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This hearty potato soup is loaded with savory smoked sausage and tender kale, creating a deliciously comforting bowl of goodness! It’s a creamy, flavor-packed soup that comes together in just 30 minutes – perfect for a cozy weeknight dinner. Serve it with warm garlic breadsticks for the best comfort meal!
Meet your ultimate winter bestie: this smoked sausage, kale, and potato soup recipe! It’s loosely inspired by zuppa toscana – cozy, comforting, and like a warm hug in a bowl. Perfect for those chilly days and nights when you need a little extra comfort!
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 tortellini soup. But today’s potato soup might just be my favorite of the three!
Oh, who am I kidding? I can’t pick a favorite! But I am excited to share this creamless creamy sausage and potato 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 potato soup with smoked sausages and kale. 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 Black Pepper: To season and flavor the potato soup.
- 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. You can also use whole milk, half and half, or heavy cream.
How to Make Potato Soup with Smoked Sausage and Kale
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:
- Saute 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 potato soup off the burners, and taste it for salt and pepper. Add more if needed, and discard the rosemary sprig. Ladle the soup into bowls, and serve it warm with a side of skillet bread for dipping.
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.
Recipe Tips
There are lots of ways to customize this easy potato soup recipe, and I’ve collected a few of the best right here. Check out these tips to help you achieve the yummiest soup ever.
- Sausage Substitute: For a more zuppa toscana feel, use browned Italian sausage, just as in this Italian sausage soup 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.
- 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 potato 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? Honestly, I could make a meal out of this hearty soup all by itself, but 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 – it’s so tasty!
Simple no-knead olive bread is always a hit with cozy soup. You could also serve it with lavash bread or cornbread casserole and see how addictive this meal can be.
If you want more protein, add a hearty serving of chicken to your dinner plate. 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.
- You can also store it in your freezer for up to 2 months and thaw it in the refrigerator before reheating it. Pro tip: when you freeze liquids, always leave a little room at the top of the container so the liquid can expand.
- To reheat, put the desired amount of potato soup in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat until all of the ingredients are warmed through. You can also just use your microwave.
More Easy Soup Recipes
- Chorizo, Rice, and Bean Soup
- Cream of Zucchini Soup
- Ham and Bean Soup
- Italian Wedding Soup
- Asian Chicken Noodle Soup
- Easy Split Pea Soup with Ham
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Potato Soup with Smoked Sausage and Kale
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.
Equipment
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.
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?