Zuppa Petes

Contrary to what it may look like on my little blog, I make a lot of non-recipe meals. I like to call them everything-but-the-kitchen-sink dinners. Basically, I scour the fridge to see what we have available and try to concoct a meal. It's generally pretty basic and I don't keep track of what I add or how long I cook things.

But today, I was inspired to make an original recipe - actually have a little forethought or strategy (i.e. grocery run, not cupboard hunting). I wanted soup. (Which should come as no surprise since I crave it immensely in the winter.) So I picked up some of my favorite soup ingredients and hoped for the best. With chicken sausage, kale, carrots and a tomato-y broth, I figured it couldn't taste too bad. But I was pleasantly surprised how delicious and flavorful it turned out to be! In fact, I'm already excited for leftovers tomorrow. Yep, I'll be making this one again.

Zuppa Petes

Ingredients
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 medium onion, diced (no need to get too small)
4 cloves of garlic
2-4 tbs olive oil
1 lb turkey or chicken sausage
1 - 32 oz box chicken broth
1 C water
1 can diced tomatoes, no salt added
1 can cannelleni beans (drained)
1/2 bunch of kale (about 3-4 stocks), chopped
Red pepper flakes (to taste, but about 1 tbs)
Ground pepper (to taste)

Directions
In a standard size pan, brown the turkey sausage. Meanwhile, in a larger pan or pot, add olive oil, garlic, onions and carrots and cook over medium-high. Cook until the onions are soft and see-through. Then add the can of diced tomatoes, juice and all. Break up the tomatoes if they are a little bigger than you'd like. Toss in some red pepper flakes and ground pepper. Add the chicken broth and water, bring to a boil. Cover. Let boil for about 5-7 minutes. Add kale and beans and turn down heat to medium. Then add turkey sausage from the other pan. Let simmer for another 5-10 - feel free to taste a carrot to see if it's cooked enough. Serve with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese, if you please.