Italian Sausage Kale Soup

The Perfect Fall and Winter Soup

• Rich and Creamy: The blend of chicken broth with a touch of cream makes this soup incredibly comforting-perfect for those chilly days when you need something warm and cozy.
• Super Easy to Make: With just a few simple ingredients and easy steps, this recipe is great for when you want something delicious in under an hour.
• Full of Flavor: The combination of Italian sausage, fresh kale, and tender potatoes creates a hearty, flavorful soup that hits the spot every time. Similar (but in my humble opinion, even better!) than Olive Garden’s classic Zuppa Toscana.
• Totally Customizable: You can easily switch up the sausage, potatoes, or greens to make it your own, depending on what you have on hand.
• Even Better as Leftovers: This soup is one of those dishes that tastes amazing the next day, making it perfect for meal prep or a quick, no-fuss lunch.

Ingredients and Notes

The full recipe ingredients and quantities plus instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. Here's an overview and substitutions or notes for selecting the right ingredients.

• Red Potatoes - This soup works best when the potato slices are bite-sized. Yukon gold and tender baby potatoes work well.
• Italian Sausage - You can use hot or mild, links or ground Italian Sausage.
• Kale - Be sure to remove the tough center rib and cut or tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces. Baby kale or spinach can be a good alternative for a more tender bite.
• Yellow Onion - When selecting onions, choose ones with minimal bruising and no soft spots for the best taste.
• Milk & Heavy Cream - If you don't have heavy cream, you can substitute with ¾ cup half and half and 1½ cups milk. Any fat percentage milk is fine, but you may want to add a touch more cream for skim milk. Coconut milk is a good dairy-free alternative.
• Chicken Broth - I prefer using lower sodium chicken broth, but regular and even chicken bone works well in this hearty soup.

Make It Your Own

As a soup, I love how rich yet basic it is and serves as a great base. Since I have made it so many, many times, sometimes I have experimented depending on my mood.

• 1 14.5oz Can of Cannellini Beans
• ½ teaspoon Fennel seeds
• 4 slices of bacon (diced and crisped in a sauté pan, then add back in at the end.)
• 1 stalk of celery, fine diced
• 2 teaspoon minced garlic
• Red Pepper Flakes, to taste

Visual Recipe Guide

The full recipe is in the recipe card below, but I include this section for my own tips and visual guide to preparing the Sausage Kale Soup.

To keep things simple, you can make this entire soup in one large stockpot or large soup pot by preparing the potatoes beforehand. I usually boil the red potatoes while I cook the rest of the soup, making them tender and ready to be added at the perfect time.

Chef Tip: Once the sausage begins to brown, add the diced yellow onions. I cook the sausage nearly halfway (keep the onions on one side of the pan) and then toss the sausage into a food processor like this and pulse for a few seconds. The grind will be more consistent.

Serving And Storage Suggestions

Freeze: This soup cooks so fast that I don’t usually freeze it and it’s not really my recommendation. However, I did test it for this post. The potatoes broke apart more than I personally would like, so I would dice rather than slice. Do not add the heavy cream until ready to serve. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, shake or blend very well, and add the heavy cream while reheating.

Storing Leftovers: Sausage kale soup can be kept refrigerated in an airtight container for 4-5 days. Perfect to make ahead for brown bag lunches and potlucks because it heats really well.