6 cups of chicken stock 1 and a half cups of chopped onion 1 cup of diced carrot 1 cup of diced celery 5 cloves of garlic, chopped 4 sprigs of fresh thyme 1 bay leaf 12 ounces of dried Great Northern beans 3 cups of chopped kale
2 tablespoons of tomato paste A pinch of salt 1 pound of hot Italian sausage (without the casings) 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice 1 ounce of Parmesan cheese (shaved, about a quarter cup)
Put the chicken stock, onion, carrot, celery, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, and dried beans into a slow cooker.
Cook on low heat for 8 hours. Remove the thyme and bay leaf.
1. Add the kale, tomato paste, and a bit of salt to the bean mixture.
Make small meatballs out of the sausage (take the casings off first).
Place the meatballs on top of the bean mixture in the slow cooker.
Cover and cook on high heat for 30 minutes, or until the meatballs are cooked through.