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Get It NowThis sausage and kale soup is pure comfort in a bowl! With a rich and creamy broth, zesty Italian sausage, and hearty kale, it’s hard to believe this is a healthy soup recipe. It’s actually a lot like zuppa toscana, but this time we’re skipping the potatoes and using fewer ingredients.
I’ve been stirring up pots of soup for as long as I can remember, and this one? It’s a blend of all the best bits I’ve learned along the way. The richness makes it a filling one-pot meal, but it’s still simple enough to whip up any night of the week. Pair it with a crisp salad and some crunchy flax seed crackers, and you’ve got yourself a complete dinner!
Why You’ll Love This Sausage And Kale Soup
- Zesty, creamy flavor – The combination of spicy Italian sausage and a creamy broth creates a mouthwatering umami experience.
- Hearty and nutritious – With plenty of kale packed into this soup, it’s both satisfying and good for you. It’s my go-to for a cozy, healthy meal that doesn’t skimp on flavor.
- Simple and easy – This sausage kale soup comes together with 8 common ingredients and is ready in about 30 minutes. I love it for busy nights!
- One-pot wonder – You only need one pot to cook this, so there’s hardly any mess to clean up after.
- Versatile meal – This soup is perfect for dinner any night, or when it’s chilly and you want something warm. The creamy broth offsets the kale, so even my picky eaters like it.
Ingredients & Substitutions
This section explains how to choose the ingredients for the best sausage and kale soup, what each one does, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.
- Avocado Oil – Used for sauteing. Olive oil is a great alternative if you need one.
- Italian Sausage – Key for flavor, but you can substitute with regular ground pork sausage, turkey sausages, or even chorizo for a similar zest.
- Hard Veggies – Diced onions and carrots. I like to dice them pretty finely, but feel free to use larger pieces if you prefer.
- Kale – Chop into bite-size pieces, but keep in mind that it will shrink a bit when cooked. I used curly kale for greens, but lacinato (Tuscan/dinosaur) or redbud kale work as well. Skip baby kale; it’s better for kale salad and will get stringy in this soup.
- Garlic – Use fresh garlic cloves for the best flavor, or 2 teaspoons of jarred minced garlic for convenience.
- Broth – When I have time, I like to make my own bone broth or just regular homemade chicken broth for maximum flavor and comfort vibes. But, store-bought broth will work just fine. Use a reduced sodium kind, as the sausage and cream cheese are already salty. You can always add extra salt at the end to your taste.
- Cream Cheese – This is my “secret” ingredient for giving this sausage and kale soup a creamy feel without watering it down with milk. You can use full-fat coconut cream for a similarly thick dairy-free option, or just omit it for a brothy soup.
How To Make Sausage Kale Soup
This section shows step-by-step photos together with the instructions, to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
- Brown sausage. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the ground sausage and cook, breaking apart with a spatula until browned.
- Cook vegetables. Use a slotted spoon to remove the sausage to a plate, leaving the oil in the pan. Saute the onions and carrots in the oil, until they start to brown.
- Saute garlic. Make a well in the center of the pan. Add the minced garlic and saute just until fragrant, then stir in with the onions.
- Deglaze & simmer. Add the chicken broth and use a wooden spoon to scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil and simmer.
- Cook kale. Add the chopped kale and sausage back into the pan and simmer.
- Add cream cheese. Turn the heat off. Ladle out 2 cups of hot broth into a blender, add the cream cheese, and blend until melted. Stir back into the sausage kale soup and serve. I like a bit of fresh cracked black pepper on top.
Tips For Best Results
- Dice the veggies to the same size. That way, they’ll cook at the same rate.
- Use cream cheese at room temperature. If it isn’t, it won’t blend well with the broth and you’ll be left with little chunks of cream cheese. I wouldn’t know that from experience or anything. 😉
- Scraping the pan amps up the flavor. After you add the broth, scraping the browned bits from the bottom adds so much flavor to your soup! (This is called deglazing.) Just make sure to use a wooden utensil to avoid scratching the pot.
Recipe Variations
Want to make it more hearty? Try these additions for a more filling twist on Italian sausage kale soup:
- White Beans – Add a can of white beans to the sausage kale soup for an extra filling meal. It works best to add them towards the end, at the same time as the kale, so they don’t get too mushy.
