Made with hearty vegetables, white beans and chicken sausages, this Italian sausage soup is the perfect dish for a cold day. Not only is it simple to make and ready in under an hour, but it makes plenty of servings so you can feed a crowd or store leftovers in the fridge for days to come.
Italian Sausage Kale Soup
This Italian sausage soup recipe is inspired by a classic minestrone soup. The beauty of minestrone soup is that there is no set recipe, it can simply be made with whatever ingredients you have at your disposal. Although commonly made with vegetables, it can also include pasta, rice and/or beans, and be made vegetarian or include meat. In fact, it’s the versatility of this style of soup that makes is such a fan favourite, as it’s a great way to use up odds and ends you have in the fridge.
For this particular recipe, I opted to include chicken sausages and white beans, however, the chicken sausages could easily be swapped for pork, beef or turkey sausages, and the beans could easily be swapped for rice or small pasta, such as orzo, ditalini or elbow. Not to mention, the vegetable combinations are endless!
In my opinion, the key to this Italian sausage kale soup recipe is the addition of the Parmesan rind. This thrifty cooking tip helps to add a depth of flavour and slightly creamy texture with very little effort. So, the next time you finish up a block of Parmesan, save the rind by storing it in the fridge or freezer, then add to the simmering broth of your next batch of soup for an infusion of flavour.
Italian Sausage and Kale Soup
Regardless of what ingredient combination you choose, this soup is a great family-friendly dish for a cold winter’s day. Simply round up some sausages, some veggies and some pasta, rice or beans, and you’ll have a heart-warming meal ready to go in no time.
More Italian-Inspired Soup Recipes:
Italian Sausage Soup
This Italian sausage soup recipe is made with kale, white beans and chicken sausages, however, you could certainly use pork sausages or turkey sausages instead.
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Prep Time: 10 minutes -
Cook Time: 50 minutes
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Total Time: 1 hour
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Yield: 6 servings 1x
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Category: Soup
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Method: Stovetop
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Cuisine: Italian
Prep Time:
Yield:
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Cuisine:Ingredients
- 4 chicken sausages (pork or turkey also work)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 4 carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 ribs celery, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 pinch chilli flakes
- 28oz can diced tomatoes
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 19oz can white beans, strained and rinsed
- 2–3” Parmesan rind*
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cups kale, roughly chopped
- Salt
- Pepper
- Parmesan cheese, to serve
Instructions
- In a large pot on medium-high heat, warm the olive oil.
- Remove sausage meat from the casing and add it to the pot, breaking it up into small bite-size pieces, and cook for 5-6 minutes or until no longer pink. Once cooked, remove the sausage meat from the pot, add to a plate and set aside.
- In the same pot, add the onion, carrots and celery and cook on medium heat for 4-5 minutes until vegetables are tender.
- Add garlic, thyme, oregano, chilli flakes and a pinch of salt and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
- Add diced tomatoes, stirring to combine with the vegetable mixture.
- Return cooked chicken sausage to the pot along with chicken broth, white beans, parmesan rind and bay leaf and stir to combine. Bring soup to a boil, cover, then reduce to a simmer and allow to cook for 30 minutes.
- Add chopped kale, stir to combine, and allow to simmer for another 10 minutes until kale is bright green and tender. Remove parmesan rind and bay leaf.
- Season with additional salt and pepper to taste and serve topped with freshly grated parmesan cheese.
- This soup can be served immediately or stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or the freezer for 3 months.
Notes
*If you don’t have any leftover Parmesan rind, simply slice the rind off of the end of a piece of fresh parmesan cheese.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 377 calories
- Sugar: 11 grams
- Fat: 15 grams
- Carbohydrates: 44 grams
- Fiber: 10 grams
- Protein: 19 grams
Can I do a vegetarian version?
Certainly! Simply omit the sausages and start by cooking the onion instead. You could also add an additional can of beans if you like.
My 12 month old baby, husband and I all LOVED this soup! Cannot wait to make it again!
So happy you enjoyed it, thanks for sharing!
An absolute favourite soup that my picky adult children enjoyed and we had lots for leftovers. Delicious!
So happy you enjoyed it, thanks for sharing!
This soup was amazing and very filling…almost like a stew. Definitely adding to my soup collection
Absolutely love this soup. Hearty, healthy and so tasty!
Just finished a bowl for lunch and it was a hit! Lots of flor, seasonings just right and another way to include kale
Just finished a bowl for lunch and it was a hit! Lots of flavor and seasonings just right and another way to include kale.
a favourite!
Thanks for sharing, Em! Happy you enjoyed it. 🙂