Ingredients
Soup
- 1 cup dried cannellini beans, soaked overnight and drained
- 4 Italian sausages (2 sweet and 2 spicy), casings removed and crumbled
- 1 large fennel bulb or fennel fronds, chopped
- 1 1/2 cups tomatillos, diced
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 Parmesan rinds (optional but highly recommended)
- Olive oil
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- Water as needed
For Serving
- Fresh green onions and parsley, minced
- Crusty bread
- Freshly grated Parmesan
- Good olive oil for drizzling
Instructions
Brown the Sausage
- Heat a generous drizzle of olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the crumbled sausage and cook, breaking it into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until deeply browned and crispy at the edges with rendered fat pooling in the pan, about 6 to 8 minutes. The kitchen should smell savory and slightly spicy. Transfer the sausage to a plate with a slotted spoon, leaving the rendered fat in the pot.
Build the Broth and Simmer the Beans
- In the same pot with the sausage fat, add a bit more olive oil if needed and cook the chopped onion over medium heat until soft and translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the fennel seeds and stir until they become fragrant and start to pop, about 30 seconds.
- Add the drained soaked cannellini beans, pour in the vegetable broth, and tuck the Parmesan rinds into the liquid. Season with salt and pepper. Bring everything to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer. The broth will start to turn slightly creamy and golden as the Parmesan rinds begin to dissolve.
- Simmer for about 30 minutes, adding water as needed to keep the beans submerged. The beans should start to feel tender but not yet fully cooked.
Add the Vegetables and Finish
- Add the chopped fennel and diced tomatillos to the pot. Continue simmering until the beans are completely tender and creamy inside, the fennel is soft but still has a gentle bite, and the tomatillos have broken down into the broth adding a bright, tangy flavor. This takes another 15 to 20 minutes.
- Remove and discard the Parmesan rinds and any tough herb stems. Return the browned sausage to the pot and stir to combine. Let everything heat through for a couple of minutes.
- Taste the broth and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Ladle into deep bowls and top with minced green onions and fresh parsley, a drizzle of good olive oil, and freshly grated Parmesan. Serve with thick slices of crusty bread for dunking.