Instead of the beans they recommend, I use the equivalent in canned northern beans. It's faster and I was never good with dry beans. One or two 16oz cans depending on how much soup you will make. Since the beans are precooked just add more as needed up to 2 cans. It may sound silly but the soup
is very very luscious and using canned beans does not take away from that at all. I make a large amount because when I make it it miraculously disappears.
My father used the bits of ham/pork but I don't eat pork and the recipe is better without it. I skip the sausages. Instead I broil or bake on high some in inexpensive beef bones and use them to give the flavor. My father did this. In substitution stock might be fine, for faster soup but be careful because it might need diluting. The soup is less a brown beefy thing and broths tend to be too intense. The recipe assumes water - the meats are there to give flavor without overpowering the soup. (I have used part chicken stock and the rest water.) Go ahead and leave the bones in while the potatoes and parsnips cook. careful on water as the end result should be more a stew! Not sure what the water will be with precooked beans....
Once the bones broil, I scrape or use any bits of liquid in the pan into the soup cocotte (the dutch oven, soup pot, etc.) Then add the water and cook the turnips and potatoes but not overly soft of course since the soup will cook further when the beans and collards are added.. I break the potatoes and parsnips up a little once they are cooked...
I do not add any meats or chicken. Just the bones for flavor.
I use a half package of frozen collard greens. Cook in water by itself as it turns the water green. Then strain out all the water and squeeze the collards. Frozen is softer and better and starting from fresh a total pain.
When the potatoes and parsnips are closer to ready, add the strained collard greens and the canned beans. Do not add spices. A little olive oil is fine. Lots of salt is perfect for me. Cook a bit longer until all the flavors marry. Take out the bones before adding the beans and collards.
The italians use spinach but I think it tastes better with collards. The spinach would need to be precooked also, same like the collards, and definitely use frozen for that.
Serve on a shallower pasta bowl like in the picture not in an american soup bowl. It's nice to see everything in the bowl... here is a picture, which seems to show it with ham and spinach.