This Smoked Sausage, Kale, and Potato Soup is hearty and delicious! A creamy soup recipe made with smoked sausage, kale, and potatoes that’s done in just 30 minutes.
Table of Contents
- An Easy Soup Recipe That’s Loaded with Flavor
- Ingredients
- Can You Leave the Skins on Potatoes in Potato Soup?
- How to Make Smoked Sausage, Kale, and Potato Soup
- Tips and Tricks
- Serving Ideas
- How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
- Does Smoked Sausage, Kale, and Potato Soup Freeze Well?
- Get the Recipe
- More Easy Soup Recipes
An Easy Soup Recipe That’s Loaded with Flavor
I’ve got your ideal winter-best-friend. This smoked sausage, kale, and potato soup is everything! It’s cozy and wintry and basically hug in a bowl, if you will. Perfect for chilly days and nights!
Because cold weather and soup just go together, this Creamy Crab and Wild Rice Soup made its appearance a few times in the past several weeks, along with my Gnocchi Zuppa Toscana. But this one just might be my favorite of the three!
Oh, who am I kidding? I can’t pick a favorite! But I am excited to share this creamy sausage soup with you guys – I know you’ll love it as much as I do. It’s simple to make, comes together quickly, and is good for you, too.
Ingredients
Here’s the list of ingredients you will need to make this cozy soup. It’s not a long list, but each item is a flavor powerhouse! Let’s take a look:
- Butter and Olive Oil: For sauteing.
- Onion: I use yellow onion, but any kind will do.
- Garlic: Finely chop a few cloves of fresh garlic, or substitute garlic powder.
- Smoked Sausage: Such as kielbasa – I used Eckrich brand. Slice the sausage into 1/4-inch rounds.
- Kale: Tear the kale leaves into bite-sized pieces.
- Salt and Pepper
- Fresh Rosemary: Or a small amount of dried rosemary.
- Dried Thyme: This pungent herb helps balance the richness of the sausage.
- Potatoes: Wash and cube the potatoes.
- Broth: I use low-sodium, fat-free chicken broth, but regular chicken broth is fine, too.
- Soy Milk: For a creamy finish. I used Silk Soymilk.
Can You Leave the Skins on Potatoes in Potato Soup?
Potatoes with rough skin, like russet potatoes, should be peeled before adding them to soup. However, if you use waxy potatoes with delicate skin, like red potatoes or fingerling potatoes, you can peel them, or just scrub them and leave the skins on.
How to Make Smoked Sausage, Kale, and Potato Soup
I have mentioned a couple of times how easy this soup is, but seriously you guys, it has three steps! Four, if you count actually eating it. Here they are:
- Cook the Aromatics, Sausage, Kale, and Seasonings. To start, set a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the butter and olive oil. Once those are hot, stir in the diced onion, garlic, sausage, kale, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper. Let these ingredients cook for 8 minutes or so, stirring occasionally.
- Add the Potatoes, Broth, and Soy Milk. Next, add the potatoes to the pot, along with the chicken broth and soy milk. Bring the soup to a boil, and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Let the soup cook for 10 to 14 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
- Finish the Dish. Take the soup off of the heat, and taste for salt and pepper. Add more if needed, and discard the rosemary sprig. Ladle the soup into bowls, and serve it warm.
Tips and Tricks
There are lots of ways to customize this recipe, and I’ve collected a few of the best right here. Check out these easy tips to help you achieve the yummiest soup ever.
- Sausage Substitute: For a more zuppa toscana feel, try using browned Italian sausage in this recipe. Sweet, mild, or spicy – it’s your call!
- Green Options: Kale is a favorite in this recipe, but you can also use other greens if you need to. Fresh or frozen mixed greens, collards, or mustard greens can be substituted, and each will add its own unique flavor and texture.
- Veggie Additions: Want more veggies? Feel free to stir in sliced or diced carrots, celery, or leeks right into the pot. Yum.
- Dairy Version: If you’d like to use regular dairy instead of the soy milk, try using half and half or whole milk in the recipe. Make sure to add this at the end of the cooking process, though, or it may curdle! Stir it in right before you ladle the soup into bowls.
- Add Parm: Drop a parmesan rind into the soup for extra flavor, or sprinkle grated parmesan into your bowl.
Serving Ideas
Need some side dishes to make this a meal? (Well, more of a meal? Because honestly, I could make a meal out of this hearty soup all by itself.) No worries – I have all kinds of side dish inspo right here:
- Salad: A fresh, crunchy salad is great alongside a hot bowl of potato soup. This Macedonian Shopska Salad is made with feta, tomatoes, cucumbers, and more – so tasty!
