This Sausage and Kale Soup is a hearty comfort food packed with flavorful Italian sausage, potatoes, kale, and garlic in a creamy sauce. Grab your favorite crusty bread and enjoy the perfect satisfying soup recipe!
This soup is very similar to the beloved zuppa toscana we all know! This version streamlines the process by reducing the cooking time and ingredients, but it still yields the same satisfying flavor you know and love! This also happens to be one of those magical soups that are even better the next day, so it is ideal for meal prep.
If you happen to enjoy growing and preparing your own food, take a look at my guide to growing winter potatoes. You won’t believe how easy it is and how much it yields!
Ingredients for Sausage and Kale Soup
As always, this is a quick overview of the ingredients needed to make this dish. For the complete, printable recipe, scroll to the recipe card below.
- Italian Sausage: you can use mild, spicy, or sweet. If you would like to reduce the calories, chicken sausage or turkey sausages are a great option as well.
- Vegetables: onion, garlic, Idaho or russet potatoes, and kale. If you do not enjoy kale, simply swap this for spinach.
- Spices: garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper
- Liquid Ingredients: chicken broth and heavy whipping cream. If you need to reduce calories, you can substitute half and half, but I do not suggest substituting milk.
How to Make Sausage Soup
You will forget all about Olive Garden when you make this delicious soup at home. I’ve documented the entire process below so you can easily and quickly make this soup.
Brown the Meat
Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat; add the ground Italian sausage to the pan, breaking it up as it cooks. Once it is browned, add the chopped onion and sauté until soft. Add in the minced garlic and cook until fragrant, then drain off any grease.
Add Potatoes and Spices
Add the chopped potatoes, you can leave the peel on if you prefer, and spices to the pot. Next, stir in the broth. Bring the broth to a boil, then cover with a lid and reduce heat to low. Allow to simmer for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
Add Kale and Cream
Lastly, remove the lid and stir in both the chopped kale that has been cut into bite-size pieces and heavy cream. Stir well until the cream is fully incorporated and the kale has wilted.
Serve
Ladle this soup up in bowls with a healthy dose of parmesan cheese, and freshly ground black pepper, and if you enjoy a little kick sprinkle a few red pepper flakes on top! This is excellent served with a good loaf of crusty bread and quality olive oil. It also pairs well with these salads:
- Simple Arugula Salad with Brown Butter Dressing
- Classic Wedge Salad
- Harvest Salad
Storage
- Allow the leftovers to come to room temperature before storing. Once cooled, store in an airtight container up to 4 days. While the soup can technically be stored a little longer, I find the kale diminisions after this amount of time.
- For reheating simply heat in a microwave or stove top over low heat, stirring occasionally until warm.
- You can freeze cooled leftovers by transferring them to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months.
Variations
- Carrots pair nicely with this soup if you would like to increase the nutritional content.
- Cannellini Beans are a great way to add extra protein in a budget-friendly way.
- Yukon Gold Potatoes work nicely in this recipe and have a slightly different taste than russet or Idaho.
- Fresh herbs such as rosemary, fresh basil, and thyme are great additions.
- Using coconut milk instead of heavy cream can work as a dairy-free option.
Other Soup Recipes
- Chicken Noodle Soup: a classic for a reason!
- Easy Chicken Gnocchi Soup: Olive Garden Copycat!
- Easy Mushroom Soup: a creamy vegetarian soup everyone loves.
- Hamburger Soup: ground beef and vegetables come together to make a quick and easy dish.
Sausage and Kale Soup
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground Italian sausage
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 white onion chopped
- 2 cups russet or Idaho potatoes peeled and cubed
- 32 ounces chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 5 cups of kale chopped very finely tough stems removed
- 1 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat; add the ground Italian sausage to the pan, breaking it up as it cooks.
- Once the sausage has browned, add the chopped onion and sauté until soft. Add in the minced garlic and cook until fragrant, then drain off any grease.
- Add the potatoes and spices to the pot and stir in the broth.
- Bring the broth to a boil, then cover with a lid and reduce heat to low. Allow to simmer for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
- Remove the lid and stir in both the chopped kale and heavy cream. Stir well until the cream is fully incorporated and the kale has wilted.