Hearty Chicken Chorizo, Kale, Bean and Farro Soup

Chicken-Chorizo-Kale-Bean-Farro-SoupReady for a warm and delicious recipe for these cold winter days? Jeanette Chen from Jeanette’s Healthy Living shared this adaptable recipe to warm us all up. You can use whatever beans you have on hand (kidney, black bean, chickpeas, white beans, lentils), and substitute other grains for farro (e.g., whole grain pasta or barley; or for gluten-free version, substitute brown rice or quinoa). Instead of kale, you can also stir in some spinach (which cooks much faster).
This serves six and the total time with prep and cook time is only 50 minutes.
Hearty Chicken Chorizon, Kale, Bean and Farro Soup
Ingredients
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 (4-ounce) links fresh chicken Chorizo sausage (removed from casing)
1 carrot, peeled, thinly sliced
4 ounces mushrooms, chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika
6 cups low sodium chicken broth
1½ cups or 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1½ cup or 1 (16 ounce) can beans, rinsed and drained (use your favorite)
½ cup quick cooking farro (or regular farro – you will have to cook it longer; use brown rice or quinoa for gluten-free option)
4 cups chopped kale (you can use frozen)
1 zucchini, quartered and cut into ¼ inch slices
Directions
Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add sausage and sauté for a few minutes, breaking up the pieces. Add carrots, mushrooms, onions and garlic. Sauté until sausage is cooked through, about 4-5 minutes. Add paprika, chicken broth, tomatoes, beans and farro. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook 15 minutes or until farro is tender (if you use regular farro, it may take 25 minutes). Add kale and zucchini and continue cooking another 6-7 minutes until kale is just tender.