- Bread: Simple no-knead bread is always a hit with cozy soup. Try making Rosemary and Garlic No-Knead Skillet Bread, and see how addictive this ultra-easy technique can be.
- Chicken: Want a little more protein in your meal? Try adding a healthy serving of chicken. This recipe for Juicy Stove Top Chicken Breasts delivers tender, flavorful perfection, every time.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
- You can store this in your refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. Make sure to cover it tightly or transfer it to an airtight container to keep it fresh.
- To reheat, just put the desired amount in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat until all of the ingredients are warmed through. Or, just use your microwave! Either way, be sure to stir the soup often for even heating.
Does Smoked Sausage, Kale, and Potato Soup Freeze Well?
- Yes, you can freeze this soup. Just let it cool down, and then pack it into airtight freezer-friendly containers.
- Store in your freezer for up to 2 months, and thaw in the refrigerator before reheating. Pro tip: when you freeze liquids, always leave a little room at the top of the container so the liquid can expand.
ENJOY!
Smoked Sausage, Kale and Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 package (14-ounces ) smoked sausage, (such as kielbasa or andouille), sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
- 4 cups torn kale leaves
- salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 3 cups cubed potatoes
- 4 cups low-sodium fat-free chicken broth
- 2 cups milk, I used Soy milk, see notes below for more options
Instructions
- Melt butter and heat olive oil in a soup pot set over medium-high heat.
- Add diced onions, garlic, sliced smoked sausage rounds, kale, salt, pepper, rosemary sprig, and thyme; stir to combine and cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in potatoes and cook for 1 minute.
- Add chicken broth and half & half (or milk); bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to a simmer and continue to cook for 10 to 14 minutes or until potatoes are fully cooked and tender.
- Remove from heat.
- Taste for salt and pepper and adjust accordingly.
- Remove rosemary sprig.
- Ladle soup into bowls and serve.
Notes
- Sausage: I like to use either Polish Kielbasa or Andouille Sausage for this particular soup recipe. However, you can also use Italian Sausage, chicken sausage, turkey, and so on.
- Leafy Greens: Kale is a favorite in this soup recipe, but you can also use any fresh or frozen mixed greens, such as collards or mustard greens, or baby spinach.
- Vegetables: If you want to add carrots, celery, and leeks, go right ahead.
- Dairy Options: To lighten things up, I used soy milk, but you can use any milk you have on hand. You can also use Half & Half or Heavy Cream; make sure to stir in the heavy cream right before the end of the cooking process and stir well so it does not curdle.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
I added about 8oz of shredded smoked gouda at the end. It’s delicious!
I’m very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
The broth is very thin and tastes strongly of rosemary. Use a small sprig. May thicken overnight. Not my favorite
This recipe has been in our regular cold weather rotation for quite a while! We love it and love that it’s gluten free. We wrap the rosemary in cheesecloth so it imparts the flavor but the leaves don’t come off in the soup. Thanks so mich for the amazing recipe!
That’s great to hear! I’m very glad you and your family enjoyed it! Thank you for chiming in! 🙂
This really hit the spot. I used evaporated milk because I was almost out of regular milk. I added celery because I had some I had to use. I did not have kale, so I used spinach, but I didn’t put it in until a few minutes before I served the soup. I think next time I will use less olive oil. It was too greasy for me. I’ll probably only use butter. Thank you for the recipe.
I’m very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
We REALLY enjoy this soup! Made it again today and this time I added bacon and some leftover shredded carrots. Also substituted half & half for the soy milk – yum!
I am very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
Hearty looking soup. Bet it’s delicious.
This soup is amazing
I made this last night and it was a huge hit! The soup is wonderful as the recipe is written but being from New Mexico, I added chopped green chile’s and bacon. Delicious!
I cannot express how much I love this soup, it is so easy to make and so tasty. It’s my absolute favorite soup recipe.
Love this soup, and have been using this recipe a few years now. I can also eat it three times a day 😂😂but I can’t find the polish sausage here, so substitute with Dutch smoked sausage and it’s also delicious 😋
This is a winner!! Such great flavor and consistency! I used 1 cup whipping cream and 1 cup 1% milk, left the rosemary in. So good!! Thank you.
Man, this recipe was SO GOOOOD!! I made a double batch – used one smoked sausage and one hot smoked sausage for some extra flair. It was awesome! I also did half gold potatoes and half sweet potatoes – absolutely delicious! This will definitely be in my regular rotation from now on. Sooo tasty! Thanks so much!!!
This is similar to Zuppa Tuscana from Olive Garden 🙂 Looks delicious!
Hi!
Yes, it is! I was definitely inspired by it, but really really like the smoked sausage in there better than the ground meat. 😀
BEST SOUP EVER! Can’t stop eating it. Can’t stop thinking about it. We love kale so we added twice the amount he recipe called fo but other than that, we followed the recipe to a T. Thank you for sharing this recipe…you’ve made it easier to face the colder months ahead.
