Place a large heavy-bottomed pot (with a lid) over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the chopped bacon and cook until crispy and brown, stirring occasionally to ensure even cooking. Once the bacon is done, remove it from the pot and set aside on a paper towel to drain. Remove about enough bacon grease to leave about 1 tbsp in the pot.

Next, add the Italian sausage and cook until done, breaking it up as it browns. Once cooked, remove the sausage and set aside on a plate lined with paper towels.

Next, add the chopped onion and celery to the pot and. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the veggies begin to soften, stirring occasionally. Then, add the garlic and  Italian seasoning. Sauté for about 30 seconds, stirring frequently.

Add the cornstarch and cook for about 1 minute, stirring occasionally. This will make the soup a bit more creamy without having to add too much cream.

Once the cornstarch has cooked, stir in the sun-dried tomatoes, beans, chicken broth, lemon juice and zest, salt, pepper, bay leaves, and the parmesan rind. Mix until well combined.

Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Cover and simmer for  about 20 minutes. Then, the chopped kale.

Once the kale is wilted, add back all of the sausage,  most of the bacon (reserve a bit for topping the bowls of soup). Give the soup a good stir and taste it to see if it needs additional seasoning. Remove the parmesan rind(s) and bay leaves.

Stir in the room temperature heavy cream. Once hot, ladle into bowls and top with grated parmesan or pecorino, reserved crumbled bacon, and black pepper. Serve with crusty bread on the side.