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Sausage, Fennel & Greens with White Beans

Sausage, Fennel & Greens with White Beans

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp. EVOO

  • 1 lb. sweet Italian fennel sausage, removed from casings

  • 1 bulb fennel—quartered, cored, and chopped

  • 2 stalks celery with leafy tops, chopped

  • 1 onion, chopped

  • 4 cloves garlic, sliced

  • 1 tsp. crushed red pepper

  • Salt and pepper

  • 1 head escarole, trimmed and coarsely chopped

  • 2 quarts chicken stock

  • 1 can (15 to 19 oz.) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (I like Progresso)

  • 1 chunk of Parmigiano-Reggiano rind

  • ¼ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

Directions

Step 1

Heat a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high. Add the EVOO, two turns of the pan. When the oil shimmers, add the sausage. Cook, stirring often, breaking up the sausage with a spoon, until the meat is browned, about 8 minutes. Add the fennel, celery, onion, garlic, and crushed red pepper. Season with salt and pepper. Partially cover the pot and cook, stirring often, until the onion and fennel soften, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the escarole; stir until it wilts, about 1 minute. Stir in the stock, beans, Parm rind, and nutmeg. Let the soup simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove the Parm rind before serving.