Heart Healthy Escarole & Bean Soup

Preparation time:  15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch fresh escarole - chopped or torn
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 quart of College Inn Lower Sodium Chicken Broth
• 2-3 links of lean turkey sausage
• 1 can Progresso cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 4 TBSP olive oil
• fresh ground pepper and parmesean cheese to taste

Directions:

• In a large stock pot, sautee garlic in the olive oil until slightly browned.  Add the escarole and sautee for about 2-3 minutes.  Add the chicken broth, beans, cooked sausage and some parmesean cheese and simmer until the beans are warmed through, about 5-10 minutes.

When serving, add fresh ground pepper to taste.  Serving with ciabatta bread is delicious, but it adds some empty calories and carbs.  Recipe as listed serves 2 firefighters.  Adjust the recipe accordingly for larger groups.

Recipe by Joseph Coppola