A Deliciously Tasty Sausage Kale Soup Recipe

Are you searching for a tasty sausage kale soup recipe? Having a reliable soup recipe can ensure you get a delicious soup that can be served at any time of the year. Plus, this recipe is as easy as can be.

A Recipe for Sausage Kale Soup

While you may find a number of recipes for sausage kale soup, we have one that has been tested again and again. It’s not only easy to make, but the ingredients are easy to find.

Ingredients

You will need the following:

• 4 cloves of minced garlic
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 finely chopped shallot
• 12 ounces of sausage crumbles
• 8 ounces of diced yellow potatoes
• 1 T all-purpose flour
• 1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper
• ¼ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
• 32 ounces of chicken stock
• 1 c heavy cream
• 2 cups kale
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. All of the ingredients should be washed and chopped as the recipe calls for.
2. In a large pot, heat the oil on medium-high heat. Then, add the garlic and shallot for about two minutes.
3. Add the sausage to the pot and brown it. Break up some of the larger pieces with a wooden spoon.
4. Add the potatoes as well as the flour, cayenne pepper, and red pepper flakes.
5. Pour the chicken stock into the pot and cover with a lid. Set a timer for 15 minutes. Test the potatoes with a fork to see if they are mashable.
6. Add the cream and season with salt and pepper.
7. 5 minutes before you’re ready to serve, stir in the kale. Serve hot.

Note: You can also cook this meal in a crockpot. Not much changes, as you’ll want to pre-cook your sausage. Set the timer for either 4 hours on low or 2 hours on high. You’ll still want to add the kale in about 5-10 minutes before serving so that it doesn’t get mushy.

How Do You Prepare the Kale?

When you prepare the kale to go into the soup, there are a few things to know. You can use either frozen or fresh kale. If you opt for frozen, be sure to defrost it prior to it going into the soup.

When you choose to add fresh kale, there are a few steps to follow:

1. Rinse the kale in cold water. Ideally, use a salad spinner to ensure all dirt is removed from the leaves.
2. Remove the veins, which are the thick parts that run down the center of the leaves.
3. Chop the kale into 1-inch or 2-inch chunks.
4. Don’t add the kale in too soon, or it will be soggy.

What are the Ways to Change Up the Sausage Kale Soup Recipe?

There’s a reason why the recipe calls for kale – it’s super healthy.

Alanis Morissette once said, “Kale is my best friend. I eat kale salad. I put kale in my smoothies, kale in my soup. Kale, kale, kale! I feel like Popeye. I love it. I definitely need variety or I get super bored, so I have to mix it up with different sauces and tahini or whatever.”

Whether you love or hate kale, there are a few substitutes that you can make along the way.

Main Ingredient	Substitutions
Kale	Spinach, collard greens, broccoli raab
Sausage	Turkey sausage, tofu crumbles, mini meatballs
Potatoes	Sweet Potatoes
Chicken stock	Chicken broth
Heavy cream	Half & half, evaporated milk, soy milk, unflavored yogurt

 

There are a few other ways to put a unique spin on the sausage kale soup:

Make it spicy: Consider adding a splash of Tabasco sauce into the soup when you’re ready to serve. You can also dice up bell peppers, jalapenos, or even habanero peppers to help add spice to the broth itself.

Make it cheesy: You can garnish the soup with parmesan, shaved gouda, or even shredded mozzarella cheese.

Create a heartier soup: Add in a few “heartier” ingredients, including more root vegetables, white beans, or even lentils.

Make it vegetarian: You will need to replace the sausage and the chicken stock to make it vegetarian. You can do this by looking for a plant-based sausage product and subbing in vegetable broth.

Make it vegan: To make it vegan, you’ll want to omit the heavy cream as well as the sausage and chicken stock. There are plant-based creams that you can buy. You can also choose to use soy milk along with a little bit of olive oil to create the consistency you want for the soup.

Get creative with the soup as you mix things into the pot. If you have fresh herbs, throw them in. One of the great things about making a soup is that it can accept quite a bit of the ingredients you have around the house, whether they come out of your garden or from your leftover containers.

Can Sausage Kale Recipe Be Served as a Full Meal?

Jay Leno once said, “Soup is just a way of screwing you out of a meal.”

He is sort of right about this because if you start your meal with a soup, which is common in restaurants, it can spoil your appetite.

Especially when you have a hearty recipe with sausage, potatoes, and cream, it can be quite filling.

While you could start a meal with a small bowl of this soup, it’s best to let it be the star of the meal and serve it as an entrée.

If you want to make sure that it’s filling enough, you can add in a bit more sausage and/or kale.

You can also serve a chunk of baguette next to the bowl.

Is It Possible to Store & Reheat Soup Leftovers

“Soup is a hug in a bowl.”

Why wouldn’t you want a hug on a regular basis, without all the work? Once you take the time to make the sausage kale soup recipe, you are likely to have leftovers.

You can also double the recipe to ensure you have leftovers.

If you’re going to eat the leftovers within three days, store the soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

If it’s going to take longer, store the soup in an airtight container that is freezer-safe. Add a date on the container. It can be stored in your freezer for up to three months.

When you’re getting ready to reheat, you can add it to a pot on the stove. Heat it on low until the entirety of the contents has reached 165° F. If the contents is too thick, you can add broth to bring it to the consistency that you like.

You can also read:

• Supercharging Soups: Uncommon Ingredients to Boost Nutritional Value
• Soup for the Soul: Exploring the Therapeutic Benefits of Soup-Making
• Soup Around the World: Discovering Unique Soup Traditions and Flavors from Different Cultures
• Super Soups: Unusual Ingredients That Take Soup Making to the Next Level
• Soup and Gut Health: Exploring the Relationship between Soups and Digestion