- Potatoes – Add 1-2 cups of diced russet potatoes, Yukon gold potatoes, or sweet potatoes to the soup after pouring in the broth, letting them cook until tender. You could also use leftover oven roasted potatoes or roasted sweet potatoes — add them at the same time as the kale.
- Lentils – Add 1 cup of rinsed dry lentils with the broth. Let them to simmer until fully cooked and tender.
- Herbs – To me, sausage and kale soup is already so flavorful that I keep it simple and don’t add herbs… a rare occurrence in my cooking! But if you want to add some, dried thyme or rosemary pair well with the flavors here.
- Spice – This soup is pretty mild, and the spices in the sausage already provide lots of flavor. If you want more heat, throw in some crushed red pepper flakes, or you could use hot Italian sausage instead of regular.
Storage Tips
- Store: Keep leftover kale sausage soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. I love making a meal prep batch to have easy lunches all week!
- Reheat: Warm up in the microwave or on the stove top, until hot.
- Freeze: Store in a freezer-safe container, zip lock bag, or pre-portioned cubes (my favorite) in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating. The cream cheese sometimes separates from the broth a little when you thaw it, but it’s still delicious!
More Hearty Soup Recipes
If you like this sausage kale soup recipe, you might also like some of my other hearty soups:
My Favorite Tools For This Recipe
- Dutch Oven – The size and heat distribution are just right for this soup, and it looks stylish too!
- Blender – The best blender… use it for the last step in this kale soup recipe! I also use it for smoothies, other soups, and even making nut butters.
Sausage And Kale Soup
Make this hearty, easy sausage kale soup in just 30 minutes! It's packed with sausage and kale in creamy broth for rich, bold flavors.
Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
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Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the ground sausage. Cook, breaking apart with a spatula, for 8-10 minutes, until browned. Use a slotted spoon to remove the sausage to a plate, leaving the oil in the pan.
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Add the onions and carrots. Saute for 8-10 minutes, until the onions are starting to brown.
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Make a well in the center of the pan. Add the minced garlic and saute for about 1-2 minutes, until fragrant, then stir in with the onions.
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Immediately add the chicken broth and use a wooden spoon to scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan (this is called deglazing). Bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes.
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Add the chopped kale and return the sausage to the pan. Simmer for 5 more minutes.
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Turn off the heat. Ladle out 2 cups (473 ml) of hot broth into a blender. Add the cream cheese, and blend until melted.
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Return the broth and cream cheese mixture to the dutch oven and stir until smooth.
Did You Like It?
Leave a rating to help other readers, or get the recipe sent to your inbox.
Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 1/2 cups
This serving size is good for a filling meal. As a starter, reduce to 1 cup instead.
I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.
© Copyright Maya Krampf for Wholesome Yum. Please DO NOT SCREENSHOT OR COPY/PASTE recipes to social media or websites. We’d LOVE for you to share a link with photo instead. 🙂
67 Comments
Czyrah
0Tried this sausage and kale soup for the first time and this is now my new favorite. The creamy broth with zesty sausage and kale combo was so delish. And adding some cream cheese makes the soup so creamy and mouthwatering. I’m obsessed!
Czarina
0I’m really a fan of soup so I gave this a try. The creamy broth is so rich and the kale adds a nice texture to the dish. I also used full-fat coconut cream that makes the dish so creamy. So yummy!
Noelle
0The broth in this dish is so rich and creamy! The flavors from the sausage and veggies really blends well. It’s seriously such a comforting and satisfying meal!
Pk
0Amazing
Cindy
0I think the Italian Sausage Kale Soup was good and I liked the creamy broth. It was very filling. I am not wild about kale so that was the drawback for me. But I wanted a healthy soup trying out kale so made it anyway. I think adding potatoes would make it chunkier which would appeal to me. I added the white beans which I think helped make it heartier. I can see how some people might rate it higher if you like kale.
Jane
0I always try a recipe exactly as directed the first time I make it and this was absolutely delicious! Very quick too if you don’t drag it out watching TV while you make it.
