Print

Tuscan Sausage, Bean, and Kale Soup

Prevent your screen from going dark

Makes 3 quarts (2.8L); serves 8 to 10 1x

Time 40 minutes

Scale

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup (120ml) extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 pound (450g) Italian sausages, casings removed
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 medium carrots, diced (Try to get carrots with their greens attached. The tops make great handles for little hands to hold while peeling.)
  • 4 celery stalks, diced
  • 1 large yellow onion, diced
  • 1 bunch lacinato (Tuscan) kale (10 ounces/285g), thick stems removed, leaves roughly chopped
  • 2 (12.7-ounce/360g) jars Italian corona beans, undrained
  • 1 (28-ounce/794g) can whole peeled tomatoes
  • 2 quarts (1.9L) chicken stock, store-bought or homemade
  • 1 tightly packed cup (75g) chopped Italian parsley
  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary, leaves picked
  • 1/2 teaspoon chile flakes
  • Grated zest and juice of 2 lemons
  • 2 heaping tablespoons (25g) kosher salt

For serving:

  • Extra-virgin olive oil
  • Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. In a soup pot, heat the olive oil over high heat until it shimmers. Add the Italian sausage and cook until almost browned.
  2. Stir in the garlic, carrots, celery, and onion and cook until they are fragrant and start to slightly soften, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the kale and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the corona beans and their liquid and stir. Add the canned tomatoes, crushing them by hand as you add them to the pot. Stir in the chicken stock and cook at a lively simmer for 20 minutes.
  3. Stir in the parsley, rosemary, chile flakes, and lemon zest. Add the salt and lemon juice.
  4. To serve, finish with olive oil, parmesan, and black pepper. To store, allow the soup to cool, then put it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

– From Dad, What’s For Dinner? © 2025 by David Nayfeld. Excerpted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.