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After I graduated from college, I spent several years in snowy New England, where I was introduced to the awesomeness that is kale soup. There’s a large Portuguese community in Massachusetts, which is where this style of kale soup originates. But I like to put an Italian twist on my version by adding fennel and Italian sausage, and make it Whole30 by eliminating the beans (the potato is more than sufficient as a starchy element).
I may not live in New England any longer, but this soup has stayed with me. Trust me, you’ll make it all the time, too.
January is National Soup Month
Okay, this is kind of ridiculous, but still fun. There’s something to be said about how warming and soothing soup can be, which is great for one of the coldest months of the year. I have other soup recipes, but there’s something to be said about a brothy kale soup when it’s cold outside and your nose is running, and all you want to do is eat something hot and steamy. Italian kale soup is what I reach for instead of chicken noodle soup when I want a comforting, nutritious soup.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Kale
There are so many different kinds of kale out there, and they all have different textures when raw. Lacinato kale (also known as Tuscan or dinosaur kale) has a firm leaf with a bumpy texture. Curly kale has large ruffled leaves; you might be most familiar with this version as the decorative version found in salad bars. Lastly, there’s Red Russian kale (or red kale), which has small curly leaves and can look a little ragged; it gets the “red” name from its purplish stem and veins. All versions work equally well in this soup.
Fennel
Fennel can be controversial; some people love the anise flavor, and some absolutely despise it (my pet rabbit, Inky, LOVED it; definitely his favorite vegetable). But not all parts of fennel are created equally. The bulb has a much more mild flavor than the stalks, and when sautéed, fennel mellows out in flavor. The sharp licorice flavor calms down into more of a sweet background note.
Fennel is in season in winter and spring, and when it is around, I love adding it to soups.
Chicken Stock
Nothing beats homemade chicken stock. I make mine in my Instant Pot, using a mixture of chicken feet, necks, heads (if I can find them), and backbones. I’ll make a detailed post about my totally awesome chicken stock later.
In the meantime, be sure to buy good quality stock: many butchers will sell stock at the farmers market, and this is generally a great option. Some butchers will even sell stock kits, with all the ingredients you need to make your own chicken stock. Outside of the farmers market, I look for stocks that have no sugar added (you would be surprised how many store brands add sugar, cane juice, or any number of sweeteners to their product) and are low sodium, that way I can control the salt level.
Tips and Tricks
Don’t throw out the stems! While my recipe for Italian kale soup does not use the kale stems explicitly, you can either save the stems for my Farmers Market Celebration Bread (a great way to use up vegetable scraps), or you can chop them and sauté with the aromatics (the onion, celery, and carrot). As is the case with many leafy greens, the stems should be handled differently from the rest of the leaf, as the leaves are much more delicate.
Soup is also a great way to use up vegetables that are at the end of their lifespan. It is okay if the kale is a little wilted or the carrots are a little soft, they will still work here and won’t go to waste. Of course, if any vegetable is yellow or brown when it shouldn’t be, or turning into a rancid liquid, please toss those and clean out the refrigerator.
Serving Suggestions
Try making a double batch and freezing the leftovers. Italian kale soup reheats extremely well, and is perfect for cold nights when you don’t feel like cooking. Or when you have the sniffles and don’t have the energy to cook. Or anytime. It’s a perfect winter recipe.
Italian Kale Soup with Fennel
Full of the best winter produce, this Italian Kale Soup will warm you up on the coldest days.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp avocado oil, divided
- 1 yellow onion
- 2 carrots
- 2 stalks celery
- 1 bulb fennel
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 russet potato
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- ½ tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 bunch kale (Red Russian, Lacinato, or curly)
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
- 1 lb Italian sausage (in casing)
Instructions
- Prep the aromatic vegetables: chop yellow onion and celery, peel and chop carrots, chop fennel bulb, taking care to remove the inner core. Finely mince garlic cloves. Peel and chop the potato.
- Heat 2 tbsp avocado oil in a large stock pot on medium-low heat. Add onions, celery, carrots, and fennel, and sauté until the onion is soft and translucent.
- Add garlic, red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, and salt, and continue to sauté for another 3 minutes or until the garlic becomes aromatic.
- Add the potatoes, and stir. Sauté for 5 minutes or until the onions just start to turn brown.
- Pull the tender kale leaves off the stems; set stems aside for another use. Tear kale into bite sized pieces.
- Add kale, chicken stock, and fire roasted tomatoes. Bring the soup to a boil then simmer while the pot is covered.
- While soup is simmering, heat the remaining 1 tbsp avocado oil in a small skillet. Slice the Italian sausage on a bias to make ½ inch thick "coins." Sauté sausage until brown on both sides.
- Add sausage to the soup. The soup is done simmering when the potatoes are soft and the fennel is tender.