Wow this tastes like a gourmet soup from a restaurant. Excellent job, thank you for sharing!
Made this last night and it is amazing!! Definitely making it again. Topped mine w sauteed shrimp and my husband LOVED it! Wonderful recipe!!
I love this soup. It’s become a staple in our house. The only thing I do differently is use andoule sausage and add some frozen corn. The spices are wonderful. But I would love to make it without the sausage for my vegetarian friends. I really like Creole seasoning. Any suggestions as to how much to keep that wonderful spicy flavor?
Soyrizo is a delicious spicy vegetarian sausage, I would add that and some cayenne for a similar flavor profile 🙂
I loved the soup! I added carrots and celery and some red pepper flakes just to my bowl. Next time I’ll make some crusty bread to go with it! Thanks!
Awesome soup! Thanks for the recipe!
Is it okay for me to substitute heavy whipping cream, and white wine in for the soy milk instead? Or will that change it up too much?
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I made this tonight, and it was really good. Even my husband loved it, and he really isn’t that fond of soup. I used milk because that’s what we use at home. I also thickened it up a bit by adding some flour and water. This is definitely a keeper.
If you substitute soy milk and use half-and-half do you still use 2 cups
Hi! Yes, you still will need the same amount of liquid.
First of all, I love the soup! It tastes absolutely amazing. Although, I was wondering how you calculated the nutrition facts? When I added all the ingredients into My Fitness Pal’s recipe feature it calculates one serving as 277 calories, not 110.
Is there anyway to alter this to cook in a crockpot?
Sounds like the perfect dish for Autumn. Can’t wait to try it!
Maming this now and it amazing! I used savoy cabbage that needed to be used up and haf and half instead of soy milk. I also used my immersion blender on it for a creamy version
Love this!!! I added a little more smoked sausage and potatoes. I substituted the soy milk for half & half. Most definitely a Pinterest Win 🙂
Making this for the first time. Home sick with strep throat and looking for a recipe for kale and found this. Making with cauliflower instead of potatoes. Can’t wait to try it once it finishes cooking!!!
Such a great recipe thanks for sharing. I used half and half instead of soy milk and I used a couple sprigs of rosemary because I love it, I Also used fresh thyme and some sliced white mushrooms that I was trying to use up. Will definitely make again!
Love this soup. I also used half and half and added squash. Big hit with my family, thanks for sharing.
Irma
I see the nutritional info, but not how large a serving is. 1 cup?
Hi! That should say 10 servings. Normally, 1 cup of soup is a serving, but this one will go over that – about 1.5 cups. A bowl of soup is 2 servings because it fits 2 cups.
Hi. Weird question, what would you suggest to eat with that?
I’m asian so we pretty much eat everything with rice lol would it be good with rice?
HI!! LOL! I understand completely! :))) I serve this with dinner rolls and a big salad, but I’m content with just a bowl of soup and the salad. You can also do grilled cheese sandwiches. Just an idea. 🙂
Hi! Is there a special reason why you use Soy milk instead of, say, 2% milk? I’m just wondering if I use regular milk, will it mess up the recipe? I don’t have Soy milk on hand.
Thanks for this recipe; I can’t wait to try it!!
Hi!! Yep, milk is fine! It won’t mess up the recipe at all.
OBSESSED with this soup! It is super easy and tastes so amazing and comforting! I usually make it for dinner one night and then eat it for lunch for several days after. I also use smoked turkey sausage to make it a little healthier- still tastes incredible!! Even my husband will eat it who doesn’t usually like kale or soup for that matter
I love soup but newer seen like this, its looking so delicious, definitely i will at home and give surprise to family, thanks for amazing sharing
Wow, this is amazing soup. I usually skimp on the fresh herbs but this time I didn’t. I put in the rosemary sprig and thyme and that made the flavor soooooo good. I also made this non-diet with half&half and milk and added some mushrooms cuz I love them. Dang, I feel like a real cook after making this.
I don’t like kale but this recipe will get me to eat my kale. The recipe is simple and the soup is amazing. This is one of my go to soups now. Thank you!
This is really amazing, I not Fine Cook but your recipe seem easy and I know I can do it. Thank you, admin 🙂
This soup was so good! What a great (and easy) recipe. Thanks!
I found this under weight watchers. Recipes. If so, how many smart points in a cup. Thanks
Hi Sandra! That would be 8 smart points.
Great soup! I never make soup but I saw this and wanted to try it. It was delicious the first time out! So simple and quick, too. Thanks!
