Sausage Ribollita Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 lb hot Italian sausage, crumbed and cooked until done
1 (14 ounce) can whole peeled Italian plum tomatoes
2 (15 ounce) cans cannellini beans, rinsed, divided
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 medium leek, halved lengthwise, sliced and cleaned well
1/4 cup garlic, sliced thin
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper, divided
1 cup carrot, diced
1 cup celery, diced
1 cup zucchini, diced
1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1 bunch kale or 1 bunch swiss chard, trimmed and cut into 2-inch-wide slices
1/4 head savoy cabbage or 1/4 head green cabbage, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 cups russet potatoes, diced
3 cups vegetable broth
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1/8 teaspoon celery seed
crushed red pepper flakes

Preparation

Crumble sausage and fry in a pan until no longer pink. Drain on paper towels.
Drain canned tomatoes, reserving the liquid. Dice the tomatoes. Using a potato masher, mash half the beans into a paste (add a bit of broth, if desired, to make mashing the beans easier). Set the tomatoes and beans aside.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add leek and garlic; cook, stirring, until translucent and tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Do not brown. Season with 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Stir in carrots, celery and zucchini and the remaining 1 tablespoon oil; cook, stirring, until nearly tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with 1/8 teaspoon each salt and pepper.
When the carrots and celery are nearly tender, stir in kale (or chard) and cabbage. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted, 4 to 6 minutes. Add cooked sausage, potatoes, broth, water, the diced tomatoes and juice, the bean puree and whole beans, thyme and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Season with celery seed, crushed red pepper and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally and reducing the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer, until all the vegetables are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.