White Bean Vegetable Stew

American Soup Recipes

3 c. dry cannellini or Great Norther beans (about 1 1/2 lb.) 3 Tbsp. olive oil (total) 1 large yellow onion, chopped 1 lb. turkey sausage, casing removed 5 cloves garlic, minced 1 Tbsp. fresh thyme 4 c. chicken stock (may substitute vegetable stock) 1 c. water 1 c. chopped tomatoes 1 bunch kale, stems removed, leaves coarsely chopped 2 1/2 lb. butternut squash, peeled, in 1/2 inch pieces, about 6 c. 1 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. black pepper

Rinse beans and discard any chaff. Place beans in large stockpot with 10 c. of water, enough to cover them by about four inches. Bring to a rapid boil, boil for 5 min. Remove from heat, cover tightly, allow beans to soak 2 - 4 hours. Meanwhile... Place butternut squash in a bowl, drizzle with 1 Tbsp. olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, tossing to coat. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake at 375 F for 25 min. Heat 2 Tbsp. olive oil in a large skillet, and saute onion until soft, about 3 min. Add sausage, garlic, thyme, and saute until evenly browned. When beans are done soaking... Drain beans, rinsing with cold water. Place sausage mixture in stock pot. Add beans, chicken stock, tomatoes, water. Bring to a boil. Decrease heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Fold in cooked butternut squash. Add kale in last ten minutes of cooking. This seems like a long drawn-out process, but the soup smells outstanding! To get to "share and enjoy" faster, use canned beans instead of dried. You could also omit the squash.

Submitted by Gretchen Grant
Contributed on: Friday February 18th, 2005