Best Kale Soup Recipe with Sausage - A hearty soup filled with nutritious and delicious ingredients. Each slurp is filled with bold Italian flavors, tasty pork sausage, and chunks of vegetables and kale. Cook it on the stovetop or in a slow cooker.
This nutritious and delicious kale soup with sausage is so hearty and comforting on a cold day. Full of fresh vegetables, Italian seasonings, lots of kale, and pork sausage, this is bound to become a new family favorite. Better yet, it can be made on the stove in about 30 minutes or you can set it and forget it in a slow cooker.
The Italian flavors in this sausage kale soup only get better over time. Store the leftovers and enjoy them for weekday lunches, or easily freeze a batch so you can have a delicious meal ready in a pinch. A bowl of this soup is so warming and filling, it’s perfect for both lunches and dinners.
FAQs
I used sweet Italian pork sausages with the casings removed to compliment all of the herbs and vegetables in this recipe. Different types of sausages will change the flavor profile of the soup, so be careful with what you choose. To cut down on the fat, you can use turkey sausages or a plant-based meat alternative.
Kale takes almost no time to cook! When the kale is stirred into the soup during the last 5 minutes of cooking, the heat will wilt the leaves and you’ll be ready to serve the soup.
What You’ll Need to Make the Best Kale Soup
The ingredients in this soup recipe with kale are simple, inexpensive, and versatile. Feel free to add in more of your favorites or mix it up by adding different vegetables, meats, or seasonings. These are the ingredients you’ll need:
- Chopped kale
- Sweet Italian pork sausages
- Chicken broth (homemade chicken broth or storebought)
- Onion and garlic
- Celery and carrots
- Italian seasoning
- Red pepper flakes
- Potato
- A bay leaf
How to Make Kale Soup on the Stove
Step 1: First, saute the onion in a large pot with some oil over medium heat.
Step 2: Once it’s golden and fragrant, add in the sausage and cook until browned.
Step 3: Add the garlic, celery, carrots, and seasonings and saute until the veggies are tender.
Step 4: Pour in the broth, potato and add the bay leaf. Bring the soup up to a boil, then let it simmer for 15 minutes.
Step 5: To finish, stir in the kale and simmer until it’s wilted. Serve and enjoy!
How to Make This Kale Soup Recipe in a Crock Pot
Step 1: First, saute the onion in a large skillet on the stove with some oil over medium heat. As soon as it’s ready, add in the sausage and cook until browned.
Step 2: Now, add the onion and sausage mixture, the vegetables, seasonings, broth, and the bay leaf into the bowl of a slow cooker.
Step 3: Next, cook on high for 6 hours or low for 8 hours.
Step 4: Lastly, when the soup is ready, stir in the kale and let it cook for another 5 minutes or until the leaves have wilted. Serve and enjoy!
Tips and Substitutions
- Don’t have kale at home? Feel free to swap it with spinach instead.
- Add as many extra vegetables, legumes, or beans as you like. This soup would be delicious with chunks of white or sweet potatoes, cooked chickpeas or lentils, and canned diced tomatoes.
- To make this soup vegan or vegetarian-friendly, swap the sausage for a plant-based meat alternative and use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
- Make your own homemade instant pot chicken broth or instant pot beef bone broth to add heaps of fresh flavors to this meal.
- Serve each bowl of soup with parmesan cheese on top, with a slice of fresh no knead bread, or next to a warm chicken panini sandwich.
Storing, Freezing, and Reheating
Store your leftovers in sealed containers in the fridge. The soup should stay fresh for about 4 or 5 days.
To freeze kale soup, keep it in a sealed container or zip bag. It can be frozen for up to 3 months. You can thaw the frozen soup by leaving it in the fridge overnight or reheating it right from frozen.
You can reheat the chilled or frozen soup for a few minutes in the microwave (stirring in between each minute) or in a pot on the stove over medium heat.
More Delicious Soup Recipes
- Instant Pot Beef Barley Soup
- Panera Broccoli Cheese Soup
- Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
- Split Pea Soup With Smoked Turkey
- Potato Leek Bacon Soup
Q. Do YOU like this Easy Kale Soup Recipe?
Let me know in the comments below, I would love to hear from you!
Thank YOU for YOUR Comment, Share & Recipe Review!
When YOU make this Kale Soup Recipe tag us on Instagram using @MunchkinTimeBlog we would love to see your creation!
📖 Recipe
Sausage Kale Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 lb pork sausage sweet Italian pork sausage, casing removed or use regular mild Italian sausage
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped or minced
- 3 celery sticks sliced
- 2 carrots cubed
- 1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes or to taste
- salt and pepper to taste
- 10 cups chicken broth I used homemade or use low-sodium store-bought
- 3 medium potatoes peeled and cubed
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cups kale chopped
Instructions
- First saute onion in a large pot with some oil over medium heat, until golden color.
- Once it’s golden and fragrant, add in the sausage and cook until browned, about 5 minutes.
- Add garlic, celery, carrots, and Italian seasoning and saute until the veggies are tender, about 5 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.
- After add chicken broth, potato and bay leaf. Bring it to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Now, stir in chopped kale and continue to simmer for 5 more minutes.
- Serve each bowl of soup with parmesan cheese on top, with a slice of fresh bread, or next to a warm panini sandwich. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Quote of the Day
Happy Cooking!
Michele Cota
Love this recipe! This soup is a staple in my diet. Just wondering if the calorie count is a typo though?
Munchkin Time
Thank you so much for your kind words, Michele! I'm thrilled to hear that this soup has become a staple in your diet. It's one of my favorites too! Regarding the calorie count, I double-checked the numbers, and it was indeed a typo, I just updated it, thank you for letting me know!
Mbandy
I've made this a few times and it is crazy good with pork sausage - it is still very good with turkey sausage. I also like to skip the potatoes and add white beans for some extra fiber. Thanks for the recipe!
Munchkin Time
Thank you so much for your awesome recipe feedback Mbandy! I love how you used white beans instead of potatoes, sounds soooo delicious!
Lyne
Delicious! I cut down the recipe and didn’t really pay attention to measurements but used all of the ingredients. Made with hot breakfast sausage and added a can of lite coconut milk at the end. Turned out wonderful!
Munchkin Time
Thank you, Lyne! Sounds so delicious with coconut milk and hot breakfast sausage!