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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!}

Sausage, Kale and Potato Soup

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. 

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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Sausage, Kale and Potato Soup

Sausage, Kale and Potato Soup


  • Author: Melissa
  • Total Time: 0 hours
  • Yield: 6 Servings 1x

Description

A flavorful and comforting soup featuring tender greens, Italian sausage, and potatoes.


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 pound ground Italian sausage (if it is in links, remove and discard casings)
  • 1 small onion, finely diced
  • 2 medium carrots, peeled and finely diced
  • 2 celery stalks, finely diced
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 6 cups chicken broth
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 2 teaspoons dried Italian Seasoning
  • 4 medium red or yellow potatoes, diced into 1/2-inch cubes (peeling is optional)
  • 6 cups of chopped kale (or other greens like collard greens, spinach or Swiss chard)
  • 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Optional ingredients:

1/4 – 1/2 cup heavy cream

Red pepper flakes, to taste


Instructions

  1. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large Dutch oven or soup pot. Brown sausage in the oil, using a spatula to break apart into smaller pieces.
  2. Use a slotted spoon to transfer sausage to a plate, leaving behind any oil in the pot. Add onions, carrots, celery, bell pepper, and garlic to the remaining oil in the pot (add a little more olive oil if needed), and cook for 7-8 minutes, or until vegetables are beginning to soften.
  3. Return the browned sausage to the pot. Add chicken broth, bay leaf, smoked paprika, Italian seasoning, potatoes, and greens (the greens will stick up above the broth but will soon reduce down into broth). Stir to combine.
  4. Simmer for 15 minutes, or until potatoes are tender, and greens are reduced down and tender. (It is OK if potatoes break apart a little bit – they will help to add texture to the soup).
  5. Before serving, stir in Parmesan cheese and lemon juice.
  6. If you prefer a creamy soup, add heavy cream.
  7. Season generously with salt and pepper to taste. For a spicier soup, add red pepper flakes to taste.
  • Prep Time: 25 minutes
  • Inactive Time: 0 hours
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes

Sausage, Kale and Potato Soup

10 Comments

  • Erin
    November 8, 2019 at 8:28 pm

    It looks delicious! I would like to invite you to a brand new linky party! It’s live now..come on by and join us >>https://abiggreenhouse.com/the-super-fabulous-friday-linky-party-7/

    Reply
    • Melissa
      November 9, 2019 at 4:12 pm

      Thank-you! I will definitely pop over to your party!

      Reply
  • Miz Helen
    November 19, 2019 at 1:14 am

    Your awesome post has been featured on Full Plate Thursday,458. Thanks so much for sharing your talent with us and come back to see us real soon!
    Miz Helen

    Reply
  • […] This Easy Homemade Creamy Tomato Soup is a comforting and delicious recipe that can be enjoyed any time of the year. This soup takes just a few simple ingredients from the pantry and fridge, and hardly any effort at all. I like to serve it as an easy lunch or a main course with some crackers or a sandwich. And if you enjoy homemade soup recipes, check out my recipe for Sausage, Kale, and Potato Soup. […]

    Reply
  • Casey
    April 13, 2023 at 6:33 pm

    Delicious and really easy to put togehter!

    Reply
  • Chris
    November 12, 2023 at 9:30 pm

    Easy and yummy! Don’t forget the lemon juice right before you serve it. It makes it!!

    Reply
    • Melissa
      November 16, 2023 at 12:28 am

      I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe!

      Reply
  • Dara
    January 16, 2024 at 4:21 pm

    10 out of 10 , easy recipe, easy ingredients and spectacular soup! I will definitely be putting this in my winter recipe rotation

    Reply
    • Melissa
      January 24, 2024 at 6:49 pm

      I’m happy you enjoyed the recipe! It’s definitely one of my personal favorite soups!

      Reply

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