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1
Place broth into a large pot. Place a ham bone (or smoked pork bones) into the broth. Bring up to a boil. Cover; reduce heat and simmer for 1-2 hours. Strain the liquid. Discard the bones.
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2
Place diced onion, garlic, and carrots into a large pot along with olive oil.
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3
Separate te chard leaves from the center stem. Set leaves aside. Slice thick stems into 1/4-inch thick pieces. Add to the pot. Saute for 5 minutes, being sure to stir frequently.
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4
Add reserved broth into pot with vegetables. Stir in diced potato, white beans, crushed tomatoes, and brown rice. Simmer, covered, for 1 hour.
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5
Remove sausage meat from casings. In a skillet, cook sausage over medium heat. During cooking process, break down sausage into crumbles using a spatula. Cook through. Thoroughly drain sausage to remove as much fat as possible. Add sausage to soup.
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6
Chop Swiss chard leaves. Add to soup.
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7
Trim the bottom inch from kale stems. Discard. Chop the kale (with stems). Add to soup along with Italian seasoning. Cook for an additional 15 minutes.
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8
Taste soup and season with salt and pepper according to taste. I added no salt to this soup. There was sufficient salt in the broth and ham bones to adequately season the soup. If additional salt is needed, add in small amounts, such as 1/8 teaspoon, at a time.
