If you’re looking for a delicious and satisfying soup then this is the soup for you. It’s filled with escarole, sausage, beans and rice.

If you want to make this even healthier you can use turkey or chicken sausage to decrease the fat content. Or for a vegetarian option you can substitute another can of beans for the sausage entirely.

Since the main ingredients are pretty neutral in flavor (except for the sausage), the seasonings really elevate the flavor from ordinary to extraordinary. A generous amount of garlic creates a great savory base. Some fennel and coriander add some sweet and nutty notes. Cumin, Italian seasoning and rosemary round out the flavors with a splash of lemon juice for brightness.

There is a little bit of heat from the black pepper and crushed red pepper. The amounts used in the recipe make a moderately spicy soup so start with less red pepper if you prefer less spice. Or if you want lots of spice feel free to add more crushed red pepper or use hot sausage instead of mild.

Also, if you aren’t a big fan of broth you can make this soup into more of a stew by decreasing the chicken stock to somewhere between four and six cups, depending on your taste. The above picture was when I used four cups of stock. I decided that I wanted more broth so I switched to eight cups after the first batch.

Ingredients

• 1 pound sausage, remove casing if present
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• About 1 pound escarole, chopped and washed
• 8 cups chicken stock
• ½ cup white rice
• 3- 15 ounce cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground fennel
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• Salt to taste

Instructions

Cook the sausage in a large Dutch oven or soup pot (at least 6 quarts), breaking the sausage into pieces as it cooks. If the sausage is really lean, add a little olive oil while it cooks. Add the garlic and escarole. Cover and cook about 5 minutes or until the escarole has shrunk, stirring occasionally. Add the stock, rice, beans and spices and bring to a simmer over medium high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the rice is done (about 15 minutes), stirring occasionally. Add the lemon juice and cook a couple minutes longer. Makes about 15 cups.