Jasmin
0Just made this tonight for my family! It was delicious! The best part was how quick and easy it was to make! It reminds me of zuppa toscana without the potatoes and bacon! Definitely a winner in my house! Thanks for sharing!
Lori Collins
0Delicious, low-carb soup! Very easy to make. Hearty and filling!
Skadia
0Made this for dinner tonight and it was really good. I left out the cream cheese. Great recipe – hubby immediately said it was “a keeper”. Thank you!
Lisa
0This was so delicious. I used to make one with potatoes that was similar, but I did not even notice that it didn’t have potatoes.
Robyn
0Absolutely delicious! I added celery and subbed spinach for the kale as I am not a fan of kale. I'll make this again!
Cathie
0Hi, I’m in Australia and it’s really hot weather. I don’t want to have hot soup, could I make this into a casserole or something else?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Cathie, I have never tried that before, but if you do, please let me know the results.
David
0Absolutely wonderful!!!
Kyla Reis
0Can you freeze this recipe ? I’d like to make a double batch if it’s possible definitely delicious I added potatoes to make it more hearty thanks 🙂
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Kyla, You can store it in a freezer container for 2-3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
lynnpine
0Excellent! I substituted 3 oz of coconut cream for the cream cheese and it was delicious. Hubby loved it, too.
Chris
0The soup was easy to make and the flavors really come together. After a few hours on very low heat the flavors get even better.
Ignacio Bredeweg
0Perfect work you have done, this site is really cool with wonderful information.
Samantha
0What can I use in the place of cream cheese?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Samantha, You can use coconut cream to replace the cream cheese.
Maurice
0Great recipe. I loved it because it was easy. I would give this a 5 star, but I feel like there is no perfect recipe. Maybe something could be added, but ya, this is great.
AR
0This was so good! Only change I made was substituting Broccoli for the carrots. I’ll be keeping this recipe. Thanks!
Bengle
0My family loves this recipe. Perfect for staying on plan and being comforted at the same time. Thank you!
Caitlyn
0Very tasty.
Pamela
0Hi. My kale looks a bit wilted but I do have cabbage. Would that work? Also, I don’t have carrots…. I’m thinking peas instead? I don’t mean to be changing everything, but I’m using what I have. I’m thinking it’s going to work out fine ☺️… Thank You!
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Pamela, Those sound like fine substitutions.
Erica
0Can I use olive oil?
Thanks
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Erica, Yes, you can use olive oil in this recipe.
Mattie
0This soup is very good and just in time for the cool weather.
Sarah
0My husbands really picky when it comes to new dishes. This was a 10/10 and was delicious. Thank you
Daniel
0I used Italian sausage links and cut into chunks. Hot and regular. Then when soup was done I boiled some eggs and sliced to add to soup bowl
Marsha
0This soup was awesome! I didn’t have Italian sausage so I used regular sausage. I added some additional seasonings in the hope that it would more closely resemble Italian sausage. It did! I omitted the carrots because I didn’t have any and added some ground fennel. I used low sodium chicken broth and more cream cheese than was in the recipe and added kale fresh from my garden. We gobbled this down! I’m sorry it’s gone! I’ll be making some more when my next kale crop comes in. Thank you!
Janice
0This recipe was amazing, and now on our “favorites” list. My husband loved it so much, he happily ate it two nights in a row!
I added some fresh fennel, bell pepper and celery to get more veggies in, and cut the amount of carrots in half. Almost any veggie would be great in this.
What a great way to get the benefit of kale.
I doubled the recipe and will have enough for four meals for two people.
The soup is very rich and creamy. Didn’t need any added seasoning.
Michele
0Really tasty!! I might try a little more cream cheese or less broth next time to make it a touch thicker but I really enjoyed it
Al
0This was great. I needed a low carb kale sausage soup and this did the trick. Doubled the recipe and glad I did.
Made with bulk sweet Italian Sausage. Next up will be with hot venison sausage.
Brooke
0Just wanted to say thanks! I’ve made this numerous times over the last 3 years and it’s definitely a favorite!
Carmella Goodman
0The recipe was amazing. I added a little more chicken broth to stretch it just a bit and a hint of salt and pepper. Family loved it. Thank you so much.
