Hearty Italian Sausage Soup (Printable)

Hearty Italian sausage, bacon, potatoes, and kale in a rich, creamy broth. Comfort in every spoonful.

# What you'll need:

→ Meats

01 - 1 pound Italian sausage, mild or spicy, casings removed
02 - 4 slices bacon, chopped

→ Vegetables

03 - 1 medium yellow onion, diced
04 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
05 - 4 medium russet potatoes, scrubbed and sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
06 - 4 cups fresh kale, stems removed and chopped

→ Liquids

07 - 5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
08 - 1 cup heavy cream

→ Seasonings

09 - 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
10 - 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
11 - Salt and black pepper to taste

# How to make it:

01 - In a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, cook the chopped bacon until crisp. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving the drippings in the pot.
02 - Add Italian sausage to the pot and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until browned. Drain excess fat if needed.
03 - Add diced onion and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Stir in minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
04 - Add sliced potatoes, chicken broth, Italian herbs, and red pepper flakes if using. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.
05 - Stir in chopped kale and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes, until wilted.
06 - Lower heat and pour in the heavy cream. Heat gently until warmed through; do not boil.
07 - Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and garnish with reserved bacon.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • It tastes like you spent hours simmering it, but your whole kitchen comes together in under an hour.
  • The bacon-sausage combination gives you that restaurant richness without fancy techniques or weird ingredients.
  • Kale gets genuinely creamy here instead of tough, which changes everything if you've had bad experiences with it before.
02 -
  • Never let the cream boil after you add it, or it will split and look curdled—low heat is your friend here, and 2 minutes of gentle warming is all you need.
  • Slice your potatoes thin and uniform so they cook at the same speed and get tender without turning to mush.
03 -
  • Buy your sausage from a butcher counter if you can and ask them to remove the casings—they'll do it in seconds and it saves you a messy step at home.
  • Toast your Italian herbs in the fat for 30 seconds before adding broth; it wakes them up and makes them taste fresher than if you just scatter them in.
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