Creamy Sausage and Kale Soup

This is another one of our favorite meals that friends brought us during the “meal train” they put together just after our son was born. My friend, Michelle, delivered this creamy sausage and kale soup one night alongside a loaf a bread and it was all quickly devoured.

This is a great meal idea if you are looking for a super filling and comforting soup recipe. I’m also going to share a few tweaks I make when I want to make a vegetarian version—it’s simple!

Related: 35 Comforting Soup Recipes and 60 Easy Dinner Recipes

One thing I love about this soup is the juxtaposition of the creamy base alongside chewy kale and soft (but chunky) potatoes. Maybe this creamy sausage and kale soup would qualify as a stew; or at least could easily become one.

When I asked Michelle for the recipe, she let me know that she used the Copycat Zuppa Toscana recipe here. I’ve made a few small tweaks to this.

The main thing is I don’t use bacon, as I don’t find it necessary and it just adds more fat (which this soup has plenty of already, ha).

To make this soup vegetarian, you only have to make two substitutions to the recipe below. First, swap the sausage for your favorite vegetarian version.

I really like Morning Star breakfast sausage (a mix of original and spicy if you have both options available) and Impossible ground beef. But, any vegetarian sausage you like will work just fine.

And the second is to swap the chicken stock for vegetable stock. Easy! And if you’re curious, here’s a link to the pan I used. It’s my all-time favorite.

And if you’re looking for more soup recipes, check these out:

• Baked Potato & Broccoli Cheddar Soup – a classic
• Gnocchi and Vegetable Soup – sign me up for anything with gnocchi anytime!
• Potato and Cream Cheese Soup – soooooooo creamy and delicious
• Spicy Peanut and Wild Rice Soup – don’t knock it until you try it
• Creamy Cauliflower and Leek Soup – one of my all-time favorites
• 20-Minute Tomato Tortellini Soup

I love making soup as soon as the weather turns cold—it’s the best. And this is a good one. Enjoy! xo. Emma

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4.87 from 15 votes

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A super simple recipe for sausage and kale soup.

Yield 4 servings

Prep 5 minutes mins

Cook 25 minutes mins

Total 30 minutes mins

Ingredients

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 shallot (finely chopped)
• ▢ 4 cloves garlic (minced)
• ▢ 2 teaspoons olive oil
• ▢ 12 ounces sausage
• ▢ 8 ounces potatoes (baby dutch yellow preferred)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon flour (all-purpose)
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon cayenne
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ▢ 32 ounces chicken stock
• ▢ 1 cup cream (heavy)
• ▢ 2 cups kale (veins removed, chopped)
• ▢ salt and pepper

Instructions

• Prep the ingredients by finely chopping the shallot, minced the garlic, and wash and cut the potatoes into bite sized pieces.
• In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the shallot and garlic and cook for 2 minutes.
• Add the sausage and cook until browned. Use a wooden spoon to break up any pieces while cooking.
• Add the potatoes and sprinkle in the flour, cayenne, and red pepper flakes.
• Add the chicken stock to the pot and cover with a lid. Cook for 12-16 minutes until the potatoes are softened enough you can mash them with a wooden spoon.
• Add the cream and season well with salt and pepper.
• During the last 5 minutes of cooking, stir in the kale pieces. Serve hot.

Notes

To make this soup vegetarian, simply swap the sausage for your favorite vegetarian sausage (you will likely need to reduce the cooking time on that ingredient as well) and swap the chicken stock for vegetable stock. 

Baby dutch yellow potatoes are preferred for this recipe. I like to leave the skins on. But if you are using russet baking potatoes, you may want to peel them before cutting into bite sized pieces. But this is up to you and your preferences. 

This soup is best the day it is made, but leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for least a couple days. Just keep in mind the texture of the kale will change the longer it sits in liquid. 

© Author Emma Chapman

Course Main Course, Soup

Cuisine American

Keywords kale, sausage, soup

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Creamy Sausage and Kale Soup

Amount per Serving

Calories

632

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

49

g

75

%

Saturated Fat

 

22

g

138

%

Trans Fat

 

0.2

g

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

5

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

18

g

Cholesterol

 

135

mg

45

%

Sodium

 

906

mg

39

%

Potassium

 

899

mg

26

%

Carbohydrates

 

25

g

8

%

Fiber

 

3

g

13

%

Sugar

 

7

g

8

%

Protein

 

23

g

46

%

Vitamin A

 

4357

IU

87

%

Vitamin C

 

45

mg

55

%

Calcium

 

154

mg

15

%

Iron

 

3

mg

17

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.