Italian Bean Soup

This is actually a recipe for a soup similar to Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana Soup with a few changes made to it by me.  We like it both ways, but this way (with the beans instead of a few token potatoes and with more kale and slightly less sausage) is our slightly cheaper/slightly healthier version.  It's still quite good, and it uses kale which is a superfood!  How many recipes do you know of that use kale?!  Actually, if you do have any that are good, please send them to me!

2 3/4 c. chicken broth

1/4+ c. cream

2-3 c. chopped kale

1/3 lb. spicy Italian sausage (or just regular country sausage)

1/4 t. salt

1/8 t. cayenne pepper (or less)

1 can great northern beans

Combine broth and cream in a saucepan over medium heat.  Add the kale and allow it to begin to simmer.  In the meantime, brown the sausage in a separate pan, drain (and possibly lighty rinse), and add to the soup.  Add the salt and cayenne pepper and simmer for one hour, stirring occasionally.  Add the beans toward the end if you don't want them cooked to smithereens.  

Note:  I triple this batch.  Then I can use a convenient pound of sausage, a large bag of kale, and a 1 lb. bag of dry great northern beans soaked and cooked beforehand--the perfect amount for the triple batch.  Then I freeze portions of the soup to go with a later dinner.