Connie
0I am not generally a kale person but this soup is absolutely delicious!
Melissa
0I made this and it tasted amazing! I would love it to be a bit thicker. What would I add to this recipe to make it thicker?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Melissa, Feel free to add 1/8 tsp of xanthan gum while the soup is simmering. It will help to thicken your soup.
Monique
0The recipe was easy to follow and very tasty. I omitted the cream cheese because I wanted a brothy soup. I also used mirepoix mix because I was lazy. Overall will make it again.
Danielle Fields
0I don’t eat pork products, is there a different sausage I can substitute with?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Danielle, Any ground meat will work in this recipe. Ground beef, chicken, or turkey will all work great.
Joan
0I made this soup this week. Jimmy Dean hot sausage subbed for Italian sausage. Fast, easy and Very Good!
Patricia
0The italian sausage and kale soup was yummy My butcher shop makes a sweet italian chicken sausage that i really like so i used it instead of pork sausage and was able to shave off 60 calories per serving. Thank you Maya for the great recipe. All the recipes from the 10 day challenge were very good
Melissa Bartlett
0I made this last week. I couldn’t find sausage without sugar so I made my own. I also subbed out spinach for the kale, as I couldn’t find it at my local market. It came out really tasty. My only suggestion would be that the directions read to take 2 cups of the soup and blend it with the cream cheese. For me, this resulted in a slightly gritty texture to the finished soup. When I make it again, and I will, I will be sure to take 2 cups of the broth only to blend with the cream cheese. Will come back and rate after troubleshooting.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Melissa, I’m glad you liked the taste! The directions say, “Immediately ladle out 2 cups (473 ml) of hot broth into a blender.” – so yes, this should be the broth only, not the whole soup. Hope the texture comes out better for you next time by pureeing only the broth with the cream cheese.
Katelyn Hartlage
0Could i use an instant pot to make this?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Katelyn, Absolutely! Just use the saute function to cook the ingredients through. There really isn’t any need to use the pressure function for this recipe, but if you do, please reserve the cream cheese until after you release pressure.
Zenia Rene
0This recipe really is easy and so delicious! I made two pots in three days! It’s a new fave in my home.
Tara Williams
0I left out the carrots and added bacon to mine. It was absolutely delicious and filling. Will definitely make it again.
Lind Skanter
0Can you use another type of oil instead of the avocado oil?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Lind, Coconut oil will also work in this recipe. Enjoy.
Denise Holbrook
0YU<MMM++++Y! hubby loved it, I substituted carrots with a little celery and add a bit of zucchini. Def will make again it's a keeper.
Shayla M.
0Really good recipe! It was really filling and my mom and dad really enjoyed it as well. I usually don’t even enjoy kale but it tasted great. It was also really simple to make and a great excuse to use my dutch oven pot.
PATSY CUMMINGS
0Can you use spinach instead of kale? how much and does it change the carbs? Thank you.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Patsy, Yes, you can use spinach in place of kale. The carbs would be reduced, but I am not sure by how much off-hand. Feel free to enter the recipe into a recipe calculator to get nutrition information for your recipe substitution, or reference the carb counts in my keto food list.
Ginny
0I made this tonight, very good…..definitely a keeper…..To save a step I melted the cream cheese in the microwave for about 30 seconds mixed in very well.
Rachel Delp
0This was outstanding! Hubby and I loved this recipe and we’ll be added it to our regular rotation of meals. Its hardy without being heavy. Its just a warm feel-good from the inside out meal.
Carri
0I have a copycat Olive Garden recipe for this type of soup. (Zuppa Toscana ) It calls for potatoes. Of course for low carb, that is forbidden. I’m surprised you didn’t consider using rutabaga or celery root in this soup as a potato replacement.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Carri, I have a zuppa toscana recipe here that you can use.
h
0Added cumin and nutritional yeast for some savory and it was DE-LISH!!!!! will make this again. made the low carb biscuts to go with for added pleasure
Shadi Hasanzadenemati
0Love how easy this recipe is. Can’t wait to try it this weekend.
Beth
0This smells amazing in my home!! I love that it stores well so I can enjoy it for a quick, tasty lunch the next couple of days!