Beans & Greens into Spicy Chorizo, Kale & Bean Soup (2 for 1 Dish)

2 Dishes from 1: Turn Beans & Greens into a Spicy Chorizo, Kale & Bean Soup in just minutes!

I found two cool items at Aldi the other day. Organic baby kale and chorizo. They always have the organic baby kale as well as arugula and baby spinach so that wasn’t special but the chorizo was. Torn as to whether I wanted to make beans and greens with the kale or use it in a soup with the chorizo, I finally decided to do both. First I made the beans and greens, split the batch in half and used it in the soup with the chorizo. Two dishes in one! So you can have beans and greens on Monday and spicy chorizo, kale & bean soup on Tuesday!

Making Beans & Greens

I really just wing it when it comes to beans and greens. To me it doesn’t take exact measurements but I’ll try my best. Usually it’s just beans, greens, olive oil and garlic.

However I was in the mood to have caramelized onions in mine so first I added some olive oil to a pan and browned my onions. This takes awhile but now you are almost done. Next you add the garlic and beans and cook for a few minutes until the garlic is fragrant. I had some frozen beans that I had soaked and cooked previously but canned beans are just fine. Then you add your greens and some chicken broth and let them cook down. I don’t like mine cooked too much so mine are more wilted. If you like yours more cooked, just keep add chicken broth and let them cook longer. Note the baby kale takes only a few minutes to cook. However if you are using the bigger, tougher leaves, it may take longer.

Beans and Greens

And now you have some beans and greens. On to the soup. Take half of the beans and greens and eat them as a side dish for dinner or as your lunch. Then take the other half and set aside to put in our soup.

Making the Spicy Chorizo, Kale & Bean Soup

This part is very quick and easy. Brown your chorizo in a soup pan. This particular kind that I got from Aldi had a plastic casing that I had to cut off and squeeze the chorizo out of…kind of like ground sausage. The chorizo I’ve used in the past had regular casing and I would just chop it up and brown it in a pan. Doesn’t matter either way it will still taste great. Once the chorizo is browned, add your stewed tomatoes and cook for a few minutes so the tomatoes will break up and meld with the chorizo. Then add the beans and greens and  chicken broth. Let this cook for about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

That is all there is to it. You now have two dishes from your beans and greens by just add a few extra ingredients. The soup is really tasty and while I think the chorizo is perfect here, you could always use another type of sausage if you like. I hope you enjoy it as much as my family did.

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Spicy Beans, Greens & Chorizo Soup

2 Dishes from 1: Turn Beans & Greens into a Spicy Chorizo, Kale & Bean Soup in just minutes!

Author Denise Wright (MyLifeCookbook.com)

Ingredients

• 1/2 onion thinly sliced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 garlic cloves thinly sliced
• 3 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup white beans
• 1/2 chicken stock
• 3 cups baby kale firmly packed 5 oz
• 6 oz chorizo
• 1 can stewed tomatoes
• 2 cups bone broth or chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon Better than Bouillon optional

Instructions

1. Add the onions and olive oil to a sauté pan.
2. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Cook the onions well until they are brown and caramelized.
4. Add the garlic and beans and cook for a few more minutes and the garlic is fragrant
5. Add the greens and broth and cook until wilted. (I like them green but you can cook them as much as you want. The baby greens cook quickly but if you are using tougher greens you may have to cover and cook longer.)
6. Divide the mixture in two for your soup and a separate side dish.
7. In a soup pan add your chorizo and brown.
8. Add the can of stewed tomatoes and break up the meat and tomatoes with a wooden spoon or a potato masher.
9. Cook mixture for 5 minutes or so until the tomatoes have softened and the meat is cooked.
10. Add the greens and beans and chicken broth.
11. If using the Better than Bouillon, add it here. (optional)
12. Cook for another 5 minutes.
13. Season with salt and pepper.