remove it to a paper towel lined plate.  Remove the fat, leaving only a tablespoon for the next step.  Next you will sauté the onions, garlic and carrots till tender.  Reserving some of the beans and broth, next add the beans and broth, and cook till the beans are warmed through.  Now you will blend the reserved beans, broth and grated cheese till smooth.  This gets poured into the skillet with everything.  This will create a smooth, creamy finish to the broth.  Now return the sausage to the skillet and add in the kale and let it wilt till softened.   Finish with black pepper.  Taste and see if you need salt.  Between the sausage and the cheese, some salt is already there.

Finishing with Acid

Beans, actually all legumes like lentils, chickpeas etc really benefit from a bit of acid added to them.  Whether it is freshly squeezed lemon juice, or a splash of red wine vinegar, not only does this brighten the flavours of the other ingredients, but it actually helps lighten the richness of beans.  They have a dense, thick, even rich quality when cooked, so when they are a main ingredient  in a dish, adding the acid cuts through this, making legumes more appealing to the palate.  Cuisines all over the world have been doing this for centuries, they all get it. So don’t leave it out here.

Final Thoughts

Like I said, this meal is easy to whip up, and store as leftovers, thanks to using canned beans.  It will thicken as it cools, so feel free to add more broth or even water to the leftovers as you re-warm it in a pot the next day.  How much broth you want to add is totally up to you.

I like using Cannellini beans, since I’m using Italian Sausage.  But feel free to use whichever bean you like.  Canned Fava or Broad beans, even Navy or Romano beans will be fine.  If you want to use a different sausage, go for it.  Add some celery if you have some in the fridge, use spinach instead of kale, this Brothy Beans dish is quite versatile!  Replace the Pecorino with Parmesan or Grana Padano, or any firmer cheese that grates nicely.  Using too creamy a cheese like mozzarella will actually turn this into a gummy dish, so stick with the harder cheeses.

Serve this dish with toasted baguette or focaccia, with a bit more lemon, and your belly will be very happy.

For other bean or legume forward meals, check out Pasta with Pancetta and White Beans, Roast Chicken with Beans, Garlic and Apples, Roasted Spiced Cauliflower and Chickpeas over Jeera Rice, North African Harira Soup, Pasta with Kale, Lentils and Caramelized Onions, Cozy, Comforting French Cassoulet, Tabbouleh Inspired Here and White Bean Salad.

If you make these Brothy Beans with Sausage and Kale, please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! It’s always lovely to hear from you guys, and I always do my best to respond to each comment or question. And of course, if you do make this recipe, and you post it on Instagram, don’t forget to also tag me so I can see! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is such a treat.

5 from 2 votes

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Brothy Beans with Sausage and Kale

Simple, quick, healthy, comforting, what more can we ask for in such a versatile bean dish. Think of this as a cross between soup and stew, with all the comforting vibes from the grated cheese. Leftovers are even better!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian, North American

Keyword brothy beans, cannellini beans

Prep Time 28 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 3/4 lb Italian Sausages, casings removed, see Notes
• 1 medium onion, small dice
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 medium carrots, small dice
• 3 14 oz cans or jars (398 ml) Cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups chicken broth plus more as desired, see Notes
• 1/3 cup (31 g) grated Pecorino cheese, or more as desired
• 3 cups finely sliced Lacinato kale, see Notes
• salt and pepper
• lemon for finishing, see Notes
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley for garnish

Instructions

1. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Remove the meat from the sausage casings and crumble into the pan. Sauté until cooked through and crisped up. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked sausage to a paper towel lined plate. Drain all but 1 tablespoon of the fat from the skillet.
2. Add the onion and sauté till softened, about 3 minutes or so. Add the garlic and carrot and cook, stirring regularly till getting soft.
3. Set aside 1/3 cup of the drained beans, along with 1/2 cup of the chicken broth, and add the remaining beans and broth to the skillet. Cook over medium heat till the vegetables are softened, and the beans are warmed completely through.

4. Meanwhile, in a blender, combine the reserved beans, broth and 1/3 cup grated cheese till smooth. Add this to the skillet and stir through. Return the sausage to the skillet. Add the finely sliced kale and let the warmth of the broth soften and warm the kale through.

5. Taste and add salt sparingly since the sausage and cheese will have added a saltiness already. Then add in 1 tsp pepper. Taste and adjust as desired.

6. Use the juice from 1/2 lemon to finish the dish, stir through. This will brighten and lighten the rich nature of the beans.
7. If the beans are too thick for you, just add a bit more broth to thin out the consistency.

8. Finish with the chopped parsley, and more grated Pecorino if you want, and serve with toasted baguette or focaccia.

9. If storing any leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge overnight, you will need to add more stock or water to them as you re-heat them over medium low heat. They will have thickened overnight.

Recipe Notes

If three average sized sausages come close to 3/4 lb or so, this is fine. Use hot Italian or mild Italian sausages, as per your liking.
Feel free to use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. Add a spoonful of my Faux Chicken Bouillon Powder for added depth of flavour.
You can replace the kale with chiffonade-ed spinach. If you use a curly kale, you wil need to let it cook longer before finishing the dish, as it needs more time to break down and soften.
You can swap out red wine vinegar for the lemon if you desire.