Sausage And Kale Soup

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This sausage and kale soup is pure comfort in a bowl! With a rich and creamy broth, zesty Italian sausage, and hearty kale, it’s hard to believe this is a healthy soup recipe. It’s actually a lot like zuppa toscana, but this time we’re skipping the potatoes and using fewer ingredients.

I’ve been stirring up pots of soup for as long as I can remember, and this one? It’s a blend of all the best bits I’ve learned along the way. The richness makes it a filling one-pot meal, but it’s still simple enough to whip up any night of the week. Pair it with a crisp salad and some crunchy flax seed crackers, and you’ve got yourself a complete dinner!

Why You’ll Love This Sausage And Kale Soup

• Zesty, creamy flavor – The combination of spicy Italian sausage and a creamy broth creates a mouthwatering umami experience.
• Hearty and nutritious – With plenty of kale packed into this soup, it’s both satisfying and good for you. It’s my go-to for a cozy, healthy meal that doesn’t skimp on flavor.
• Simple and easy – This sausage kale soup comes together with 8 common ingredients and is ready in about 30 minutes. I love it for busy nights!
• One-pot wonder – You only need one pot to cook this, so there’s hardly any mess to clean up after.
• Versatile meal – This soup is perfect for dinner any night, or when it’s chilly and you want something warm. The creamy broth offsets the kale, so even my picky eaters like it.

Ingredients & Substitutions

Here I explain the ingredients for the best sausage and kale soup, what each one does, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.

• Avocado Oil – Used for sauteing. Olive oil is a great alternative if you need one.
• Italian Sausage – Key for flavor, but you can substitute with regular ground pork sausage, turkey sausages, or even chorizo for a similar zest.
• Hard Veggies – Diced onions and carrots. I like to dice them pretty finely, but feel free to use larger pieces if you prefer.
• Kale – Chop into bite-size pieces, but keep in mind that it will shrink a bit when cooked. I used curly kale for greens, but lacinato (Tuscan/dinosaur) or redbud kale work as well. Skip baby kale; it’s better for kale salad and will get stringy in this soup.
• Garlic – Use fresh garlic cloves for the best flavor, or 2 teaspoons of jarred minced garlic for convenience.
• Broth – When I have time, I like to make my own bone broth or just regular homemade chicken broth for maximum flavor and comfort vibes. But, store-bought broth will work just fine. Use a reduced sodium kind, as the sausage and cream cheese are already salty. You can always add extra salt at the end to your taste.
• Cream Cheese – This is my “secret” ingredient for giving this sausage and kale soup a creamy feel without watering it down with milk. You can use full-fat coconut cream for a similarly thick dairy-free option, or just omit it for a brothy soup.

How To Make Sausage Kale Soup

I have step-by-step photos here to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.

1. Brown sausage. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the ground sausage and cook, breaking apart with a spatula until browned.
2. Cook vegetables. Use a slotted spoon to remove the sausage to a plate, leaving the oil in the pan. Saute the onions and carrots in the oil, until they start to brown.
3. Saute garlic. Make a well in the center of the pan. Add the minced garlic and saute just until fragrant, then stir in with the onions.

4. Deglaze & simmer. Add the chicken broth and use a wooden spoon to scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil and simmer.
5. Cook kale. Add the chopped kale and sausage back into the pan and simmer.
6. Add cream cheese. Turn the heat off. Ladle out 2 cups of hot broth into a blender, add the cream cheese, and blend until melted. Stir back into the sausage kale soup and serve. I like a bit of fresh cracked black pepper on top.

Tips For Best Results

• Dice the veggies to the same size. That way, they’ll cook at the same rate.
• Use cream cheese at room temperature. If it isn’t, it won’t blend well with the broth and you’ll be left with little chunks of cream cheese. I wouldn’t know that from experience or anything. 😉
• Scraping the pan amps up the flavor. After you add the broth, scraping the browned bits from the bottom adds so much flavor to your soup! (This is called deglazing.) Just make sure to use a wooden utensil to avoid scratching the pot.

