BSG: Bean, Sausage, and Greens Soup

This weekend the weather dipped below 45F and Aunt Flow was gracious enough to stop by... comfort food in the form of hot soup sounded like a great idea!

BSG: Bean, Sausage, and Greens Soup

This recipe for White Bean Soup with Sausage and Collards looked easy to make and delicious. I picked up some sweet italian sausage links at the local market, along with a bunch of collard greens, and 2 cans of cannelli beans.

Items	Cost
Canned Cannelli Beans (2 @ $1.39 ea)	$2.78
Half of BF Italian Sausage (1.07 lb/$6.41)	$3.21
Collard Greens	$1.49
1/4 of Low Sodium Chicken Stock (32oz/$2.50)	$0.62
Total	$8.10

At the time of this writing, I've finished two large bowls of this hearty stew. There's still over 1 large bowl left, possibly two. The material costs come down to $2.03-2.70 per bowl - normally at restaurants on this island a bowl of soup comes out to $5 at the minimum. The total difference between cooking and eating out is over $12. This is a good meal to make yourself if you've the time - it takes about half an hour to cook. It doesn't offer quite as much savings as cooking a purely protein meal such as steak. If that isn't a winning argument, them maybe consider that collard greens and cannelli beans are both packed with many nutrients and vitamins as well as good taste. Homemade soups can have lower sodium than restaurant soups which would help you better maintain your cardiovascular system. High sodium leads to high blood pressure, stroke, and a puffy/bloated appearance. As The Atlantic reports, these days more people die from heart diseases than a century ago. Italian sausage has quite a bit of fat and sodium so I used enough for flavoring.

Ingredients

• 1/2 package (9 ounces) sweet italian sausage
• 1tbsp diced dried onion
• 2 packages (10 ounces each) frozen chopped collard greens, unthawed
• 2 cans (15.5 ounces each) cannellini beans, drained, rinsed, and slightly mashed
• Coarse salt and ground pepper

Steps

1. Cook sausage and onion in a large saucepan over medium heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until fat renders, 8 to 10 minutes. Uncover and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until browned, 5 to 7 minutes more. (If bottom of pan starts to burn in spots, sprinkle with water and scrape up blackened bits.)
2. Add collard greens, beans, and 4 cups of chicken stock or water; season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until soup is slightly thickened, 5 to 7 minutes. Adjust consistency of soup with water, if necessary. 

Collard greens start out a bright fresh green

But I like to wait until it turns a browner shade because it means soup will be more stew-like

Next, I want to try this pressure cooker version.