Sausage and Kale Soup
Sausage and Kale Soup – a hearty fall and winter soup featuring smoky sausage and kale. Serve with your favorite cornbread alongside.
All day yesterday and this morning the skies have been grey, overcast and rainy. Call me crazy, but I love this kind of weather. I think it comes from growing up as a farmer’s daughter.
For families who farmed before the days of irrigation, everything… everything… depended on rain. Too little rain and the crops didn’t grow. Too much rain at the wrong time and the harvest was ruined.
I have vivid memories of watching the nightly 6:00 p.m. local newscast through a child’s eyes. Before there was 24/7 cable news and the Weather Channel, you got your news, weather, and sports twice a day from local folks. Once in the morning and once in the evening.
The weather was provided by a local weatherman who was, more often than not, spot on with his forecast. And whenever that part of the newscast came on, our household became hushed while Daddy listened intently and studied the weather maps on television. It seemed that during my growing up years Daddy was always hoping for a good rain. A good rain at just the right time could make or break your crop.
Rain was a good thing. Rain made everything right. It made everybody happy. I think that’s why I still love rainy days even now.
This Sausage and Kale Soup is going to be a perfect lunch for my rainy day. Its lovely smoky flavor makes it great for a cool, overcast day like today. Hope you’ll try it and like it as much as we do.
How to Make Sausage and Kale Soup
I used a nice, hickory smoked sausage for this soup. There are many good choices, but lately we’ve been enjoying this Conecuh brand sausage. They’re based in Alabama and make many mighty fine products. Whatever sausage you choose, you’ll need to dice it into about half-inch pieces.
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the sausage, onions, and garlic and cook for a few minutes until the onion has wilted.
Add the chicken broth, diced tomatoes, beans, and kale. Bring the pot to a boil. Then reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pot and cook for about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the kale is tender and the beans are heated through.
I served this with some old-fashioned “lacy” cornbread but any type of cornbread that your family enjoys will be great with this soup.
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Sausage and Kale Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 4 ounces smoked sausage chopped
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 14.5 ounces canned diced tomatoes with juice
- 8 ounces coarsely chopped kale
- 16 ounces canned Great Northern beans drained and rinsed
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Add the onion, garlic and sausage and cook for about 5 minutes or until the onion has wilted.
- Add the chicken broth, diced tomatoes, beans and kale.
- Bring to a boil over high heat.
- Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the kale is tender – approximately 15-20 minutes.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
I’m Lana Stuart, an award-winning cookbook author, food blogger, and lifelong cook raised deep in Southwest Georgia. I started Lana’s Cooking in 2009 to share the tried-and-true recipes I grew up with. Around here, the food is full of flavor, the traditions run deep, and there’s always room at the table.
I’ve been dying to try Kale and this looks amazing. Thank you!
We absolutely love rainy days in my house. The boys always comment on how the sleep better when it’s raining at night. This is the perfect soup for a lazy rainy days indoors :)
I just found your blog via stumbleupon.com-it knows my heart so it took me straight to your crispy roasted potatoes recipe. YUM. This soup looks divine as well, can’t wait to give it a try!
Welcome, Michal. I hope you’ll find lots of recipes to like here.
Doesn’t that look delicious! I love sausage in soup!
Thanks, Curt. The hickory smoked sausage really gives this a great flavor.
I’m a sunshine girl but this yummy soup would put a smile on face any rainy day!
Yeah you are crazy – you should be living in Seattle :) But a perfect soup for that weather.
Two words popped to mind as soon as I saw this soup: hearty and comforting. I can’t think of a better thing for a rainy day.
I’m sitting in a hotel room in rainy, chilly Pittsburgh wishing I had a bowl of your nourishing kale soup! Pinned it :)
I cannot wait until it is chilly enough to make this soup! During the fall and winter, soups are a staple for us and this one will definitely be on the roster!
Really hope you enjoy it, Nancy.
This looks very similar to Portuguese caldo verde or green soup. It’s actually my very favorite. That’s made with linguica, though, which is a Portuguese sausage. This looks just as tempting. Gorgeous photo!
Hi Lindsay – I’m going to research your caldo verde. I’ll bet it’s just delicious.
those were the days, weren’t they? the days before irrigation, before 24/7 weather channels and before TV personality weather people . . . there is something about rain that is comforting and soups, stews, chilis are the perfect pairing!
They were. Our local weatherman was Gil Patrick. He was a former Navy meteorologist and his forecasts were better than the National Weather Service. If Gil said it, you could bet on it.
This looks like an amazing soup, Lana. I can’t wait to try it!
Oh Lana…I love this post and a glimpse into your childhood. My daughter was studying for a quiz and irrigation was one of the words. Tomorrow I will show her your post. This soup is perfect for the cooler weather coming soon our way. :)
What a coincidence. My dad actually designed and sold the center pivot irrigation systems after he retired from farming. He was responsible for irrigating much of the farmland in southwest Georgia.
I can’t wait to try this one. What a terrific combination!
Yum! This looks like the perfect soup for dreary weather. I think I may try to whip up something similar to this with some baby collard greens I have on hand.
Collards would be a good substitute for the kale. Similar in “strength.”
Love this classic combination of flavors. So many types of sausage will work in this recipe, too.
I admit, I have never been the biggest fan of Kale but here you make it look and sound so delicious that I am totally tempted to put it together ASAP!
This is my kind of soup! I can’t wait to try it. Since it’s cold and rainy today, this evening would be a perfect time to stir some up! Thanks!
Hope you enjoy it, Chris!
Looks beautiful and so perfect for the season. I admit…not a kale person; not against it but not sure I’ve had it. Maybe it’s time!
My favorite dark leafy greens are turnips and mustard. I don’t use kale very often, either, but in this soup it is quite tasty.
Funny, I just wrote about the flip side of rain on my latest post! And why does this hearty soup remind me of Italy? I love it! It really is perfect soup for this weather. And I remember waking up early all winter and turning on the channel with the clocks… time, temperature, barometer… and waiting for the temperature to slowly roll by.
I see a combination of beans and greens in Italian cuisine quite often and this soup does remind one of Italy in that way, doesn’t it?
Aww Lana this is a great window into your life growing up. Isn;t incredible your livelihood depending on the weather. This soup onspires me to cook with kale. I will use turkey sausage instead.
That’s just part of being a farmer, or farmer’s daughter. Everything is dependent on the weather!
Lana, this soup look fantastic. I wish I had a bowl of it right now. Have a great week :)
I just bought a huge bunch of kale from the farmer’s market and I’m going to make this with some chicken sausage I have in the freezer…I’ll let you know how it comes out!
I’d be interested in how the chicken sausage works out in this recipe, Rachel. Do let me know.
Looks fabulous Lana! I still have a TON of kale in the garden. I think this just might be dinner tonight! Thanks for sharing!!
Heather
It’s a great recipe for that kale, Heather. Hope you enjoy it.
Super soup! I agree – I love soup weather too -this recipe sounds perfect:)
Mary x
Thanks, Mary. There are so many good soups to try at this time of year, aren’t there?