Green Soup with Italian Sausage

Put some

• olive oil in the bottom of a medium to large soup pot

Brown

• 1-6 italian sausages

While the sausages are browning chop and add

• 1 onion
• 2 carrots
• 1-2 celery
• 2-3 potatoes (don't have to peel)
• 4-6 garlic cloves

Pull out sausages, slice into fat coins, and return to pot
Deglaze pan with

• 1 can diced tomatoes with liquid

Add

• 1 can white navy or northern beans with liquid

Add

• water or broth or combination to cover about 1" above everything in pot (I put in the broth from roast beef this time.)

Bring everything to a boil, then turn down to a simmer while you remove ribs and thinly slice

• Large bunch of Kale or Swiss Chard or Spinach or combination*

Turn off heat. It is plenty hot to wilt the greens
Add

• Juice from 1/2 large lemon (I add the pulp too)

Taste and adjust flavor as necessary with

• Salt (might not need if used broth)
• Black pepper (optional)
• Red pepper (Italian sausages may have made it spicy enough)

 Ingredients are approximate. You can use 1 sausage for flavoring or if you really like meat add all 6 from the package. Same with the greens. I usually add a large steel bowl's worth of the raw greens. Swiss Chard is my favorite but right now we had a lot of Kale in the garden so used that. I don't think mustard greens would work.

Condiments:
hot sauce