Quick weeknight dinner: Kale, chicken andouille, and pinto bean soup!

 

Now that you have a freezer full of stock,you'll have it on hand for quick weeknight dinners.

Believe it or not, I often come home and really only have the energy to dump things into a pot or put together a quick salad.  When you come home to an empty house after a 12 hour work day, it's tempting to have cereal for dinner, but trust me, this is much better (and will hopefully last a couple of nights).

 

 

I used Tuscan kale, sometimes called Lacinato kale for this recipe, but you can use any old leafy green you'd like!

I also tried out this smoked andouille sausage for the first time.  It's delicious, but be warned, it packs a bit of a punch.

What you'll need:

A stock pot

1 onion diced

2 cups canned pinto beans (I used frozen leftover Chipotle Beans. Yep, still working through my stockpile)

2 links smoked andouille sausage sliced into rounds (Open Nature is gluten-free)

1 bunch kale (about 4 cups) chopped. 

4 cups homemade stock (or store bought or even water in a pinch)

Salt and Pepper to taste (the sausage really flavored the broth, I didn't need much)

Honestly, I defrosted the stock in the microwave for a few minutes and then just dumped everything into the pot and simmered it until the onions were cooked through and the kale wasn't too tough, about 30-45 minutes.  If you want to get fancy, you could saute the onion and sausage in a bit of oil first, get some of that browning action going on, but I really just couldn't be bothered.  Don't fret, it was still delicious!  It reminded me of extra delicious bean with bacon soup, which was my favorite when I was a kid!

Happy Eating!