Recipe Variations

Want to make it more hearty? Try these additions for a more filling twist on Italian sausage kale soup:

• White Beans – Add a can of white beans to the sausage kale soup for an extra filling meal. It works best to add them towards the end, at the same time as the kale, so they don’t get too mushy.
• Potatoes – Add 1-2 cups of diced russet potatoes, Yukon gold potatoes, or sweet potatoes to the soup after pouring in the broth, letting them cook until tender. You could also use leftover oven roasted potatoes or roasted sweet potatoes — add them at the same time as the kale.
• Lentils – Add 1 cup of rinsed dry lentils with the broth. Let them to simmer until fully cooked and tender.
• Herbs – To me, sausage and kale soup is already so flavorful that I keep it simple and don’t add herbs… a rare occurrence in my cooking! But if you want to add some, dried thyme or rosemary pair well with the flavors here.
• Spice – This soup is pretty mild, and the spices in the sausage already provide lots of flavor. If you want more heat, throw in some crushed red pepper flakes, or you could use hot Italian sausage instead of regular.

Storage Tips

• Store: Keep leftover kale sausage soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. I love making a meal prep batch to have easy lunches all week!
• Reheat: Warm up in the microwave or on the stove top, until hot.
• Freeze: Store in a freezer-safe container, zip lock bag, or pre-portioned cubes (my favorite) in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating. The cream cheese sometimes separates from the broth a little when you thaw it, but it’s still delicious!

More Hearty Soup Recipes

If you like this sausage kale soup recipe, you might also like some of my other hearty soups:

Cabbage Soup

Pork Stew Recipe

Pozole Rojo Soup

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

Recipe Card

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Sausage And Kale Soup

Make this hearty, easy sausage kale soup in just 30 minutes! It's packed with sausage and kale in creamy broth for rich, bold flavors.

Prep: 2 minutes

Cook: 30 minutes

Total: 32 minutes

Author: Maya Krampf from Wholesome Yum

Servings: 4 (adjust to scale recipe)

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Ingredients

Tap underlined ingredients to see the ones I use.

• 1 tbsp Avocado oil ▢
• 1 lb Ground Italian sausage ▢
• 1 medium Onion (diced; ~1 cup) ▢
• 1/2 cup Carrots (diced) ▢
• 4 cloves Garlic (minced) ▢
• 6 cups Chicken bone broth (or regular chicken broth) ▢
• 5.5 oz Curly kale (chopped, stems removed; ~1 bunch) ▢
• 4 oz Cream cheese (at room temperature; omit for dairy-free) ▢

Instructions

Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.

1. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the ground sausage. Cook, breaking apart with a spatula, for 8-10 minutes, until browned. Use a slotted spoon to remove the sausage to a plate, leaving the oil in the pan.

2. Add the onions and carrots. Saute for 8-10 minutes, until the onions are starting to brown.

3. Make a well in the center of the pan. Add the minced garlic and saute for about 1-2 minutes, until fragrant, then stir in with the onions.

4. Immediately add the chicken broth and use a wooden spoon to scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan (this is called deglazing). Bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes.

5. Add the chopped kale and return the sausage to the pan. Simmer for 5 more minutes.

6. Turn off the heat. Ladle out 2 cups (473 ml) of hot broth into a blender. Add the cream cheese, and blend until melted.

7. Return the broth and cream cheese mixture to the dutch oven and stir until smooth.

LAST STEP: Leave a rating to help other readers, or tag me @wholesomeyum on Instagram. I’d love to hear from you!

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Maya’s Recipe Notes

Serving size: 1 1/2 cups

This serving size is good for a filling meal. As a starter, reduce to 1 cup instead.

Nutrition Facts

Amounts per serving. Serving size in recipe notes above.

Calories 564

Fat 43.6g

Protein 33.8g

Total Carbs 10g

Net Carbs 7.6g

Fiber 2.4g

Sugar 3.8g

I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.

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