Over the years, I have followed a few food bloggers that I look up to. One of them, Donna Elick of The Slow Roasted Italian just published a new book called The Simple Kitchen. She sent over a copy for me to review and create one of her recipes for April Golightly. I am proud and honored that she would let me recreate one of her prized recipes on my blog. There were so many awesome ones to choose from, but I had to pick just one to write about and decided finally on the Tucson Sausage and Kale Soup.
The sausage and potato soup recipe was straightforward to follow and had ingredients that I found quickly in my grocery store. This is a big deal because a lot of times when I buy cookbooks, I find it difficult to locate some of the ingredients in the grocery store. I quickly found the ingredients listed for the sausage kale soup from The Simple Kitchen Cookbook by The Slow Roasted Italian, Donna Elick.
Sneaking in Nutrients
I just love when I can sneak in nutritious greens like Kale into my families diet. I enjoy eating Kale and eat it in a salad pretty often, but my family only really likes homemade Kale chips and this delicious Italian Wedding Couscous Soup Recipe.
Kale is an amazing green that is filled with iron and is low in calorie with high in fiber and has zero fat. This veggie s is filled with so a ton of nutrients like folate and magnesium as well as Vitamin A, C, & K. It is packed powerful antioxidants and per calorie, kale has more calcium than milk. Kale is said to help prevent certain cancers and is heart healthy because it can help lower cholesterol with its high fiber content. I love that this sausage kale soup helps me sneak in all these health benefits into a heart dinner soup.
Thanksgiving Leftover Idea
This would also be an impressive leftover dish for Thanksgiving. All you would need to do is skip the cooking the sausage first since it would already be cooked. You can just prepare the soup portion of the recipe, and you will have an excellent leftover dish for the holidays. You can get more ideas on what to make with your leftovers with this post I wrote.
My Family Loved the Sausage Potato Recipe
This recipe was a big hit in my household. My husband ate it for every meal until it was gone entirely. I love when I don’t have to freeze or throw away food. I might just have to kiss Donna Elick for sending over this fantastic cookbook.
How to Make the Tucson Sausage Potato Recipe (54 seconds):
Tools & Supplies
For this kale soup recipe, I used my Le Creuset cast iron dutch oven on the stovetop. I get so excited when I get to use the dutch oven because it is new and so pretty. It was something that I saved up for and finally bought exactly what I wanted. I got the matte finish white in size 5 1/2 quart. This is the perfect size for a small family of 3 or 4. I have used it a few time so far to make this Cheesy Buffalo Bake made with only four ingredients and this organic baked mac & cheese recipe that my family is in love with. I got the idea to buy the Le Creuset after seeing a demo of what you can use it for at the Beauty and the Beast William Sonoma event in Los Angeles.
To mash the potatoes and thicken up the sausage and potato soup, I used one of my favorite kitchen tools called the Smood. It is a cool and easy to use and clean masher. I used it to mash everything including the avocado I used in my avocado mask recipe.
Tucson Italian Sausage and Kale Soup
Ingredients
- 1 -1 lb package of hot Italian sausage, casing removed
- 6 cups reduced sodium chicken stock
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt more to taste
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes more to taste
- 6 medium russet potatoes cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 4 cups chopped kale
- 1 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Warm a Dutch oven of a 6 quart (5.4L) pot over medium-high heat.
- One you can feel the heat which you hold your hand 6 inches above the pot, crumble in the Italian sausage
- Cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up the sausage as desired until the sausage is browned and cooked through 5 to 7 minutes. Drain the sausage drippings from the pan.
- Return the post to the heat and add the chicken stock, potatoes, salt, and red pepper flakes.
- Boil until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 15 minutes.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove 1 cup of potatoes from the pot and place them in a bowl.
- Mash the kale and cream to the soup and stir to combine.
- Continue cooking the soup until the kale is wilted and tender, about 3 minutes.
- Taste for seasoning and add salt to taste and red pepper flakes.
Notes
Get the rest of the tasty recipe from Donna Elick of The Slow Roasted Italian new book, The Simple Kitchen
*** I am not a doctor and cannot say that any of these health benefits are real. I have done some research and it seems that these are the health benefits, but I cannot be certain.
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Thanks for sharing your knowledge about italian dishes. Looks interesting and after reading i want to try it!) I think it`s great, we can eat a soup cold or hot, whatever!
This dish is great! Such a great mix of flavors.