Sometimes the only cure for a nasty cold is a warm bowl of soup. I love me some good chicken noodle, but the lack of grocery shopping this week (yet another side effect of this blasted cold) resulted in a new soup creation based on available ingredients. It only took a half hour, and is it stinkin' delicious. I want to make 10 pots of this deliciousness and run down the streets of our neighborhood singing and dishing out hot bowls of this soup, like I am in a Disney movie. Okay, that's just the cold medicine talking. But make this soup and you will see what I am talking about. It is heaven. In your mouth. Throw in a soft, buttery breadstick, and you will swear you have died and gone to the great beyond. Just a heads up-the breadsticks are a shameless indulgence. White flour and butter. But man, are they delicious. Just enjoy it and have a better day tomorrow.
A quick note-this soup is packed with kale. I don't know if you like kale, or have ever even tried it, but kale is a superfood. It is loaded with essential nutrients, and it is delicious. I am a New England girl at heart, and we ate kale all the time, especially in savory soups on cold winter days, steam rising out of the bowl as our breath fogged up cold windowpanes. It was very Robert Frost and Norman Rockwell. So trust me, and use the kale.
Ok...here we go. I don't have as many pictures for this post as I usually do. A lot of my ingredients were pre-prepped and in the freezer. But the result will still taste good-I promise!
Start with some chicken stock. I am a big proponent of homemade stock. I frequently buy whole chickens and crock pot them for 24 hours, and then crock pot the bones in some water for another 12-16 hours, and voila, you have some amazing concentrated stock that you can freeze and use at your convenience. I will put a separate post up on that sometime. So feel free to use stock from the carton, or the can, or whatever works for you. Mine is like this, in a jar, in the freezer. I thawed it in warm water for an hour, and then plopped it in the pan with 8 cups of water. Just whisk it together and heat it for a few minutes, and it is perfect. Alternately, if you use it from the carton, just measure out eight cups and bring it to a simmer in the pot. If you are using homemade stock, you can add some salt. Salt it to taste.
While your stock is heating, heat a saute pan over medium heat. Add a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan, and add three cloves of minced garlic. Saute for about 30 seconds, until fragrant.
Cook the sausage until it is no longer pink, breaking it up as you stir and move the sausage.
Drain the fat, and set the sausage and garlic aside for a few minutes.
Open a can of fire roasted tomatoes. I love the Muir Glen brand (organic, delicious) and I really do think it is worth spending the extra dollar or two on these. So go ahead and add this to your chicken stock, along with three more cloves of minced garlic. Stir to combine. Inhale, and admire the pretty colors. Bring to a boil.
Grab some seasonings and spice up your soup. I used about 1/4 teaspoon of fennel, and 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning. Add and stir to combine.
Next, add 3 cups (about two bunches) of uncooked kale to the soup. You can wash and roughly chop the kale, removing the tough stems, and add it to the tomato and broth. I had mine pre-chopped and frozen in bags, so I just pulled it out and added it to the broth. It adds a beautiful green color and tastes amazing in the soup.
Add the cooked Italian sausage, and taste to check the seasoning. Adjust if needed.Cover and simmer the soup for 20 minutes, until the kale is soft and tender. Add 3 cups of whole wheat penne or rotini pasta to the soup. Bring to a boil again, cooking pasta for about 5 minutes.
Serve immediately. This soup would also be great with some cannelini beans and some freshly grated parmigiana cheese. Don't forget your sinful breadstick. Or two. Or three.
Yummmmmm.....
Fire Roasted Tomato Kale Soup with Italian Sausage
Ingredients
-8 cups of chicken stock (store-bought or homemade)
-One 28 ounce can of fire roasted crushed tomatoes (I like the Muir Glen brand)
-Six cloves of minced garlic, divided
-One tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
-2 teaspoons of salt (especially for homemade chicken stock, but season to taste!)
-1/4 teaspoon of fennel
-1 teaspoon of Italian Seasoning
-1/2 pound of Spicy Italian Sausage
-3 cups of uncooked Kale, chopped with stems removed
-3 cups of whole wheat penne or rotini pasta
1. Heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Heat one tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Add three cloves of minced garlic to the oil, and saute 30 seconds until fragrant.
2. Add 1/2 pound of Spicy Italian Sausage to the pan. Cook until no longer pink. Turn off heat. Drain grease from pan. Set aside briefly.
3. Fill a large saucepan with 8 cups of chicken stock. I use a homemade concentrate for this, and combined a canning jar full of concentrated stock with 8 cups of warm water and heated until it was liquid. Feel free to use store-bough stock.
4. Add three cloves of minced garlic to the pot, along with one 28 ounce can of fire roasted tomatoes. Bring to a boil.
5. Add seasonings-up to 2 teaspoons of salt (taste!), 1/4 teaspoon of fennel, and 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning.
6. Add uncooked kale. Stir to combine.
7. Add cooked Italian sausage. Stir to combine. Taste to adjust seasonings. Simmer the soup together for 20 minutes, cooking the kale until it is soft and tender.
8. Add 3 cups of whole wheat penne or rotini pasta. Cook until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
9. Serve in a large soup bowl with a side of breadsticks or a whole-wheat, crusty bread.
***This would also be great with the addition of a can of cannelini beans and a few tablespoons of grated parmigiana cheese.
its nice!!
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