This adaptation of a Barefoot Contessa recipe had us licking the bottom of bowls the other night. I was trying to think of a way to make her white bean soup a little bit more “manly” for the Hubby and the result was wonderful. With a little crusty bread, you’ll have a full blown meal on your hands.
- 1 pound dried white cannellini beans
- 4 cups sliced yellow onions (3 onions)
- 1/4 cup good olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 large branch fresh rosemary (6 to 7 inches)
- 2 quarts chicken stock
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2-3 hot italian sausage links, casing removed
In a medium bowl, cover the beans with water by at least 1-inch and leave them in the refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight. Drain.
In a large stockpot over low to medium heat, saute the onions with the olive oil until the onions are translucent, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the garlic and cook over low heat for 3 more minutes. Add the drained white beans, rosemary, chicken stock, and bay leaf. Cover, bring to a boil, and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, until the beans are very soft. Meanwhile, in a skillet, brown the sausage, breaking it up wiht the back of a wooden spoon (about 10 min).
Remove the rosemary branch and the bay leaf. Pass the soup through the coarsest blade of a food mill, or place in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until coarsely pureed. Return the soup to the pot to reheat and add salt and pepper, to taste, as well as the sausage. Serve hot.