Monday, March 19, 2012

Creamy White Soup with Sausage & Kale


This soup is inspired by the Zuppa Toscana served at Olive Garden. I haven’t tried their version in many years but I remembered it was a good combo: Potatoes, sausage and kale. I upped the ante by using leeks instead of plain old onions. I also added white beans to make this even more white and hearty. I loved how this turned out and I am always happy to have a new way to use my new favorite veggie sausage: Field Roast. Of course you can use your own fav sausage if you like.

 Creamy White Soup with Sausage & Kale

Ingredients:
2 tsp olive oil
3 medium leeks, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 russet potatoes, peeled and diced
4 cups vegetable broth
1 bay leaf
1 cup soy milk or soy creamer
1 package Field Roast Italian Sausage, chopped
1 bunch curly kale, chopped
15 oz can navy beans, rinsed and drained
¼ tsp ground black pepper
Salt to taste

Directions:
Heat olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add leeks and sauté for about 10 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute more. Add potatoes, vegetable broth, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small skillet, brown sausage in a little bit of oil on medium heat for 5-10 minutes, breaking it up into smaller pieces as you cook it. Remove from heat and set aside.

Back to the soup: remove bay leaf and turn off heat. Add soy milk or creamer. Using an emersion blender, puree until smooth.

Add sausage, kale, navy beans, and black pepper. Simmer gently on low heat for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add salt to taste. Serve with extra black pepper at the table.