Enjoy a big bowl of Slow Cooker Tuscan White Bean Soup loaded with big, robust flavors and perfect with a side of crusty bread. Made with cannellini beans, coarsely chopped kale, chunks of sweet Italian sausage, lemon juice and pesto in Swanson® Chicken Broth, this easy, hearty, comforting soup is perfect for busy, chilly days.
2(15 ounce) canscannellini beans, rinsed and drained (or Great Northern or Navy beans)
1poundmild Italian sausage, casings removed
1bunchkale, roughly chopped with stems removed
3Tablespoonsfresh lemon juice + 1 tablespoon lemon zest
Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
Prep the vegetables by chopping the carrots and onion, and mincing the garlic cloves.
Add the chopped vegetables to a large slow cooker along with pesto, red pepper flakes, and Swanson® Chicken Broth. Cover tightly with lid and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours.
Remove lid and add in sweet Italian sausage, breaking it up into small bite-size chunks. Stir in kale, rinsed and drained cannellini beans, and lemon juice and zest.
Cover again and cook on high for another 30-45 minutes until sausage is cooked through and soup is hot.
Serve with Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top. Leftover soup can be refrigerated for 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
Notes
Optional: If you happen to have a Parmesan cheese rind, throw that in the slow cooker with everything else. It adds wonderful flavor, but it's not absolutely necessary for this soup.