Kale soup is one of those year-round soups that are just as delicious and satisfying on a cold winter’s day as they are on a warm summer evening.
Not only is this kale soup ultra-tasty, but we made it a one-pot meal that saves on time and clean-up! Bring it to school or work in a thermos and enjoy a filling, flavorful meal that will keep everyone going for the rest of the day!
For dinner, serve kale soup with our cheesy garlic breadsticks, and a cucumber tomato salad for a well-rounded meal that the whole family will love!
Hearty & Delicious Soup
We made this soup with our favorite Italian-inspired flavors. It’s packed with healthy things like garbanzo beans, and potatoes, and of course, the star of the soup is kale!
Kale is a superfood and for good reason! Loaded with essential vitamins, minerals, and a dose of fiber, kale also has a nice earthy flavor that makes it so versatile!
I use turkey sausage in this soup to cut the fat a bit but any smoked sausage will do.
Ingredients & Variations
The great thing about kale soup is that subbing out and switching up the ingredients is totally okay!
POTATOES: No potatoes? Try sweet potatoes!
LEGUMES: No garbanzo beans? Use cannellini beans or kidney beans.
Kale soup is perfect for cleaning out the vegetable crisper in the fridge and using up leftover protein from other meals and any veggies ready to be enjoyed. Talk about economical!
How to Make Kale Soup
Easy and nourishing kale soup comes together in 1-2-3!
- Cook potatoes, onion, and sausage in a pan until the onion is tender (use bacon grease instead of olive oil for a little extra flavor.)
- Add remaining ingredients (per the recipe below) and simmer until the potatoes are tender.
- Remove the bay leaf before serving, and garnish with grated parmesan cheese!
Tips for Kale Soup
- Be sure to rinse the canned beans to eliminate extra salt and prevent foaming.
- Swap out potatoes for sweet potatoes and add extra veggies if you’d like!
- Kale soup tastes just as good the next day when all the flavor have a chance to blend even more! Keep kale soup in a container with a tightly fitted lid and it will stay fresh for up to 4 days.
- To reheat kale soup, simply place in a pot on the stovetop and add a little salt and pepper to refresh the flavors. An extra sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese and it’s ready to serve again!
- Kale soup can be frozen, too! Pour cooled soup into zippered bags and label with the date. Lay them flat in the freezer and once frozen, store them upright to save freezer space!
Hearty Soups to Try
- Mushroom Barley Soup – easy to prep
- Chicken Vegetable Soup – hearty & healthy
- Crockpot Potato and Sausage Soup – set it & forget it
- Beef and Macaroni Soup – ready in 35 minutes
- Italian Bean Soup – so flavorful
- Creamy Corn Soup – loaded with corn & potatoes
- Cheesy Potato Soup – delicious and creamy
Did you make this Kale Soup? Be sure to leave a comment and a rating below!
Sausage & Kale Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or more if needed
- 3 medium Yukon gold potatoes ½-inch diced
- 1 large onion chopped
- ½ pound smoked sausage sliced
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups chopped kale chopped, packed
- 15.5 ounces canned chickpeas or cannellini beans, 1 can, drained and rinsed
- 14.5 ounces canned diced tomatoes with juices
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 bay leaf
- grated Parmesan cheese for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Add olive oil to a pan. Combine potatoes, onion, and sausage, cook 4-5 minutes over medium heat or until onion is tender.
- Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
- Discard bay leaf.
- Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top & serve with bread if desired.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Appetizer, Dinner, Entree, Lunch, Main Course, Soup
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
This is so flavorful and so nutritious. Packed with protein and fiber as well. I was recently diagnosed with celiac disease, so I have been on the hunt for good recipes without gluten. This is a knock out of the park! I used little smokies for this an sliced them small so there is sausage in every bite.
Little smokies is such a fun idea, Melissa! So glad you were able to enjoy this recipe still!
Didn’t think I would like it, but gave it a try, and we loved it! Healthy and very tasty! Its a keeper, for sure!
So happy to hear that, Denise!
Have made this may times Not of fan of kale so used spinach and have use escarole. I have also added diced carrots to it. One time had left over green beans and tossed them in to use up. I didn’t have chickpeas one time used butter beans instead. Its a very versatile soup and always great,
This was delicious! I added carrots and kidney beans.
Thank you. It’s a keeper !
Absolutely delicious! I couldn’t use kale as it was infested with wasp like bugs but I follow the rest of the recipe. I can’t believe how good it is! Already passed the recipe on. Will be making again! Thanks for sharing this yummy meal!
I am so glad you loved this recipe Alanna!
I made this in the instant pot. After I sautéed the veggies I added the diced tomatoes, chicken stock and Kale and set the instant pot to manual for 5 min. Came out perfect!
All the ingredients are in my pantry or freezer, and with some cool, rainy weather moving in, this is perfect! Thanks much!
Easy and delish! Highly recommend!
We love this recipe too, glad you enjoyed it, Sunnie!
We love the Sausage and Kale soup (however, I almost always have spinach so we use that instead(. This soup is absolutely delicious. I make it fairly regularly and we rave about it to others. thank you for the great recipe
So glad you are enjoying it, Diane! Spinach sounds like a delicious substitution.
Made this tonight! So yummy!! Didn’t change a thing. Thank you for so many great recipes.
So glad you loved this Violet!
Can’t have kale because of blood thinner. What can I substitute?
I think spinach would be a delicious substitute, C Herman!
Sorry any dark green leafy vegetable fights blood thinner.
Thanks for this healthy recipe! My broth and tomatoes were sodium-free (it’s what I had on hand) and the turkey sausage was a brand I hadn’t used before (bland), so I had to add some seasoning to give it more oomph. I added a couple of teaspoons of chicken bouillon paste, 2 tsps Worcestershire, squirt of tomato paste, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Ate a big bowl for lunch and now I’m going to freeze some individual servings. Yum.
Your seasonings sound delicious Sue!
Delicious cold weather comfort food! Easy to make.
Try the kale soup portuguese style with linguica instead of regular sausage. You’re gonna love it.
Is this recipe ok to freeze? Looking for some options for post partum
Hi Lucy, this recipe freezes well. We like to freeze in zippered bags and lay flat while freezing so we can store them easier in the freezer. Hope you enjoy it!
Delicious! I honestly never reply to recipes but every recipe I have made of yours has been great! Thank you.
Thank you for much for your review Kim, I really appreciate it! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Could I use crushed tomatoes in this recipe instead of diced?
Thanks, Janet
Sure you can. It will change the broth into more of a tomato broth but still be delicious.