Sausage and Potato Soup With Kale

By
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 02/12/23
Sausage and Potato Soup With Kale

The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 40 mins
Total: 60 mins
Servings: 6 to 8 servings

Potatoes, Italian sausage, and nutritious kale get together in this yummy soup. This thick and hearty soup is the perfect meal for a brisk fall or winter evening. It makes a great lunch soup as well. Serve cups of this delicious soup along with sandwiches or a salad. 

Use sweet Italian sausage or another mild or spicy fresh pork sausage in this flavorful potato soup. If you like to avoid red meat, make it with turkey sausage. The bacon provides a tasty garnish for the soup, but omit if you'd like. If you don't use bacon, increase the butter to 4 tablespoons.

Feel free to use chopped chard leaves, escarole, or spinach in the soup if you don't have fresh or frozen kale on hand. For a creamier soup, reduce the amount of chicken stock to 3 cups and increase the heavy cream (or half-and-half) to 2 cups.

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Ingredients

  • 3/4 pound Italian sausage links

  • 3 thick slices bacon, diced

  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

  • 1 large onion, chopped

  • 1 cup sliced carrots

  • 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

  • 1 clove garlic, finely minced

  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

  • 4 cups low-sodium chicken stock

  • 4 cups diced potatoes

  • 1 1/2 to 2 cups chopped kale

  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

  • 1 cup heavy cream

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste

  • Freshly  ground black pepper, to taste

  • Shredded or grated Parmesan cheese, for optional garnish

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Sausage and Potato Soup With Kale ingredients

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  2. With a fork, prick the sausages in several places.

    prick the sausage with a fork

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  3. Place sausages in a medium pot. Add water to cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, and cook the sausages for about 20 minutes.

    boil sausage in a pot

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga


  4. Remove the sausages to a cutting board and slice them thinly. Set aside.

    slice sausages into pieces

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  5. Put the diced bacon in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat; cook until it is crisp and browned, turning and stirring frequently.

    cook bacon in a pot

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga


  6. Remove the bacon to paper towels to drain.

    bacon pieces on a paper towel

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  7. Remove all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon drippings from the pot. Add the butter to the pot and place it back over medium heat.

    butter and bacon drippings in a pot

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  8. When the butter has melted, add the chopped onion and sliced carrots. Cook until the onions are tender, stirring frequently. Add the thyme and garlic and continue cooking for 1 minute longer, stirring constantly 

    chopped onions and sliced carrots cooking with butter in a pot

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  9. Add the flour to the pot and stir to blend. Continue cooking for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

    flour added to the carrots and onions in the pot

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  10. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.

    chicken stock added to the flour, onion and carrot mixture in the pot

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  11. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to low; simmer for 10 minutes.

    covered pot

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  12. Add the reserved browned sausage slices and potatoes; cover and cook for 15 minutes longer.

    sausage and potatoes added to the vegetables and stock in the pot

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  13. Add the kale; cover and cook for 5 to 10 minutes longer, or until the vegetables are very tender.

    kale added to the sausage and potato soup

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  14. Add the heavy cream to the soup and stir to blend. Taste and add salt and pepper, as needed. Continue cooking until the soup is hot.

    heavy cream added to the sausage and potato soup in the pot

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  15. Crumble the reserved bacon over the soup and garnish with cheese, if desired. Serve the soup with crusty bread or buttered biscuits. Enjoy!

    Sausage and Potato Soup With Kale in a bowl

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
430 Calories
29g Fat
29g Carbs
16g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6 to 8
Amount per serving
Calories 430
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 29g 37%
Saturated Fat 14g 72%
Cholesterol 74mg 25%
Sodium 860mg 37%
Total Carbohydrate 29g 11%
Dietary Fiber 4g 13%
Total Sugars 5g
Protein 16g
Vitamin C 25mg 125%
Calcium 90mg 7%
Iron 3mg 15%
Potassium 888mg 19%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)