White Bean and Kale Stew with Fennel and Vegan Sausage

Serves: 4 to 6

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, cut into ¼-inch dice
• 1 fennel bulb, cut into ¼-inch dice
• Sea salt
• 3 to 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into ¼-inch dice
• 2 cups ground or 4 links chopped vegan sausage (see Notes)
• 2 bay leaves
• Pinch dried basil
• Pinch dried oregano
• Pinch smoked or sweet paprika
• 1 tablespoon dried rubbed sage
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 15.5-ounce can white beans, rinsed and drained
• 8 ounces kale, any variety, thick part of stems removed, and coarsely chopped

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, fennel, and a pinch of salt, and sauté until golden.

Add the garlic and the red bell pepper and sauté, until softened, 3 minutes.

Add the crumbled or chopped vegan sausage to the skillet. Sauté until the sausage develops a light golden brown crust.

Add the bay leaves, basil, oregano, paprika, and sage and stir well. Stir in the stock and white beans and bring to a simmer. Stir in the kale and cook for 5 minutes or until tender, but still bright green.

Serve the stew hot or allow it to cool. Remove the bay leaves, cover, and refrigerate. Like most stews, this tastes best when reheated and served the next day.

Notes:
I like Lightlife’s Gimme Lean® Ground Sausage Style in this stew, but another type of good quality vegan sausage (VegKitchen likes Tofurky and Field Roast) may be used instead. Sautéed tempeh or additional white beans may be used in place of the sausage.

If using tempeh, you will likely want to use a little bit more of each spice called for in the recipe in addition to adding some fennel seeds and perhaps a little thyme.

• Here are more Warming Winter Soups.

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