As much as I want spring to arrive, I adore the cozy aspect of deep winter.

Lots of fuzzy socks, cozy sweaters, and hot soups.

The soup, in particular, gets me excited. I am one of those people who eats soup all year. Even when it’s 90 outside. It’s just the best form of comfort food to me, and I can never get enough.

Today’s recipe, however, is definitely one that should be enjoyed in the colder months. This Chicken Sausage & Swiss Chard Soup is SO hearty, and it’s the type of soup that will really warm you up from the inside out.

This soup is simple yet robustly flavorful. It features chicken Italian sausage, which has become more of a staple in our house lately. I rarely buy the pork sausage anymore! I love the leanness of it, and you don’t sacrifice that classic flavor of Italian sausage.

That said, neither Dan nor I are big sausage people. Meaning, we never (EVER!) eat breakfast sausage and even Italian sausage and chorizo are not in our regular meal rotation. We do enjoy the latter two, though. And meals like this one really stretch that sausage flavor. We’re only using one pound of lean chicken sausage here, and it makes the whole pot of soup so flavorful and satisfying.

The addition of creamy cannellini beans and hearty Swiss chard really make this one feel like a full meal. I love to use a parmesan cheese rind to flavor brothy soups like this one, and here, it works magic. Whenever you add a parmesan cheese rind to a pot of soup, it somehow gives the soup the slightest creaminess while keeping it brothy and light. And it adds a flavor that you can’t get from anything else. Period.

This is the perfect easy meal to make on a cold February evening. It’s soul-warming food!

Ingredients to Make This Chicken Sausage & Swiss Chard Soup:

Olive oil
Italian sweet or hot chicken sausage
Onion
Carrots
Celery
Garlic
Crushed red pepper flakes
Fresh thyme
Bay leaves
Chicken bone broth
Parmesan cheese rind
Canned cannellini beans
Canned fire-roasted diced tomatoes
Swiss chard
Fresh lemon juice

How to Make This Chicken Sausage & Swiss Chard Soup:

Cook the sausage in the olive oil in a large pot until it is crumbled, rendered, and golden brown in spots.
Remove the sausage from the pot with a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate lined with paper towels.
To the drippings in the pan, add the veggies and cook until softened, about 8 minutes.
Stir in the garlic, red pepper flakes, thyme, bay leaves, chicken broth, and parmesan cheese rind. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
Return the sausage to the pot, along with the cannellini beans, canned tomatoes, and Swiss chard and cook for another 10 minutes or until the greens are wilted.
Squeeze in the lemon juice and season the soup, to taste, with salt and pepper. Discard the parmesan cheese rind and bay leaves before serving.
Serve with additional parmesan cheese grated over top.

Substitutions & Swaps:

If you want to use a pork sausage here, go for it! Hot or sweet Italian sausage of any kind will work wonderfully here.
Feel free to swap out the greens here. Swiss chard is one of my favorite greens; it wilted perfectly and has a great texture and flavor. Any hearty green will work here: kale, spinach, mustard greens, etc.
I highly recommend not skipping the addition of the parmesan cheese rind to the broth. It adds an important flavor and mouthfeel to the broth, and there’s no replacement for it. I always save the rinds from my blocks of parmesan cheese and keep them in the freezer for this exact purpose. I have also seen grocery stores beginning to sell the rinds! Look for them in the “nicer” cheese section of your grocery store, where the blocks of parmesan are sold.

Other Recipes You May Enjoy:

This is the fuzzy socks version of food! So cozy and hearty – it will warm you right up!