Turkey Sausage, Kale, and Potato Soup

I’m home! Such a wonderful few days with the family…. now, it’s back to reality. The good news is that it’s back to NORMAL eating patterns, and I’ll be working out of my own pantry (free of snacks and treats that I don’t usually have access to.)

For today’s recipe, I’m sharing one that I made the week before Christmas, that I absolutely loved.

The first time I ever laid my eyes on Sausage and Kale soup was at Prado restaurant. Because it was a soup with potatoes in it, I had the impression that it would come out with a creamy base. When I spotted Donna’s brothy delicious looking bowl, I knew I would have to try to make this myself.

When I got home, I went to my favorite resource for healthy recipes SkinnyTaste to see if Gina had anything similar posted on her site. Being that kale is a super food and all, I kind of figured she did.

What I found there was a VERY simple recipe for the exact soup I was looking for. Honestly, I was a little worried it was too simple. I mean, how could sausage, broth, kale, carrots, onions, and potatoes be enough to make a tasty soup? Shouldn’t there be more ingredients???

The answer is an emphatic NO. The soup is absolute perfection just as it is. Absolutely delicious and very filling. It took everything in me to put one serving in the freezer to eat later. Because I loved it so much, I knew I’d enjoy eating a serving in a few weeks… but I just wanted to eat it this week, even after eating 3 bowls.

Turkey Sausage, Kale, and Potato Soup

From SkinnyTaste

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

14 oz reduced fat Italian chicken or turkey sausage
8 cups (1/2 batch) kale, stems removed, leaves shredded
1 tsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, sliced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
8 cups fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 cups water
3 medium red potatoes, peeled diced into 1/4 inch pieces
1 pinch dried red pepper flakes
salt to taste
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a large Dutch oven or pot, cook sausage over medium-low heat. Turn and cook until brown, about 10 minutes.

Note: I used Jennie-O Hot Italian Turkey Sausage Links, and removed it from the casing prior to sauteeing.

Once cooked, place sausage in a food processor to grind the meat so that it’s finely chopped.

2. Add oil to pot, add onions and carrots; cook on medium until translucent, about 5 minutes.

3. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.

4. Add broth, water and black pepper, bring to a boil and cook 5 minutes.

5. Add cooked sausage, potatoes, red pepper flakes and bring back to a simmer. Cook covered for about 4 minutes. Note: I used hot italian turkey sausage, and left the red pepper flakes as a result.

6. Prepare your kale by shredding it. Note: My prep included removing the stems, and then rolling the kale up. Once rolled, I sliced it chiffonade-style to create ribbons of kale. Once shredded, I used my salad spinner to clean the greens.