It seemed like every "Let's go out to eat" moment with my Line Sisters in college led to us ending up at Olive Garden. There was always one soup that stood out and it inspired this recipe. Every time I make it for my family it's finished quickly. I made my own version adding Leeks and various other meats. When I finally got it right I settled on this version. My fiance and I also made this delicious soup for our Ugly Christmas Sweater Engagement Party.
Ingredients
(Serves 6-8 people)
Meat & Protein
Hot Italian Sausage Links (6)
Produce
3 Cups of Kale, chopped
½ Yellow Onion, Large
6 Garlic Cloves
3 lbs of Red Potatoes
Baking & Spices
½ tsp Salt (more, if desired)
1 tsp Cracked Black Pepper (more, if desired)
1 ½ tsp Garlic Powder
1 ½ tsp Italian Seasoning (more, if desired)
¼” tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
¼ tsp Cayenne Pepper
¼ tsp Paprika
Liquids
32 oz. Low Sodium Chicken Broth
2 Cups of Water
Oils & Vinegars
Vegetable Oil
Dairy
4 oz. Cup Heavy Cream
¼ Cup Parmesan Cheese
Directions
Add Vegetable Oil to a heated Large Pot. Place the Italian Sausages in the heated pot and cook al dente (not all the way). The sausages will finish cooking in the actual soup broth. Make sure to sear the Italian Sausages on both sides. Take the sausages out of the pot and place them on a plate. Let them rest.
Add chopped Onions and minced Garlic to that same oil in the large pot. Sweat the onions down for about 1-2 minutes.
While the onions are sweating down, wash and cut the Red Potatoes into 2 inch chunks and place them in a large bowl. Coat the Red Potatoes with oil and season them with half the portions of the Salt, Cracked Black Pepper, Garlic Powder, Italian Seasoning, Crushed Red Pepper Flakes, Cayenne Pepper, and Paprika. Toss the potatoes in the bowl until they are all coated with the seasoning mix. When seasoned add them to the onions. Stir ever so often so that nothing burns or sticks to the bottom of the pot.
Wash the Kale 3-4 times before cooking. Remove the stalks and chop the leaves. Wash the kale one more time after cutting. Add the Kale to the Red Potatoes and onions. You may have to add the Kale in a little at a time as it shrinks. You can also use more than 3 cups if desired. The more Kale, the more healthier it is for your family! 😊
Add the Low Sodium Chicken Broth and Water to the pot. Bring to a boil.
While the soup is coming to a boil, slice the cooked Italian Sausages on the bias (at an angle) with the sharpest knife you have. Add the sliced sausages to the soup. If you want it to see like more sausage pieces are in the sou then you can just slice the sausages regular.
Boil the soup until the potatoes are tender. DO NOT overcook the potatoes. We don’t want mashed potato soup.
Once the potatoes are cooked, add in Heavy Cream. Use a masher and mash up random spots in the soup. Don’t mash too much. We just want to thicken the broth to make it more creamy. By mashing some of the potatoes, it will create a thicker broth. Let the broth simmer for 7-10 more minutes. Taste and add more seasoning if needed. When served add a little Parmesan Cheese on top.
Now you have something cooked from the SOUL. Serve it to the CULTURE!
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