Tuscan White Bean Noodle Soup with Chicken Sausage + Kale

Ingredients:

• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 links Italian chicken sausage (about 1/2 pound), casings removed
• Two 14.5 oz. cans cannellini beans, drained and divided
• 4-5 cups chicken stock
• Salt, to taste q Pepper, to taste
• 1 cup ditalini (or short-cut) pasta noodles
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil
• 1 heaping handful of curly kale, de-ribbed and torn into bite-size pieces
• Parmigiano-Reggiano, to garnish

Directions:

In a Dutch oven or large pot, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and garlic over medium heat. Stir with a wooden spoon to cook garlic until just fragrant. Add chicken sausage, stirring to cook while breaking down sausage into small pieces with a spoon.

While the sausage cooks for 5 minutes, add one can of cannellini beans to a food processor (or small bowl with an emulsifier) with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of water. Purée until smooth.

Add puréed beans, remaining can of whole cannellini beans, four cups of chicken stock, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper to the pot. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Stir in ditalini noodles and bring stovetop heat to medium, continuing to simmer until noodles are al dente, about 10 minutes. Then, stir in kale and basil. Taste to adjust the flavoring, if needed.

Ladle into bowls. Grate fresh Parmigiano Reggiano over soup, followed by cracked black pepper.