The soup I crave the most is a hearty vegetable soup like this one. Not only are they fun to make year round, but they are healthy and a great way to use a lot of pantry staples and frozen goods that you probably already have! Take this version for example; I grabbed some frozen chicken stock from the freezer, along with frozen cooked black beans and frozen smoked turkey sausage. A can of diced tomatoes from the pantry, along with a half cup of wheat berries and now we’re talking!
Essentially the only ingredient I had to buy to finish off the soup was a gorgeous head of Lacinato kale to toss into the soup last minute. A lovely thing to also buy when you come across it and keep in the fridge are Parmesan cheese rinds. Supermarkets are selling them nowadays and they keep for quite a long time; toss one into a soup like this one or even a pot of homemade marinara sauce for an added richness that only a salty hard Italian cheese can bring.
(To view this recipe, click on the blue title of the blog post above*)
Wheatberry Soup with Black Beans, Kale & Sausage
Ingredients:
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon ussalted butter
- Crushed red pepper flakes
- 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 1 large carrot, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced or sliced
- Salt and pepper
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 Tablespoons chopped, fresh herbs (rosemary or thyme work well)
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 1 (14.5-oz.) can diced tomatoes, no salt added
- 1 (14.5 oz.) can black beans, low sodium—drained and rinsed
- 12 oz. smoked sausage, cut into half-moons
- 1 large head of kale, washed, ends trimmed, cut into thin strips
- 1 cup of cooked wheat berries (or any grain or small pasta you have on hand)
- Parmesan cheese rind
- Grated Parmesan or Pecorino for serving
Directions:
- In a large Dutch oven or stock pot, heat the oil and butter over medium heat. Add in the pepper flakes, garlic, onions, celery and carrots. Season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a big grinding of pepper. Saute for 5-7 minutes, or until the veggies are a bit tender. Add in the wine and cook for an additional 2 minutes or until the wine is reduced by half.
- Add in the stock, the bay leaf, herbs, the cheese rind, and the diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and cook for 20 minutes. At this point, add in the drained beans, the cooked grains and the sausage. Also, add in the sliced kale.
- Cook for an additional 10-12 minutes at a simmer, stirring often. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Serve warm with a grating of Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Tagged: black beans, carrots, celery, chicken broth, diced tomatoes, garlic, kale, Lacinato kale, onions, Parmesan cheese, Parmesan cheese rind, sausage, soup, stock, vegetable soup, wheat berries
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