Sausage, Kale, and Potato Soup

This hearty Sausage, Kale & Potato Soup is a veggie-packed yet hearty soup. It features simple ingredients including sausage, potatoes, and fresh kale (or your other favorite greens). And while it’s one of my favorite soup recipes for the colder months, I will happily eat this delicious bowl of soup any time of year. Plus, it comes together quickly and is also perfect for busy weeknights. And don’t forget a piece of crusty bread to go along with it! {And if you love comfort food soups, too, check out my recipe for Stuffed Cabbage Soup, too!}

Soup with kale is a classic, with versions of kale soup being found in many different culinary traditions. While my recipe isn’t true to any particular tradition, it’s a family favorite soup inspired by both the Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscana soup and Portuguese Caldo Verde. The combination of creamy potatoes, tender kale, and spicy or mild Italian sausage in a rich chicken broth with a hint of smoked paprika creates a delicious and comforting soup. In under an hour, you can have a homemade soup that tastes like it took all day to prepare.

Ingredients for Sausage, Kale, and Potato Soup:

Olive Oil – Use whatever olive oil you have on hand. You’ll be using this for cooking, so you don’t need to use your finest extra virgin olive oil. Regular, everyday olive oil will be perfect. 

Italian Sausage – I recommend using ground Italian sausage (not a fully cooked type of sausage). This sausage can be purchased as either loose ground sausage or Italian sausage links. If using links, you will need to squeeze the ground sausage from the links and discard the casings. You have the option of using mild or hot Italian sausage. Pork, chicken, or turkey sausage will all work well for this recipe.

Onion – Choose the type of onion you prefer, such as yellow, sweet, or red.

Carrots – Just regular orange carrots are what you need. I prefer to peel them. 

Celery – Fresh, crisp celery stalks will give your soup loads of flavor. 

Red Bell Pepper – I’m normally a huge fan of green pepper, but I use red bell pepper in this recipe because it needs that sweetness for balance. 

Garlic – Chop your own fresh garlic, or use the minced garlic from a jar. I don’t recommend using garlic powder or granulated garlic for this recipe. 

Chicken Broth – Use your favorite store-bought chicken broth, or if you have your homemade chicken stock, you can use that. 

Bay Leaf – Fresh or dried bay leaf will work. 

Smoked Paprika – I recommend sticking with smoked paprika. You can use regular paprika, but it won’t have that delicious smoky flavor that is so magical in this kale soup. 

Dried Italian Seasoning – The Italian sausage gives this soup some Italian flavor, but I like to add a small amount of dried Italian seasoning blend to amp up the wonderful flavors. 

Potatoes – For best results, choose a potato that has a waxy texture such as red or yellow potatoes. Russet potatoes may also be used but they are more prone to falling apart in the soup. Additionally, you can replace the potatoes with white beans or use a combination of both potatoes and white beans.

Kale or other greens -I like to use fresh kale, but you can also use frozen kale or other greens like collards, spinach, or Swiss chard.

Parmesan Cheese – Freshly-grated Parmesan cheese will give your soup the best flavor, but use whatever you have on hand. Pre-grated or shredded Parmesan cheese will work fine. 

Lemon Juice – Fresh lemon juice is best. And if you love an extra-lemony kick of flavor, go ahead and grate some of the lemon zest into the soup. 

Salt and Ground Black Pepper – Use your favorite salt and pepper. I use my favorite Kosher salt or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. 

Optional Ingredients:

Heavy Cream – If you love creamy soups, go ahead and add about 1/4 – 1/2 cup of heavy cream. 

Red Pepper Flakes – If you want to add more spicy heat to the soup, add a sprinkling of red pepper flakes to taste. 

Cook’s Tips:

• There are lots of veggies in this soup, so use a large pot or Dutch oven to make this kale and sausage soup. 
• Brown the sausage first, then use a slotted spoon to transfer the sausage to a plate. You can then use the deliciously flavored oil in the pot to sauté the vegetables. 
• Don’t boil this soup hard. You want to gently simmer it over medium heat until the potatoes are tender and the greens are wilted. 
• Promptly refrigerate any leftovers in an airtight container. The leftovers will stay good in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. 

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If you love comforting soups prepared with fresh ingredients, I hope you’ll give this Sausage, Kale & Potato Soup a try! And if you try it, I hope you love it. And don’t forget to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram so you don’t miss a post. 

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