Description
Hearty Italian sausage and potato soup with kale in a rich, creamy broth. This one-pot comfort food recipe is perfect for family dinners and meal prep.
Ingredients
For the Base:
- 1 pound Italian sausage (I grab whatever’s on sale – sweet or hot both work)
- ¾ cup chopped onion (the yellow ones from the bag work fine)
- 1 slice pancetta bacon, diced (or just use regular bacon if that’s what you have)
- 1¼ teaspoons minced garlic (the stuff in the jar is totally fine)
For the Broth:
- 1 cube chicken bouillon
- 4 cups water (I know, I know – you can use fancy broth if you want)
For the Good Stuff:
- 2 potatoes, cubed (Yukon or russet, whatever you’ve got)
- 2 cups kale, chopped up (stems removed because nobody wants chewy bits)
- ⅓ cup heavy cream (don’t you dare try to substitute this with milk)
Instructions
Get your big pot nice and hot, then toss in that sausage. I break it up with my wooden spoon as it cooks – not too small though, you want actual chunks to bite into. Let it get really brown and crispy in spots. If there’s a ton of grease, drain some off, but leave a little for flavor.
Throw in your chopped onion and that diced pancetta. This part smells incredible – my kids always come running to the kitchen asking what’s for dinner. Cook it until the onion gets soft and see-through, maybe 5 minutes or so.
Add the garlic and stir it around for just a minute. Don’t walk away during this part – I’ve burned the garlic more times than I care to admit and it makes everything taste bitter.
Pro Tip: If you mess up and burn the garlic, just start over. I know it sucks but there’s no saving it once it’s bitter.
I just dissolve that bouillon cube right in the water and pour it all in. Some people use fancy broth but honestly, this works perfectly fine and saves me five bucks.
Drop in your potato chunks and bring everything to a bubble, then turn it down to a gentle simmer. They need about 15 minutes to get tender. I test them with a fork – they should give a little but not fall apart completely.
The kale looks like way too much at first, but don’t worry – it shrinks down like crazy. Just stir it in and let it cook for about 5 minutes until it’s soft.
Turn the heat down low and pour in that cream, stirring gently. Don’t let it boil or it’ll curdle and look gross. Taste it now and add salt and pepper – it probably needs more salt than you think.
Notes
I always buy the sweet Italian sausage because my kids are wimps, but if your family likes heat, go for the hot stuff. Sometimes I can’t find pancetta at my regular grocery store, so I just use thick bacon cut up small – works perfectly fine and costs less.
When I prep the kale, I rip out those thick stems because they’re chewy and weird. My kids are already suspicious of green things, so I don’t need to give them more ammunition. If the soup seems thin, I just smash some of the potatoes against the side of the pot with my spoon. Instant thickener.
Oh, and here’s something I figured out by accident – if you let the cream sit on the counter while you’re cooking, it won’t shock the soup when you add it. Cold cream straight from the fridge can sometimes cause problems.
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 285
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 920mg
- Fat: 20g
- Saturated Fat: 8g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 15g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 16g
- Cholesterol: 55mg