First snow of the year in Brooklyn

It snowed ALL DAY yesterday in Brooklyn - crazy! Big fat, wet snowflakes. It looked pretty messy out there - I did not leave the apartment :)  Not a ton stuck around but this is what it looked like this morning afterwards when the sky was super blue, clear and sunny.

So, in honor of the snow, I made soup this morning.

Kale, sausage and cannellini bean soup

Kale, sausage and white bean soup - big pot :)

• 6 -7 cups chicken broth
• 1 pkg. italian sausage links - 5 or so
• 1 large bunch of kale (thick ribs removed), chopped - probably about 5 - 6 cups of chopped kale
• 2 cans cannellini, white beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 onion, diced
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• good pinch of red chili flakes
• olive oil for sauteeing
• salt to taste - start with 1-1/2 tsp. and go from there
• Serve with cooked pasta of your choice - macaroni, shells, etc.

Heat up olive oil over medium high heat. Add onions, garlic, chili flakes and sautee w/pinch of salt.

Add sausage links and brown on each side a few minutes.

Add kale and carefully stir in and let it start to wilt, add a sprinkle of salt, cook a few minutes.

Add beans, broth and a little more salt, and let everything come to a low boil.

Turn heat down and simmer until kale is tender. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Remove sausage links and slice and add back to soup.

Serve with a little cooked pasta (stir pasta into soup or pour soup over a little pasta), and a drizzle of good olive oil and some grated parmigiano reggiano or pecorino on top.