Italian restaurants are not my friend. If at all possible I avoid them because who wants to be offered salad as the only gluten-free item on the menu?
It’s true. Some Italian restaurants are taking pity on those of us whose guts have rebelled against modern wheat by offering an alternative rice pasta, but I still find it safer and often more tasty to make my Italian dishes at home. Making this soup at home allows you to secure the best ingredients possible like pastured pork sausage, organic vegetables and nutrient-rich bone broth.
We eat this Spicy Italian Sausage and Kale Soup most often as an appetizer before serving Fettuccine Alfredo with broccoli. The Alfredo cheese sauce calms down the residual burn of the soup and the broccoli just brings it all together and makes it perfect. Don’t hesitate to serve this soup as a meal though – it will serve you well both ways!
- Spicy Sausage & Kale Soup
- 1 lb. sweet Italian sausage, loose (no skin)
- 1 lb. hot Italian sausage, loose (no skin)
- ½ cup diced onion
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 3-4 large white potatoes, peeled and cubed
- ½ tsp. salt
- 4 cups milk (*use a dairy-free option if needed)
- 4 cups chopped kale
- bacon pieces, optional
- dried red pepper flakes, optional
- In a stock pot, sauté onion in a little bit of olive oil until translucent.
- Add sausage and brown completely.
- Add chicken broth, potatoes, salt and optional red pepper flakes if you're using them.
- Simmer until potatoes are tender.
- Add milk (or dairy-free milk) and bring back to boil.
- Turn off burner and add kale, stirring it in so all pieces are submerged.
- Serve with bacon pieces (optional).