Tuscan Sausage and Bean Soup

There are so many variations of this soup in Tuscany – with white beans, kale, spinach, with sausage or without…I mean lots.

I took my favorite bits from different recipes and created a hearty and delicious soup that will stay in my winter arsenal forever. We loved loved loved it.

It’s got spicy Italian sausage, farro, spinach, cannellini beans and lovely spices. It’s just perfect on a cold day, especially paired with a Tuscan red wine like a Chianti or a Brunello. Anything Sangiovese based will go great.

First, let’s talk about FARRO. I love this super grain super food. I buy it in bulk from Amazon because I can’t find it at the shops in my area. I often use it in place of rice or potatoes, sometimes even in place of pasta. I have several more favorite recipes with farro I’ll be sharing.

From what I understand it’s on par with quinoa in terms of protein but has more fiber. It also has vitamins A and E, and magnesium and iron. (Both farro and quinoa are better than couscous, which is actually a pasta.)

INGREDIENTS

• 1 medium yellow onion

• 2-3 cloves of garlic

• 2-3 T cooking olive oil + 2-3T butter

• 3 links spicy Italian sausage

• 6-7 sage leaves

• 1 large sprig of rosemary

• 2 packed cups of fresh spinach

• 32oz vegetable broth

• 1 C water

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 C of farro (rinsed)

• 1 can of cannellini beans drained and rinsed

• salt and pepper to taste

• olive oil

• parmigiano to shave on at the end

DIRECTIONS

1. Dice and sauté onion in garlic and butter in a large pot or dutch oven. After a few minutes of sweating the onion, add the chopped garlic.

2. Take 3 links of spicy Italian sausage and remove the casing. Crumble the meat into small bits and toss them into the pot. Allow those to brown.

3. Add chopped sage and rosemary. I used about 8 sage leaves and 1 stalk of rosemary. Stir that up a bit until it’s nice and aromatic.

4. Add two cups of spinach and just stir that in a little bit so it cooks slightly.

5. Add vegetable broth + water. Salt and pepper. Two bay leaves.

6. Throw in 1 cup of farro. Bring to a low boil with the lid off for 20-30 min.

7. Add 1 can of cannellini beans (drained and rinsed)

8. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let cook with lid on over low heat for another 15-20min.

9. We finished it with a little parmigiano and homemade spicy olive oil.

Share pictures of your soup • Tag your pictures with #SliceFood and #Sliceoftuscany