Chicken Sausage and Kale Soup

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“Between soup and love, the first is better.” -old Spanish saying

chicken-sausage-kale-soup

On a cold day, nothing is more satisfying than a hot bowl of soup. It’s like putting on your favorite sweatshirt. I would know, I live it sweatsuits. Soup might be my favorite thing to make. The ritual, the smell, the comfort it brings; from beginning to end, there isn’t a part I don’t enjoy. I like to think of soup as the original “fast food.” I love that you can throw a bunch of vegetables, some broth and spices into a pot and an hour later have a meal. I make a lot of soups and stews for my clients during the winter. I can make it ahead and all they have to do is heat it up. Served with a hunk of bread and butter, lunch is served.

You just can’t beat a hot bowl of soup to warm you up after a morning of skiing.

Kale doesn’t get a lot of play in the American household and it’s a shame because not only is it packed with beta-carotene, vitamin C, iron and potassium, it’s delicious.
I promise.
If you haven’t tried kale before, this is a great recipe to start with. Cooking it in the stock softens the tough and sometimes bitter leaves and goes perfect with the sausage and creamy soup. I make this soup often following the recipe below but switching out the sausage and greens depending on what I have on hand. For this soup, I used Aidells gruyere and garlic chicken sausage. They are precooked and so versatile when you need to make a quick dinner. I think I bought them at Costco….

I like to make this soup the day before or even two days before I plan on serving it. With any soup, the flavor gets better if it can sit for a few days.

Here’s to skiing hard and warmer our bellies with good eats!

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Chicken Sausage and Kale Soup

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Description

This hearty soup is perfect to warm your belly after a long day of skiing and snowboarding. Like all soups, this is particularly good if you make it the day before.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 6 oz cooked chicken sausage, 1/2 inch slices
  • 1 small yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 stalks celery, diced
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 2 red potatoes, diced (about 3/4 cup)
  • 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 32 oz chicken stock
  • 4 cups kale, washed, trimmed and coarsely chopped
  • 1/2 cup half and half
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Over medium-high, heat oil in stock pan and brown chicken sausage.
  2. Once the sausage is cooked, remove them to another plate. Lower heat to medium and add onion and celery. Cook until soft about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1-2 minutes more. Add potatoes and flour. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2-3 minutes. Add chicken stock and kale. Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 20-30 minutes.
  3. Add cooked sausages back into soup along with the half and half. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  4. *After adding half and half, take care not to boil. Serve.