Hearty kale sausage soup! With Italian sausage, tomatoes, garbanzo beans, onions, garlic, and kale.
Oh my it has been a cold week in much of the country—a good reason to stay inside and keep warm with a big pot of hearty soup!
Kale is plentiful in the markets these days, mostly because it’s one vegetable that seems to thrive in cold temperatures. Kale and Italian sausage are one of those heavenly combinations, and together with beans, onions, tomatoes, and stock? Truly delicious.
Sprinkle with a little Parmesan to serve, so good!
Do you have a favorite soup that makes generous use of kale? Please let us know about it in the comments. I’m always looking for new ways to eat my favorite winter vegetable.
Kale Sausage Soup with Tomatoes and Chickpeas Recipe
- Prep time: 15 minutes
- Cook time: 1 hour
- Yield: Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound mild Italian bulk sausage
- Olive oil (if needed)
- 3 cups sliced onions
- 5 cloves garlic minced (about 5 teaspoons)
- 1 28-ounce whole peeled tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 6 cups sliced kale (about 2 bunches lacinato kale, stems removed, leaves sliced into 1/2-inch wide slices)
- 1 15-ounce can of chickpeas, drained
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 sprigs of oregano (or 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano)
- 8 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- Salt to taste
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese for garnish
Method
1 Lightly brown the sausage: Put the sausage in a large (5-qt) thick-bottomed pot and heat on medium or medium low heat.
Break up the large clumps of sausage and gently cook until lightly browned, rendering out the fat from the sausage. If the sausage is relatively lean and doesn’t produce much fat when you cook it, add a tablespoon of olive oil to the pot. Note that you are just trying to lightly brown the sausage, not cook it through.
Remove sausage with a slotted spoon and set aside. You should have at least one tablespoon of fat or oil left in the pot, if not, add more.
2 Cook the onions and garlic: Add the sliced onions to the pot and cook on medium heat until translucent, about 7 to 8 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook a minute more.
3 Add the chopped tomatoes, stock, bay leaves, oregano, and pepper. Bring to a simmer on high heat, reduce the heat to low and maintain a simmer for about 15 minutes.
4 Add the chopped kale, chickpeas, and sausage to the soup. Cook for another 15 to 20 minutes, until the kale is tender. Add salt to taste.
Garnish with grated Parmesan to serve.
