turkey and kale minestrone soup

Turkey

Turkey & Kale Minestrone Soup

Adjust the heat level in the dish by choosing either hot or mild Italian sausage. You can add red pepper, too, to make it extra hot. Serve this slow-cooker minestrone with crusty bread, if desired.

Ingredients

10 ounces spicy turkey italian sausage, casings removed
2 cups chopped yellow onions (from 1 medium onion)
1 cup chopped carrots (from 1 medium carrot)
¾ cup chopped celery (from 2 celery stalks)
6 cups unsalted chicken stock
2 (14.5 ounce) cans no-salt-added fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (15 ounce) can no-salt-added kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 cup uncooked ditalini pasta
2 cups packed fresh baby kale leaves, roughly chopped

Directions

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Add the sausage to the skillet, and cook, stirring to crumble with a wooden spoon, 4 minutes. Add the onions, carrots, and celery to the skillet; cook, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is browned and the vegetables are lightly caramelized, about 6 minutes. Add 1 cup of the stock; cook 1 minute, stirring and scraping to loosen the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet.
Transfer the sausage mixture to a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Stir in the tomatoes, beans, salt, 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper, and the remaining 5 cups stock. Cover and cook on LOW until the vegetables are tender, about 2 hours and 30 minutes. Stir in the pasta; cover and cook on LOW until the pasta is al dente, about 1 hour. Stir in the kale and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls, and serve hot.