Slow Cooker Tuscan White Bean Soup

• 6 cups unsalted chicken stock (such as Swanson)
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
• 1 cup diced carrot
• 1 cup diced celery
• 5 garlic cloves, chopped
• 4 fresh thyme sprigs
• 1 bay leaf
• 12 ounces dried Great Northern beans
• 3 cups kale, stemmed and chopped
• 2 tablespoons unsalted tomato paste
• 3/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 pound hot Italian sausage links, casings removed
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 ounce Parmesan cheese, shaved (about 1/4 cup)

1. Place first 8 ingredients in a 6-quart electric slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours. Discard thyme and bay leaf.
2. Stir kale, tomato paste, and salt into bean mixture. Shape sausage into 32 meatballs; arrange on top of bean mixture. Cover and cook on HIGH 30 minutes or until meatballs are thoroughly cooked. Stir in juice. Divide soup among 8 bowls; top with cheese.

chicken, onion, carrot, celery, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, beans, kale, kosher salt, sausage links, lemon juice, parmesan cheese

Taken from www.myrecipes.com/recipe/slow-cooker-tuscan-white-bean-soup (may not work)