I want to paint a picture for you. It’s a scene you’re probably very familiar with. It’s a Wednesday night. You just got home from work. You’re exhausted after a long day at the office. Your spouse got home from work a little while before you did and already put a load of wash in. Because your spouse is amazing like that. While you’re grateful for your partner, you’re now wracked with guilt. “Am I carrying my weight here?” You’re not feeling like you do as you dump all of the bags you carried home onto the floor. If only you could unload the day’s stresses on the floor like your bags.

You open up the fridge to figure out what’s for dinner. “Shit.” Nothing but a couple of slimy bags of salad and a wheel of cheese. Lucky for you, I have a simple, hearty, and healthy soup that you can put together in 20 minutes. And you won’t dirty up a bunch of mixing bowls and pots and pans. You just need one pot, one cutting board, and one knife. That’s it.

As for the ingredients? Nothing fancy here. You’ll probably have to run to the store to get kale and the pre-cooked sausage. Everything else should be stuff you keep in your fridge and pantry on a regular basis. Pick the ingredients up on your way home from work and you’ll have no excuse to avoid making this quick meal (which will be your lunch for the next two days for two people after you have it for dinner tonight).

Let’s get to it!

White Bean, Kale, and Chicken Sausage Soup

Serves 6

• 1 tbsp EVOO
• 4 Cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
• 1 bunch of dinosaur kale, ribs removed and roughly chopped
• 1 package of pre-cooked chicken sausage
• 2, 15oz cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 6 c. of water
• 2 tbsp of better than bouillon (either chicken or veggie) (or use 6c. boxed/canned chicken broth or vegetable broth instead of water and bouillon)
• Juice of one lemon
• ¼ c. freshly grated parmesan (optional)
• 1/8 c. sherry wine (optional)
• Chopped parsley for garnish and crusty bread for serving

In a large pot, heat up the EVOO on medium heat. Add in the garlic and cook until translucent, but not brown (about 2 minutes). Add in the kale and sauté until wilted (about 5 minutes). If you’re going to use the sherry wine, add it to the pot before you sauté the kale. Add the white beans, chicken sausage, water, bouillon, lemon juice, and parmesan to the pot. Set the heat to medium high and bring to a boil, stirring well to make sure the bouillon has dissolved. Once the soup is boiling, give it a stir and then put the cover on and simmer on low for 10 minutes. Once 10 minutes is up, give the soup a stir again and serve in bowls with a garnish of chopped parsley and eat with some delicious crusty bread.

The soup keeps well in the fridge and freezer.