Around here its officially soup season and Spicy Italian Sausage & Kale Soup is our soup of the week! Hearty, comforting, full of amazing flavors with a little heat, it’s the perfect bowl of goodness for warming up on a cool, fall or winter evening!
Fall is one of my favorite times of year out here on the ranch. Right, now everything is so green, animals are our enjoying the plentiful food and water and the temps are super mild…like 60’s to 80’s…in Texas you can’t get more perfect than this! The Cowboy even has had to pull out his coat to make his morning rounds! Cooler weather also means comfort food and to me that’s exactly what soup is!
Soup is one of my all-time favorite comfort foods to make! You can get such amazing flavors by simply cooking a handful of great ingredients together…not to mention, most soup recipes are one pot meals that require very little active cooking time and you gotta love that! Spicy Italian Sausage & Kale Soup is just that…spicy sausage with a hint of sweet basil and fennel, cooked with tomatoes, mushrooms, zucchini and kale to create a rich, flavorful soup that is low carb, keto friendly and gluten and dairy free!
This Italian Sausage & Kale soup was always a favorite in the restaurant. The restaurant version had white beans but to keep it low carb and keto friendly, I just eliminated the beans and added zucchini for some added texture and I just love zucchini in soups!
Wanna know one of my secrets for making a super flavorful soup broth?
I’m going to share with you one of my restaurant secrets to some amazing soup! To make this soup extra special is super easy. Get a wedge of Parmesan cheese with the rind on it. When simmering the soup, cut the hard rind off the cheese and add it to simmer with the soup. It’s really that simple. The rind will soften a bit but won’t melt into the soup, but the broth will absorb all of the yummy flavors of the cheese and create a broth that is out of this world DELISH! When ready to serve, simply remove the rind and use the leftover Parmesan wedge for grating on your soup!
Don’t worry if you don’t have a wedge of Parmesan around, can’t find one or don’t want to spend the money on one…this soup is still incredibly delicious without it. But if you want to take it to the next level…trust me! If your completely dairy free, just leave it out and garnish with some chopped basil or fresh pesto!
If you are using a stainless steel stock pot, cook your ingredients over medium heat. This will allow a really nice “fond” to form on the bottom of your pot from the sausage. The veggies will help pick some of it up and the broth will help deglaze the rest…this is a good thing! Pure flavor!
Spicy Italian Sausage & Kale soup is a must have on your Fall or Winter menu! A one pot, comforting, flavorful meal that can be on the table in under 30 minutes! Top with fresh Parmesan or Mozzarella cheese, chopped basil or fresh pesto and you have a bowl of deliciousness that will knock your socks off!
Check out these other great spicy soup recipes!
Italian Sausage & Kale Soup
Ingredients
- 1 lb Hot Italian Sausage
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 2/3 cup chopped celery
- 2 cups sliced mushrooms
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 zucchini, sliced
- 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
- 4 cups chicken broth or stock
- 2 tsp. dried parsley
- 3 tsp. dried basil
- 1 tsp. salt
- 3 cups fresh or frozen kale, packed
- Parmesan Rind, optional
- Shredded Parmesan & Mozzarella for topping, optional
Instructions
- Remove sausage from casing (if present). In a large stock pot over medium high, heat add the sausage and brown, using a spoon to break it up as it cooks. When sausage is brown and golden (it may begin to stick to the bottom of the pan...that's ok), add the onions, celery and mushrooms to the sausage and continue to cook over medium high heat, stirring frequently, until the onions are translucent, 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and zucchini, continue to cook for another 1-2 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, broth or stock and Parmesan rind, if using, stirring well and scraping up any browned bits off the bottom of the pot. Add the dried herbs and salt and simmer for about 15 minutes. Add the kale and simmer for another 5 minutes. Taste and adjust to taste with salt and pepper. To serve, ladle into bowls and top with shredded Parmesan and mozzarella...Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition facts are approximate and will vary depending on the ingredients used. Carbs from sugar alcohols have been excluded since they have shown to have no impact on blood sugar.
