Food + Drink

Fix and Freeze Hearty Italian Soup

PUBLISHED ON: 11.17.2013
When I am feeling stressed, tired and overwhelmed that there are not enough hours in the day, week or month,  I start to crave time in my kitchen.  My kitchen is my sanctuary where I retreat to relocate my center of gravity.  I lean towards preparing comfort foods, preserving seasonal bounty or indulge in batch cooking to ease my disorganized meal plan ideas that will surely plague me during the week.
Today, it was all about “Fix and Freeze” soup.  The recipe for this hearty soup was adapted from a recipe found in Southern Living.  I used chorizo instead of mild Italian sausage, kale from the garden instead of spinach, dried navy beans (soaked overnight), and added carrots too.  I had 8-quarts of this soup simmering on the stove on this cloudy Sunday afternoon.  I stored a few containers for the work week lunches and a few quarts for the freezer.
A loaf of crusty bread, and a salad and this would be a great meal. It is hearty and delicious.

Hearty Italian Soup
Serves 8
Recipe adapted from Southern Living


Ingredients:
1-lb. chorizo
2tsp. olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (48-oz.) chicken stock
2 (15-oz.) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 ( 14.5-oz.) cans diced tomatoes
3 large carrots, chopped
1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
1 (small bunch kale
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup fresh basil
Freshly shaved parmesan cheese
Directions:
1.  Cook sausage in hot oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat 7 to 8 minutes on each side or until browned.  Remove sausage from Dutch oven, reserving drippings in Dutch oven.  Sauté onion in hot drippings  3 minutes or until tender.  Add garlic, and sauté 1 minute.  Cut sausage into 1/4-inch thick slices, and return to Dutch oven.
2.  Stir chicken broth and next 4 ingredients into sausage mixture; bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 25 minutes.
3.  Stir in kale and next two ingredients; cook stirring occasionally, 5 to 6 minutes or until kale is wilted.  Top each serving with Parmesan cheese. 

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