Ompf! It’s been a full year since we’ve been in quarantine. We’ve gone through all the stages of quarantine cooking. When I say we, I mean me —the amateur Dutch Oven bread baker slash crazy lady who meticulously calculates each and every line item in her online grocery cart. I like to think this time has positively reprogrammed our way of cooking.
While I’ve experimented with popular Covid-times trends (lots of Dalgona coffee and that tortilla hack!), I cannot tell you how many times my family has enjoyed this Sausage & Kale soup because we almost always have the ingredients handy. It’s one of the easiest and flexible recipes, or rather, formulas that can be easily substituted.
The sausage is key to the flavor of this soup. I like to use smoked, pre-cooked sausage, but substitute it for any smoked meat. You can even use a meatless substitute to keep this recipe plant-based. Don’t have kale? Spinach or Swiss chard will do. And, you can go crazy with any noodle but I think ditalini is the most adorable pasta shape. — Juley
The Easiest Sausage & Kale Soup
Ingredients:
1 small onion, chopped
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 links smoked sausage. cut into small cubes
1/2 c. ditalini pasta
32 oz. vegetable stock
1 and 1/2 c. green kale
Directions:
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In a small dutch oven, saute onions over medium-high heat until translucent
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Add sausage and garlic, saute for a 2-3 minutes
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Pour in vegetable stock, be sure to scrape up the flavor bits at the bottom of the pot
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Bring to a boil, then add in pasta. Cook for 6-8 minutes or until pasta is al dente
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Finally, add kale and season to your liking. Feel free to add chile flakes and parmesan!
Makes 2-3 servings,
freezer-friendly
A product designer with over a decade of experience in branding, digital products, and small businesses, Juley oversees the visual identity, marketing, and long-term strategy of Femme Next Door.
On any given day, Juley can be found messing something up in the kitchen, wondering “what ifs” and “why nots,” toting a baguette, managing her neurosis, or watching cooking shows. She’s proudly from Louisiana but now lives in Seattle with her high school sweetheart and their two young children.