I love good soup, and this recipe strikes me as one that will be on my “gotta make it several times this winter” list. My landlady and I often share soups and casseroles (as well as some of my creatively made cheesecakes), and I think she’ll really like this one 🙂 Just because I like it so much, I’m going to add a good amount of baby spinach, and will use baby kale leaves instead of mature kale leaves. I’m just lazy, that’s all–baby kale is vastly easier to cook with.
How many servings does this recipe make?
Hi Allison! Around 6 to 8 servings.
Loved this soup!!! I didn’t have kale so I just did without and it was fine 😀 I also wanted it to be a little thicker so I added some cornstarch. It turned out amazing!!
Just finished making this, it’s sitting on my stovetop waiting for my husband to get home from work so we can consume it. I have taken several spoonfuls & it is so so yummy!
Thank you for the delicious recipe! 🙂 🙂
COuld this be made in the crockpot?
This was delicious and so quick and easy to make. I made it a couple of weeks ago and look forward to making it again tonight. I love recipes that only require things I usually have on hand (kale, potatoes, onion, milk, broth, spices). Thanks for this great recipe!
Wow, this was awesome. I used coconut milk to make it Whole 30-compliant, which I was a little worried about, but it turned out so delicious. I will be making this again for sure. Thanks so much for a great recipe!
Hi Nicole! I’m so happy you liked it! 😀 Thank you!!
Thanks!! I was searching the comments for this exact reason!
Did you use full fat coconut milk (in the can)? Or coconut milk in the box (in the grocery isle with almond & soy milks)?
My daughter and I just made this, and it’s delicious. We added just a touch of heavy cream instead of the almond milk, and it turned out great. Thanks, for sharing!
Hi Ginna!! I am so happy to know that you enjoyed it! Thank YOU!
Great recipe, although I’ll probably swap the kale out for some cabbage when I make it.
Is it possible for the cards to be listed in the nutrition facts?
I really would like to know for the sausage, kale, potato soup.
Hi Joy! The carbs were listed, but I couldn’t find them, either. So sorry about that. It should be about 24 grams of carbs.
This had potential, but the broth was very thin and we ended up eating the kale, sausage and potatoes and throwing most of the broth away! I will make again but will add extra potatoes and then remove some to be blended and added back to the soup for texture. I think some corn cut fresh off the cob would be another nice addition.
Ugh. SO sorry to hear that. 🙁 I really hope it works out for you the next time around. It’s a delicious soup – can’t really figure out why the broth was so thin. In any case, thank you for chiming in. Have a great day!
Could you freeze this soup?
Hi! Yes, absolutely. I do it all the time. Make sure to cool it completely, pour it into a large ziploc bag and freeze it.
I pull it out the night before I want to use it and thaw it out in the fridge. Hope that helps! 🙂
Do you think you can use spinach instead of kale would like to try it but don’t like Kale
Hi Angela! Yes, absolutely. I’ve used Spinach in this soup a few times and it’s just as good. Hope you’ll enjoy it, too! 🙂
I made this dish the other day in my Instant Pot and we really enjoyed it! I sometimes try your recipes but usually don’t get to leave a comment… Just wanted to say we love your recipes! 🙂
Hi! Would mind telling me how you did this in the Instant Pot? How long and did you do NPR or QR? THANK YOU!
My husband took one look at this on the stove and refused to eat!!!! Ha-Ha luckily I had him try ONE bite!!!! It was all over with after that!!! He even took leftovers to work today!!!
YESSS!!! haha 😀 That’s so awesome! Was it the kale that turned him off, initially?
It was just the “looks” he said! Ha- he judged poorly though!!! He will never do that again!!
I cooked this for dinner tonight and OMG it was soooo good! I had to alter the recipe to account for me not having all the ingredients but still turned out delicious. I used, light cream instead of milk and added some minced jalapeno for a little kick. Thank you for sharing :)!
I just want to climb into this bowl of soup (awkward much??). Seriously though. Yum.
One of my favourite soup combos though I usually use hot Italian sausage links which I take out of the casing, crumble and fry. Next time I go shopping for the dish, I’ll keep an eye out for kielbasa, which I love.
Yep, I’ve had it that way, too, and I love it! But I also like it with the kielbasa.. the smoky flavor that it adds is pretty amazing. 😀
This looks great! Do I have to use soy milk or can I substitute fat free half and half or plain almond milk?
Hi Stephanie! Yep, you can use whichever milk you like best. I have used skim milk, I’ve used half and half, and it worked out perfectly each time.
Thank you! I’ll be making this for dinner tonight then!
I’m not a great cook but I followed your recipe step-by-step and the soup turned out amazing! I used Whole Milk. Very clear instructions and easy to make. It was very delicious! Will definitely be making this again. Thank you!