Kale and Butter Beans Soup with Pesto Recipe

Kale and Butter Beans Soup with Pesto Recipe

  • 1/4 cup olive oil, divided
  • 1 onion, diced small
  • 1 carrot, diced small
  • 3 cloves garlic, pressed
  • 2 links Merguez sausage, casing removed and discarded
  • 1 (16 ounce) can butter beans (large lima beans), drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tomato, diced small
  • 4 leaves kale, stems removed and leaves coarsely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons basil pesto
  • 10 leaves fresh basil leaves
  1. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy pot over medium heat; cook and stir onion, carrot, and garlic in hot oil until the onion is translucent, about 3 minutes.
  2. Break sausage meat into small pieces and stir into vegetable mixture; cook and stir until meat is slightly golden, about 5 minutes. Stir butter beans, water, and tomato into sausage mixture; bring to a simmer and cook until tomatoes soften, about 5 minutes.
  3. Stir kale and pesto into the sausage mixture; cook and stir until kale wilts slightly, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove pot from heat and stir basil leaves into soup.