One of the reasons I love fall cooking because I love soups. You can get so much flavor in a soup. You can mix in all kinds of good things and adjust it as you go! I love a nice hot bowl of soup with some kind of crusty bread or corn bread muffin or perhaps a batch of pumpkin biscuits…mmmm!
Here is another one of my signature soups. My mom declares that this is the best soup I make. This one is a hearty bowl of intense yet comforting flavors. I first began experimenting with this recipe after tasting Olive garden’s Tuscana Potato soup but soon added other layers as I researched various potato sausage soups such as Portuguese versions. This recipe is blend of potato sausage soup from several cultures.
By the way, this can easily be made vegetarian but omitting sausage and using vegetable broth.The sausage adds a lot of spiciness so do add extra spice, salt and pepper.
It is just fine for lactose intolerant to make without cream/milk. The big flavors in this soup make it versatile.
One of the things I do to make this soup is to bake about half of the potatoes and boil the other half. You don’t have to do this but I like the texture it gives the soup. You can use all russet potatoes or part russet and part red or white. The mix is nice because russets tend to be flakier and break up well and reds or whites are waxy and absorb less water, keeping their shape better.
Any kind of bulk, ground sausage will work but the hot Italian is my favorite, of course JA word about kale- it is a powerhouse of great nutritional value and you should be eating it often. Seriously great nutrition with a good taste.
Purple kale is another variety along with Dino kale which is good in the soup |
It is a near perfect protein and an incredible source of Vitamin K at 684% and Vitamin A at 206% of the RDA. It is an excellent source of Vitamin C, B6, manganese, and calcium and a good source of many other B vitamins, copper, potassium with some iron and magnesium. It is high in phytonutrients which fight cancer. Kale has more calcium per calorie than dairy products and may be better absorbed This soup, along with kale chip recipe on here which you must try, are great ways to have kale because it tastes so good!!
Potato Soup with Kale and Sausage
3 -4 russet potatoes with nice skins for baking
2 -3 Russet, white, red potatoes or peeled and chopped
12 -16 oz ground sausage, Hot Italian is best
1/2 cup onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 teaspoon herb blend such as Herbs de Provence or Italian
½ teaspoon garlic powder, onion powder, crushed red pepper flake, crushed fennel seed and/or crushed rosemary, optional
4 cups low-sodium Chicken or veggie broth
1cup water, or so as needed for consistency of soup
salt and pepper to taste
3 cups or so chopped Kale
½ cup chopped parsley -- optional
3-4 green onions, finely sliced,optional
1/3 cup half and half, cream or milk, optional
Preheat oven to 400. Wash, dry baking russets. You may, if you wish, rub a bit of olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper. You may place them in foil for softer skin. Bake until soft, about 45-50 minutes. .( If you are in a hurry you may pre-cook in microwave for 7 minutes and then place in foil and finish in oven for 20 min or until soft).
Put sausage in large pot or dutch oven; break up as cooking on med-low heat. While sausage cooks, prepare the rest of the potatoes by peeling and dicing. When sausage is just about done, drain well. There should be very little grease. Add onion, garlic, spices to pan. Cook for a 5 minutes then add cut up potatoes for a few more minutes and then broth, water to cover about a couple inches or so over potatoes. Cook until potatoes are very tender, around 18-24minutes.
Once baked potatoes are cooked, cool slightly. Chop potatoes, making sure to cut skin into small pieces. Remove large pieces of potato skins. Add to soup. To prep the Kale, cut leaves off tough stalks and veins and chop well.
Add parsley, green onions. If soup is very thick, add a bit more water. If it is thin, cook a while uncovered, or add several spoons instant potato flakes. Turn off heat and cool slightly , if using, stir in cream or milk, and heat but do not boil. You may skip milk but it does add a really nice creaminess to the broth.
Recipe by Denise Birdsall
Serving Size : 8-10 While I did forget to take pictures of the food, here are more important picture from my daughter's art show.
I know exactly what you mean about photos! I have a great meatloaf to share, but the photos just stink :) Your soup looks amazing...I have promised myself to add kale to one of my soups this year...and yours with the sausage sounds lovely.
ReplyDeleteThis soup looks wonderful and I love Kale. I've been eating it so much lately. I love cooking this time of year because of soups too!
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about photos too! Such a pain - but practice makes perfect I suppose, so we gotta keep clicking :p
ReplyDeleteLovely soup btw love the different textures!
Oh, those paintings are wonderful! Its okay you forgot to take pictures of the food, you got the important stuff :)
ReplyDeleteThis soup is super yummy too, why would you want a vegetarian version!? Buzzed
This soup is really hearty and delicious. I love the pairing of kale and sausage. Very nice! I hear you about taking photos. I think sometimes it can be so stressful to try to get that picture to post you can forget to enjoy the pleasure of the food.
ReplyDeleteLooks like your daughter is a very talented artist! I especially love the red house. Your soup looks delicious. I love a hearty kale and sausage soup and yours has some great seasonings! YUMMY!
ReplyDeleteLizzy, I would love that meatloaf recipe! I hope you can find a photo you like!
ReplyDeleteThanks Cassie, Kale is so nutritious and tasty, I think it is this year's favorite for me. Too True, Parsley, this soup is perfect with the sausage. I had to make vegetarian version the other day but I love it with the sausage. Glad you like the paintings and the soup. Nish and curry, you are both so right about photos- keep practicing and don't let the stress overshadow the enjoyment of what we are creating! Thanks, MJ! I will pass on your compliment to my daughter. Yeah, red house was the hit- three or four offers on that one. She needs to paint more of the red house. Good thing its close by!