Easy Italian Sausage Soup Recipe - Munchkin Time (2024)

Italian Sausage Soup is a one-pot Italian sausage kale soup made with chunks of flavorful ground Italian sausage and loaded with buttery beans, tomatoes, carrots, and zucchini. I add in plenty of leafy green kale and it all simmers in a delicious broth!

I’m excited to share with you this Italian-inspired sausage soup recipe that will warm your soul and your tummy!

When I first started making this recipe, I used spinach instead of kale but lately, I’ve been cooking more and more with kale, and I love how sturdy and robust it is! So, it’s what I am using in this soup recipe because it’s what I always have on hand.

I’ve had it both ways and I can tell you that if you decide to use spinach in yours it will be just as tasty!

This is a hearty and wholesome soup inspired by the flavors of Italy, made with juicy Italian sausage, beans, and veggies, and finished with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese!

In just a few minutes you’ve got a hearty bowl of comfort soup fit for even the hungriest crowd!

Ingredients Needed for Italian Sausage Kale Soup

• Italian sausage: I use mild ground sausage. This is without any casing and can easily be crumbled as it cooks. If you want a spicier soup, by all means, use hot Italian sausage.
• Minced garlic: The garlic gets cooked with the ground beef giving it tons of flavor and is the base of this delicious soup!
• Chicken broth: I always suggest using a homemade instant pot chicken broth whenever possible for the best flavor, but a storebought broth works too! Just as long as it’s well seasoned and has a ton of flavor without being overly salty.
• Canned Italian-style tomatoes: These are diced tomatoes in a can that come with Italian-style herbs giving them an extra flavor.
• Veggies: Carrots, zucchini, and handfuls of kale (about 2 cups or spinach) are what I add to my soup, but this is flexible enough to add any veggies you like!
• Northern beans: Drain and rinse the can of beans. Adding these buttery beans is a great way to add protein and fiber to every bite.
• Parmesan cheese: Serve with a sprinkling of freshly grated Parmesan and a piece of Italian bread for a meal that’ll take you to the Mediterranean!
• Salt & pepper: To taste.

How to Make Italian Sausage Soup

Step 1: Grab a soup pot or a Dutch oven and heat it over medium heat. Brown the sausage for 10 minutes, breaking it apart into crumbles with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.

Step 2: Pour in the broth, add the tomatoes, and the carrots, and give that a stir. Cover with a lid and simmer on low heat for 15 minutes. Carrots take longer to cook so we’re adding them in first.

Step 3: Now, we’re adding the zucchini and beans, then we’ll cover it and simmer on low heat for another 15 minutes.

Step 4: Once the cooking time is up, remove the lid and drop in 2 cups of chopped kale. Remove the pot from the heat and allow the residual heat to wilt the kale. It happens quickly! You’ll also notice that even though it looks like a lot of kale, once it shrinks, it’s the perfect amount.

Step 5: Salt and pepper to taste and serve with grated Parmesan cheese and homemade no knead artisan bread.

Enjoy!

How to Prepare Kale

Kale, unlike spinach, is quite fibrous and tough. It’s a very sturdy leafy green and can be hard to chew if not treated properly.

Since we’re adding it to a hot liquid, and chopping it finely, there is no need to massage it ahead of time. We do that when we’re eating it raw, in salads and sandwiches. Massaging the kale helps break down the fibers and makes it a bit more tender and easier to eat.

For this soup, we’re just chopping it up. Here are some tips to help you:

1. Separate the kale leaves from the bunch.
2. You can wash them before chopping, but I like to chop them first.
3. I also like to add the chopped stem to the soup, but you can remove it if preferred.
4. Use a sharp knife to chop the leaves just as you would any type of lettuce, Swiss chard, or collard greens.
5. If you haven’t washed the leaves by this point, I find it helpful to add them to a salad spinner. Wash it well, then spin it dry! You can also rinse and drain the kale in a colander.

Recipe Tips

• You can make this soup with a different kind of ground meat. Using Italian sausage only adds to the Italian inspiration, but use what you have.
• To make it vegetarian, omit the meat completely and bulk it up with some extra veggies and beans.
• If you like pasta in your soup, you can toss in some orzo or ditalini!
• Make it a bit spicy by using hot Italian sausage. If you don’t want to make the entire soup spicy, you can add a few red pepper flakes to your bowl just before serving.
• Add extra veggies like cauliflower or broccoli florets or some diced red bell pepper.

How to store leftovers of this Italian sausage soup recipe?

Once it has cooled, transfer your soup to an airtight container. Keep it in the fridge for up to 4 days or 1 month in the freezer.

Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat.

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