Sausage and Kale Soup

I had never heard of this soup before when a friend brought it to a potluck at my house. It was so delicious! I've been wanting to make it myself for almost a year. What brought it to my mind again was a post on Pinterest of in season vegetables - kale is in season now. I have never used it, don't know how to use it, and actually don't think I've ever eaten it except in that soup. So, I decided to make it tonight.

Of course, like with every recipe I get, I had to modify it somewhat. I always use turkey Italian sausage - both for the lower fat content and for the taste. I also changed how it was made, mostly so it would cook faster because I had guests coming over in about 20 minutes.

Katie's Kale Soup

1 lb Italian sausage (I like mild sausage) *I used turkey Italian sausage; one package is about 1.5 lbs
2 large russet baking potatoes , sliced in half, and then in 1/4 inch slices *I chopped mine very small so it would cook quickly
1 large onion , chopped
1/4 cup bacon bit (optional) *I did not use this
2 garlic cloves , minced
2 cups kale chopped (i always use way more)
2 (8 ounce) cans chicken broth *I used one quart low fat, low sodium chicken broth
1 quart water
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Chop or slice uncooked sausage into small pieces; brown sausage in your soup pot. (i take skin off and bake for about 30-40 mins then crumble) *I just cooked it like I usually do - removed the casing and crumbled it while cooking

Remove sausage from pot with a slotted spoon, leaving any fat in the bottom. Add chicken broth and water to pot and stir. * Because of time constraints, I added the potato and cooked it in the fat until it started to become translucent before adding broth.

Place onions, potatoes, and garlic in pot. *I wanted the potatoes to cook quickly so I only added the potatoes and garlic at this point, and kept it boiling on high until the potatoes were just soft, and mashed them at this point. Then I added the onions and water.

Cook on medium heat until potatoes are done. (slightly mash some of potatoes it will make soup thicker)

Add sausage and bacon. *I didn't use bacon.

Salt and pepper to taste. *I don't ever season soup until the end - sausage is salty!

Simmer for another 10 minutes. *More like 5 minutes here.

Turn to low heat.

Add kale and cream. Heat through.

I adore this soup - it is delicious! And with the reduced fat from the broth and the sausage, and the reduced sodium in the sauce, this is a basically healthy soup. Serve with some Italian bread on the side and it's a great cold weather meal!