Spicy Sausage, Kale and Potato Soup

This recipe is perfectly suited for a weeknight meal. It’s all made in just a single pot. And you can have it ready in 30 minutes.

This Spicy Sausage, Kale and Potato Soup is what I like to think of as one of those transition recipes. It’s got plenty of hearty ingredients to fill you right up, like leafy kale and a mix of both sweet potatoes and white potatoes. But it’s also not overly heavy. In fact, the base of this soup is very brothy (can the word “broth” be used as an adverb?), so it almost feels kind of light. It will warm you right up, without weighing you down.

Feel free to use either chicken or pork sausage in this recipe. But whatever you do, definitely go for a spicy version of the sausage. I’ve made this soup in the past with sweet Italian sausage, and it just wasn’t the same. You need that little extra little kick from the spicy sausage!

Ingredients

• 1 lb spicy sausage (pork or chicken)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes, divided
• 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1 large bunch curly kale (about 4 cups), stemmed and chopped
• 8 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 large sweet potato, cut into 1/4 inch slices
• 1 large russet potato, cut into 1/4 inch slices
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
• Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Instructions

1. Heat a large heavy-bottom pot over medium-high heat. Add the sausage (if it's still in the casing, remove and discard the casing) and cook until it’s no longer pink, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon and breaking it up into smaller pieces as it cooks. Remove the sausage from the pot and place it on a paper-towel lined plate to drain.
2. Reduce the heat to medium and warm the olive oil in the same pot. Then add the chopped onion and cook until it's slightly softened, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently while scraping the bottom of the pot to loosen up any browned bits. Add the garlic, salt, black pepper, 1/4 tsp. of the red pepper flakes and the nutmeg and cook for 1 minute more. Stir in the kale and let it cook down for about 2 minutes.
3. Add the chicken broth and the sweet potato slices. Increase the heat to bring the soup up to a simmer. After 3-4 minutes stir in the russet potato slices and the cooked sausage. Simmer the soup, uncovered, for about 10 minutes more, or until the potatoes are cooked through.
4. Remove the soup from the heat and stir in the heavy cream and parsley.
5. To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and a pinch of red pepper flakes, if desired.
6. Once cooled, the leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in your refrigerator for 2-3 days.

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