Fresh Kale and Sausage Soup

After a nice three mile walk in the park with one of my girlfriends, there is nothing that I wanted to have more with the crisp weather outside than a nice warm bowl of soup. I had picked some fresh kale from the garden this week and wanted to use it up. The combination of sausage and kale is beyond delicious and was perfect for todays cravings!

Ingredients

1lb mild italian sausage (ground if available)

16 oz can diced tomatoes

16 oz can crushed tomoatoes

8 oz can of beef broth

4 celery sticks

1 onion

1 can of kidney beans

2 teaspoons of dried oregano

2 teaspoons of dried basil

1 teaspoon of dried thyme

1 teaspoon minced garlic

4-5 large kale leaves

Directions

In a large pot or dutch oven, brown the sauage (not in the casing). While the sausage is cooking, finely chop the celery and dice the onion. Add to the sausage. Once the celery and onions begin to soften, add the garlic and cook for two minutes. Drain the beans and pour into the pot along with the kale leaves. I prefer ripping the kale leaves by hand rather than chopping them up. Sprinkle the dried herbs and stir. Add more herbs to taste if needed. Pour the diced/crushed tomatoes and beef broth and stir. Leave on medium-high heat until it is brought to a boil. Cover and reduce to a simmer. I prefer that it simmers for at least an hour. Towards the end, I usually add a little bit of the star shaped pasta (optional) simply because it makes my son eat more soup. Thank you to whoever made pasta into the shape of a star! Genius!