Cabbage and White Bean Soup with Italian Sausage

Though our weather hovers in the unseasonably-warm range and we've been setting new record-highs all week long (even hitting 90° F one day...in March...in the first day or two of Spring...in Northwestern Indiana. No. I can't get over it. It's weird.), it's still a good time for soup.  But I've mentioned that before.  In my book, soup isn't seasonal.  It's a staple.

While I do usually prefer brothy soups, the occasional thick...or thicker than brothy...ones add variety.  So I don't dismiss them.  Especially when they're beautifully beany.  This one in particular is thickened with both white beans and potatoes that are cooked until extremely tender and falling apart and then mashed to add body to the broth.  It becomes creamy and luscious which I think makes the perfect backdrop for the bold flavors of cabbage, rosemary, Italian sausage, Parmesan, and balsamic vinegar that actually work together in harmony rather than compete as it seems they should.