Sausage Kale Soup with Heirloom Carrots is an easy 30 minute meal that’s comforting and delicious. Plus get our tips on how to make the recipe your own!
I’ve had this Sausage Kale Soup on my to do list for a while. For us it’s a go-to weeknight meal because it only takes 30 minutes to make which is AWESOME! So, I finally wrote down the recipe, shot the pictures and here I am starting to write this post the day that kale ends up on this year’s dirty dozen list!!!!
If you’re not familiar with the dirty dozen, it’s a list compiled by the non-profit organization EWG that ranks the fresh fruits and vegetables that contain the most pesticides. They test produce throughout the US to come up with the data.
Over the years EWG has shown consumers that the most popular produce also tend to contain the most harmful amounts of chemicals….things like strawberries, apples and now the very popular kale.
While this might be disheartening (it certainly is to me as I post a recipe including kale), all is not lost. You can still eat your sausage kale pockets, kale salad and smoothies. So let’s talk about how to eat smarter!
Pesticides and Kale
- Buy organic! Organic produce has less pesticide residue than conventionally grown methods.
- Buy local. The fact is you can talk to your local farmer. So, head to your nearest farmers market and ask them questions! Is the product organic? If not, what is the method they use to treat plants? Some farms only spray when testing shows a need to spray while others spray preemptively.
- Grow your own kale. Purchase heirloom seeds and get in touch with your inner farmer!
- Wash your produce to reduce pesticides, dirt and bacteria.
Now back to our regularly scheduled programming… this sausage kale soup with heirloom carrots recipe is delicious, brothy, super easy, and comforting.
How to make Sausage Kale Soup
We start with onions and heirlooms carrots…you know those colorful carrots you’ve seen in the stores but haven’t known what to do with? This is your recipe!
Not only does eating heirloom carrots help the planet retain its biodiversity, the rainbow of colors have different health benefits. That being said, for this soup recipe choose white, yellow, orange or red varieties as purple will turn your soup an awful hue.
Next we add stock. Homemade is best but store bought is okay IF you choose a really flavorful smoked sausage. You can use any cooked sausage you like from kielbasa to cajun just as long as it’s precooked. We’ve even used chicken sausage with great results.
And finally we add fresh kale! We add it at the very end to retain the bright green color. But even as leftovers when the kale is grey and wilted, it’s still yummy!
I kind of like to keep this soup bare bones so I can slurp up all that delicious broth with bread. But if you’re a more is more type, that’s cool. This is a make-it-your-own type of soup because there’s room for personalization.
You can customize this soup by adding white beans, potatoes or tortellini just to name a few of the popular variations I’ve seen. If you do want to make additions, I’d keep them in the 1-1/2-2 cups range to keep the ratio of ingredients similar.
I’d love to know your favorite add ins, so leave a comment below! Happy Cooking! ~Kitty
Sausage Kale Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 large heirloom carrots , diced
- 1 medium onion , diced
- 10 cups chicken or turkey broth
- 14 ounces smoked sausage , sliced or cubed
- 1 bunch kale , chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a soup pot, melt butter over medium heat
- Cook the onions and carrots until the onions are golden
- Add the stock, bring to a boil cooking until the carrots are tender.
- Add the sausage cooking until the meat is hot.
- Stir in the kale then season with salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
- This soup is the perfect way to highlight colorful heirloom carrots. You can use red, orange, yellow and white in this recipe but don't use purple, they will bleed into the broth.
- You can use any pre cooked sausage links in this soup. We've used kielbasa, andouille, cajun and even chicken flavors. Keep in mind that the more flavorful the sausage the richer the soup will be.
- This is a brothy soup that's perfect with crusty bread. But there's room for additions like white beans or potatoes.
Nutrition
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Amanda says
This looks like the coziest soup! I love that it’s so simple but also plenty of flavorful with the sausage. Thanks for a great recipe!
Kitty says
The soup is so cozy, the mugs felt left out until I dressed them up with a cozy of their own. ;-)
Dan from Platter Talk says
I use kale more and more it seems and this soup looks like the perfect combination of comfort and health! Thanks for this delicious idea.
Kevin says
Dan,
I really like the tooth that the kale provides in the soup. It goes so well with the carrots and sausage. I hope it makes it into your comfort food rotation. :-)
Dominique | Perchance to Cook says
I love the sound of this soup! Simple yet flavorful and made with real food ingredients…. my kind of soup indeed! I can’t wait to try it. I just love kale inside of soup :)
Kitty says
Dominique, I’m glad you like the sound of it. It really was a delight to create and then devour. Hope you like it as much as I do.
Tammy says
Oooh the colored carrots really make this pretty! It sounds so comforting right now and would surely hit the spot. Perfect dinner for these chillier nights :)
Kevin says
Tammy,
I am always surprised by how beautiful colored carrots can make something simple like this. I’m glad you think its as pretty as I do.
Lorie says
This soup has my name written alllll over it. Gotta get all the soup in before it warms up here so this is on my list!
Kitty says
Lorie, I totally agree. Its just as good to pull it out on a cold spring day as a winter one. :-)
Michelle says
This is such a cosy soup! I love that it is clear too, perfect to show off those lovely ingredients. And by the way how cute are those cups with their little sweaters on!! I need some of those :)
Kitty says
Thanks Michelle! I love the mug cozies too.
Karyl Henry says
I’ve never heard of that dirty dozen list…and I absolutely love kale! But I do wash my kale thoroughly before using. This soup looks so good and comforting, and I love that it’s easy to make.I’ve also never heard of heirloom carrots, so I’ll have to look for those
Vintage Kitty says
Heirloom carrots are so pretty. You’re in for a real treat Karyl!
Natalie says
This soup sounds so delicious. It’s so simple yet so healthy and comforting. Perfect for weekdays when you need hot meal after long busy day. I’m saving this recipe. I will make this soon.
Vintage Kitty says
Thanks Natalie! Enjoy!
Andrea says
Such a hearty nutritious soup, I could eat this everyday on cold days! And I absolutely love that is so easy to make, it’s definitely gonna hit my weekly menu soon!
Vintage Kitty says
It sure is!
GUNJAN C Dudani says
This soup recipe looks very healthy. I might substitute it with vegan sausage and try it.
Vintage Kitty says
Absolutely! Make it your own!
Julie says
I am all for eating healthy and pesticide-free, BUT I am just going to say that the EWG has turned into a fear mongering group and I no longer believe most of what they put out. And disappointingly, a large number of organic farms do not actually use organic practices, and lots of smaller farms who do can’t actually afford to get the organic designation. Thank goodness for farmers markets where we can actually sit down and talk to the farmers themselves and make truly informed decisions!
Vintage Kitty says
Thanks for the thoughtful response Julie.
There’s a whole lot of grey area in the farming industry and one person’s fear mongering is another person’s checks and balances. I’m sure the truth lies somewhere in the middle.
With industry executives hovering back and forth between jobs at the EPA and companies that produce pesticides, watch dog orgs are important. In an ideal world we would know everything about where our food comes from and how it’s produced, but the average person doesn’t have time to research everything they eat.
Claire | The Simple, Sweet Life says
This sounds so delicious and hardy! I love adding kale to soups because it’s such a great punch of extra nutrients, and I’m sure the sausage would be a big hit with my husband. Can’t wait to try this!
Vintage Kitty says
Men do love their sausage don’t they?
Noemi says
It sounds so easy to make on a cold day like today. Thank you for sharing the recipe! Gonna try it :)
Vintage Kitty says
The easiest! Enjoy!