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Bowl of soup with kale, potato chunks and sausage disks.
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5 from 1 vote

Sausage Potato and Kale Soup With Cheese Toasts

Whip up a comforting hearty bowl of sausage potato and kale soup in about 25 minutes. Make it even better by nestling cheese toasts in the broth to soak up the smoky flavors and add texture.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American, Italian-style
Servings (change as needed): 4 -5
Author: Cheryl Avrich
US Measures - Metric

Ingredients

  • 6 cups kale leaves, finely chopped, Note 1, about 6 ounces (6 cups will make 4 cups finely chopped)
  • 1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, about 3-4 (or yellow or red potatoes)
  • 5 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
  • 8 ounces cooked sausage, Note 2
  • optional: black pepper or red pepper flakes to taste

Cheese Toasts

  • 1/2 baguette or firm crusty bread (I make 3 small slices per soup bowl)
  • 2 ounces cheese, grated, Note 3
  • optional: 1/2 tsp dried thyme or Italian seasoning
US Measures - Metric

Instructions

  • PREPARE INGREDIENTS: Strip kale off stems (or buy package of no-stem kale leaves). Rinse well. Chop fairly finely on cutting board. Dice potatoes into 1 inch/2.5 cm pieces (no need to peel). Slice cooked sausage into thin disks.
  • COOK POTATOES IN BROTH: Place diced potatoes and broth in medium soup pot. Bring to boil, then lower to medium heat and cook potatoes, covered, until almost tender, about 6-8 minutes. Potatoes should easily pierce with a knife. Add kale and sausage. Cook another 5 minutes. Taste and add a pinch of pepper or red pepper flakes if you like.
  • MAKE CHEESE TOASTS: While soup is cooking, heat oven or toaster oven to broil and place oven rack a few inches from the top heat source. Slice baguette into thin slices, about 1/3 inch (1cm). Grate cheese. Pile cheese on sliced bread, dividing evenly. Broil for 3-4 minutes until cheese is bubbly and bread is slightly browned.
  • SERVE: Ladle soup into bowls. Nestle a few cheese toasts on top of soup. Serve immediately.

Notes

  1. Kale options: You can use Lacinato kale, also called Dinosaur kale or Tuscan kale (milder, sweeter) or curly kale (peppery, slightly bitter). Buy a large bunch or buy the destemmed kale leaves in a bag (shortcut). Sub: You can also swap the kale with baby spinach or swiss chard.
  2. Cooked sausage options:
    • bold and spicy: Andouille, Mexican Chorizo or Hot Italian Sausage
    • smoky: Kielbasa sausage, Spanish Chorizo or smoked Andouille
    • mild: Bratwurst, sweet Italian sausage (or even a hotdog!).
    • Feel free to use turkey sausage instead of pork sausage.
  3. Cheese options: Provolone, white cheddar, Havarti, Muenster or stronger cheese like Gruyère, Asiago, Pecorino or Parmesan are all good choices. 
  4. Variations and substitutions
    • Vegetarian version: use a vegetarian sausage (or sautéed mushrooms) and vegetable broth.
    • Add protein and fiber by adding a can or rinsed white beans such as cannellini. 
    • Puréed potato version: Instead of potato chunks, you can purée the soft tender potatoes and broth with an immersion stick before adding the kale and sausage. This will make a thicker soup with a slightly creamy broth. 
    • To use fresh sausage: Remove casing, sauté sausage until no longer pink in a little bit of olive oil. 
    • Add more flavor: Before simmering potatoes and broth, sauté 1 cup diced onion until translucent (if cooking the sausage, you can do this at the same time). You can also add a Parmesan rind while cooking the broth with potatoes. Or a splash of wine (1/4 cup/59ml) after sautéing onions and/or sausage. Let it mostly cook off before adding the broth and potatoes. 
    • Garnish: Instead of cheese toasts, try homemade croutons, crusty bread, grated fresh Parmesan cheese, a squeeze of lemon juice, or a splash of apple cider vinegar.
  5. Make ahead
    • This soup is delicious the next day as the flavors have time to meld. Note that the kale does turn a darker greenish brown and the potatoes get softer over time but the soup tastes the same. It is best to add the cheese toasts just before serving the next day or they will become overly soggy in the fridge (unless you like that).
    • Leftover soup will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
    • You can freeze the soup up to 3 months if you don't mind the potatoes breaking down a bit. I am not a fan of freezing this soup.
 
  • Nutrient information is estimated using chorizo sausage, baguette, and gruyere cheese.
Calories: 376kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 56mg | Sodium: 407mg | Potassium: 891mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 3569IU | Vitamin C: 62mg | Calcium: 293mg | Iron: 4mg