Beans with Sausage and Greens

I have made dozens of pots of this soup from a recipe originally found in the cookbook “Pressure Perfect,” by Lorna Sass, and tweaked to fit my flavor preferences over the years. You’ll find that variations come up over and over in our menu plans. It’s hearty, flavorful, and easily adaptable to what’s seasonally available and what’s on sale.

Plus, it stretches a more expensive ingredient - the sausage - to feed a crowd! While Lorna's recipe says this serves 4-6, we frequently get 10+ servings out of this when served with rice, pasta, or potatoes, and almost always for less than $.50 per serving.

This is not so much a recipe as a method. The ingredients are all variable and you can substitute almost everything and come up with a satisfying dish. Change out the greens, beans, and sausage for a different soup every time. Add extra vegetables. Add herbs and spices. Make it vegetarian by removing the sausage. The possibilities are endless. A few of our favorite combinations are kidney beans, andouille, and collards; Mexican chorizo, black beans, and spinach; cannellini beans, Italian sausage, and kale; and lemony lentils, chicken artichoke sausage, and spinach.

I make this in a pressure cooker, as the original recipe is written. I've added a stovetop and slow cooker variation below, and recommend that you soak your beans overnight if you use these methods. I personally prefer using an Instant Pot electric pressure cooker for cooking dry beans without needing to soak overnight.

Beans with Sausage and Greens

1 lb. fresh or frozen greens, such as kale, collards, Swiss chard, or spinach

1 lb. sausage, divided

1 lb. dry beans, soaked if using the stovetop or slow cooker method

1 1/2 c. chopped onions

2 stalks celery, diced

2 carrots, diced

2+ cloves of peeled garlic

1 T olive oil (to prevent foaming in a pressure cooker)

1 Bay leaf (optional but enhances the flavor)

salt and pepper to taste

2 t vinegar - cider and red wine work well

If using fresh greens rinse them well. Remove the leaves from the stems. Trim tough ends and discard. Thinly slice ribs and stems. 

If using frozen greens, defrost and strain of excess liquid.

Dice a quarter of the sausage. Set aside remaining sausage. 

Put beans, sliced stems from greens, diced sausage, onion, celery, carrot, garlic, oil, and Bay leaf into a large pot and cover with water by about 2 inches. 

• Pressure cooker method: Lock lid in place and set for beans. When the cooking is complete, test that the beans are tender. If not, return to pressure for another few minutes. 
• Stovetop method: Bring to a gentle boil over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Do not let them come to a high boil as this will make for a mushy consistency. Read package directions for cooking time, as some beans will cook quickly (20 minutes for lentils) and others take more time (such as chickpeas or pintos, which take several hours.) 
• Slow Cooker Method: Cook on low for 3-6 hours. (If using kidney beans, boil on the stove for 10 minutes before adding them to the slow cooker.)

If your sausage is not pre-cooked, pan fry it until cooked through. If using a hearty green like kale, collards, or Swiss chard, steam with water over medium-high until tender, using the same pan as your sausage to pull up any flavor left in the pan. You don't need to precook tender greens like fresh spinach, or frozen greens.

When the beans are cooked, remove the bay leaf. If the soup is too thin, mash some of the beans against the side of the pot. Add the cooked sausage, greens, vinegar, salt, and pepper to the soup. Let heat through at least 15 minutes so the flavors can combine. 

Serve with rice, pasta, or potatoes if you want to, or as is with a crusty piece of bread to dip. Delicious!