Sausage and White Bean Soup

0 Brown the sausage in a soup pot. Scoop it out and set aside, leaving the fat in the pan because flavor has entered the chat.
1 Toss in the onion, carrots, and celery. Let them soften with the sausage drippings, about 5–7 minutes. Add the garlic and let it go fragrant.
2 Sprinkle in the smoked paprika, Italian seasoning, and maybe a few red pepper flakes.
3 Pour in the broth, the drained beans, and the can of undrained beans. That bean liquid? Pure silk. Add the bay leaf.
4 Return the sausage to the pot. Let it simmer 20–25 minutes until everything’s friendly and thick.
5 Stir in the spinach and cook another 5 minutes until it wilts but don't let it turn into pond slime.
6 Turn off the heat and swirl in the heavy cream. Add a squeeze of lemon to wake it all up.
7 Taste. Adjust salt and pepper.