Prep Time 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes minutes
Total Time 45 minutes minutes
Cook the Italian sausage with red pepper flakes in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Brown it and crumble it as you go, then drain excess fat and remove onto a plate.
Cook the bacon in the Dutch oven until crispy. Remove onto a plate with the sausage, drain the fat leaving about 1 tablespoon of grease in the Dutch oven.
Add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes, then add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add the potatoes (if you feel like you need more liquid, add a cup of water – I usually do!), and cook until they’re fork tender (about 12-15 minutes).
Add chopped kale, the browned sausage and half of the bacon to the pot and bring to a gentle boil (5 minutes until the kale has wilted). Stir in the cream, season with salt and pepper.
Remove from heat, and top with the remaining crispy bacon.
- Kale can be substituted with baby spinach leaves.
- If you prefer a thicker soup, you can thicken it with cornstarch slurry (1-2 tablespoons of cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon of water). Stir it in the soup, and cook for a few minutes stirring occasionally until it thickens up.
- If you prefer not to cook the onions in the bacon grease, you can substitute with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
Calories: 620kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 118mg | Sodium: 837mg | Potassium: 1347mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 7382IU | Vitamin C: 92mg | Calcium: 170mg | Iron: 4mg