Tuscan White Bean Soup

Warmth That Builds Slowly

There is a particular kind of soup that doesn't announce itself — it simply gathers. Tuscan white bean soup belongs to that tradition: the kind of meal that rewards patience, that deepens as it simmers, that fills a kitchen with something honest and unhurried. The greens wilt gently into the broth at the very end, a quiet finish that feels almost instinctive. This is winter cooking at its most grounded — not refined for the sake of it, but tender in the way that only simple, careful things can be.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons Alessi Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/2 pounds ground spicy Italian sausage
• 2 cloves garlic, diced
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 1/4 teaspoons Alessi Fine Sea Salt
• 1/8 teaspoons Alessi Ground Black Peppercorn
• 4 1/2 cups water
• 1 package Alessi Tuscan White Bean Soup
• 2 heaping handfulls of Swiss chard leaves, rinsed and torn
• Pecorina Romano for garnish

Instructions

1. In a large stock pot, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium flame.
2. Add ground Italian sausage.
3. Use a wooden spoon to crumble the sausage into small pieces, and cook until no longer pink.
4. Stir in garlic, shallot, sea salt and pepper. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until fragrant.
5. Push all of the ingredients to one side of the pot and use a paper towel to absorb excess oil from the sausage.
6. Add water and bring to a boil.
7. Once boiling, stir in Alessi Tuscan White Bean Soup packet.
8. Cook soup on medium heat uncovered for 12 minutes, stirring occasionally.
9. Use your hands to tear the Swiss chard leaves into bite sized pieces. Add into the soup and let wilt for 1-2 minutes.
10. Remove from heat, ladle into your favorite soup bowl and garnish with Pecorino Romano cheese.