It's a chilly, rainy afternoon here in North Alabama. It's the perfect time to cook a big comforting pot of stew. This recipe gets bonus points for using turkey sausage and being full of healthy vegetables such as kale, chard, and spinach. If you're not a fan of kale or chard, you can easily use all spinach!
1 lb. baby lima beans
4 quart of chicken stock
2 bay leaves
2 lbs. Italian turkey sausage (or regular Italian sausage, hot or mild)
2 T. olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 ribs celery, sliced
3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
12 oz. sliced white mushrooms
2 T. dried Italian seasoning
1 T. minced garlic
1 can (14.5 oz.) petite diced tomatoes
2 (6 oz. bags) baby kale mix (the package I used had a mixture of kale, chard, spinach)
1 T. red wine vinegar
Place beans in a large bowl, sort through to discard any foreign matter, and cover with water. Soak overnight. Drain beans and rinse.
Place beans in a large Dutch oven and cover with chicken stock. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Add bay leaves.
In a large skillet, add sausage and brown over medium-high heat. When sausage is cooked through add to the pot with the beans.
Wipe out the skillet with a paper towel, add olive oil, and lower heat to medium. Add onions, celery, carrots, mushrooms, and Italian seasoning to the skillet. Cook, occasionally stirring, until vegetables begin to soften, about 6 - 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook a minute or two longer.
Place softened vegetables and tomatoes, with juice, to the Dutch oven. Stir to combine all ingredients and lower heat to low so that stew gently simmers.
Simmer for 1 - 2 hours, partially covered, until beans are cooked through.** Add more chicken stock if needed during cooking time.
During the last 10-15 minutes of cooking, remove bay leaves and add greens and cook until wilted. Stir in red wine vinegar just before serving.
Serve with crusty bread and grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.
**If you have a Parmesan cheese rind in the freezer (please save those!), add to the stew and remove the rind before serving.
I need to try this one.
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