Sausage, Bacon, and Kale Soup

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Sausage, Bacon, and Kale soup is a delicious and healthy dinner that the whole family can enjoy. It has no dairy and no added gluten, relying on potatoes to slightly thicken the broth. Read on for questions and the recipe!

This is a great beginner recipe as it doesn’t require any specialty tools or skills. Most of the ingredients you should have on hand if you have a well-stocked pantry but can also be purchased cheaply if needed! Here’s our Beginner Home Cook Essentials Guide if you want to make sure that your kitchen is well stocked with the basics!

What kind of sausage should I use for this soup?

Whatever sausage your family prefers or that you have on hand! I use breakfast sausage because I find that it has a bit of sweetness that rounds out the flavor of this soup. However, I would happily use whatever is on hand. A mild Italian sausage would be very similar and if you’re a fan of spice, you can go with a hot or spicy Italian sausage.

What’s the difference between a soup and a stew?

A soup has more liquid than a stew. Stews typically have only enough liquid to cover the chunky ingredients in the bowl. Depending on how much your broth evaporates during your cooking time, this recipe could be considered a Sausage, Bacon, and Kale Stew.

Do I have to use kale in sausage, bacon, and kale soup?

You don’t have to use kale. You can substitute something like cabbage for a similar texture, but if you’re looking for leafy greens, spinach would be a great substitute! Check out our post on how to preserve kale if you want to have kale from your garden on hand all year round!

How to Make Sausage, Bacon, and Kale Soup

Ingredients:

12 ounces of bacon, cooked and chopped

2 lb of breakfast sausage (or mild italian sausage)

4 stalks of celery, chopped into about a half inch dice

4 carrots, peeled and chopped into about a half inch dice

1 whole onion, diced,

3 medium or 5 small russet or white potatoes, scrubbed clean and chopped into about a half inch dice

1 tsp salt

½ – 1 tbsp garlic powder

6 cups chicken stock

2 cups of chopped kale (can be fresh or frozen)

Cooking Directions

Cook 2 pounds of breakfast sausage in the pot that you will make the soup in. When cooked, remove the breakfast sausage and wipe the grease from the pan. Saute 12 ounces of chopped bacon in the same pot. Remove the cooked bacon and bacon grease, reserving a tablespoon of bacon grease.

 Frugal Living Tip: Save bacon grease in a glass jar and keep it in the refrigerator with a lid on it. You can use this bacon grease in place of olive oil or butter in savory recipes or to replace the butter in pancakes!

Dice four celery stalks, four peeled carrots, and onion into approximately a half-inch dice. Cook the vegetables with one tablespoon of reserved bacon fat for about 10 minutes on medium heat until the vegetables have softened and the onions are becoming translucent.

Dice 3 medium or 5 small potatoes in half-inch cubes and place in the pot with the cooked vegetables. Add 6 cups of chicken stock, cooked bacon, cooked sausage, 1 teaspoon of salt, and ½ to 1 tablespoon of garlic powder to your preference.

Check out our recipe for homemade chicken stock!

Note: This recipe doesn’t have a lot of additional seasonings due to the call for bacon and breakfast sausage. Both of these meats have a variety of flavoring options when you buy them so adding too many spices will just muddle the soup. I do call for a teaspoon of salt though for the soup while you’re simmering potatoes to help them get salty too!

Let the soup simmer on medium-low for a half hour or until the potatoes are tender. Five to ten minutes before you’re ready to serve, add ripped pieces of fresh kale to the pot of simmering soup. Stir gently and pull off the heat when the kale turns a vibrant green.

We love having this soup with homemade sourdough bread, but it would be lovely with a salad or cornbread too! Enjoy and let us know in the comments what you think!

Sausage, Bacon, and Kale Soup

Sausage, Bacon, and Kale soup is a delicious and healthy dinner that the whole family can enjoy. It has no dairy and no added gluten, relying on potatoes to slightly thicken the broth.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Servings 10 servings

Ingredients

  

• 12 ounces of bacon cooked and chopped
• 2 lb of breakfast sausage or mild italian sausage
• 4 stalks of celery chopped into about a half inch dice
• 4 carrots peeled and chopped into about a half inch dice
• 1 whole onion diced,
• 3 medium or 5 small russet or white potatoes scrubbed clean and chopped into about a half inch dice
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ - 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups of chopped kale can be fresh or frozen

Instructions

 

• Cook 2 pounds of breakfast sausage in the pot that you will make the soup in, Remove the breakfast sausage and wipe the grease from the pan.
• Saute 12 ounces of chopped bacon in the same pot. Remove the cooked bacon and bacon grease, reserving a tablespoon of bacon grease.
• Dice four celery stalks, four peeled carrots, and onion into approximately a half-inch dice.
• Cook the vegetables with one tablespoon of reserved bacon fat for about 10 minutes on medium heat until the vegetables have softened and the onions are becoming translucent.
• Dice 3 medium or 5 small potatoes in half-inch cubes and place in the pot with the cooked vegetables.
• Add 6 cups of chicken stock, cooked bacon, cooked sausage, 1 teaspoon of salt, and ½ to 1 tablespoon of garlic powder to your preference.
• Note: This recipe doesn’t have a lot of additional seasonings due to the call for bacon and breakfast sausage. Both of these meats have a variety of flavoring options when you buy them so adding too many spices will just muddle the soup. I do call for a teaspoon of salt though for the soup while you’re simmering potatoes to help them get salty too!
• Let the soup simmer on medium-low for a half hour or until the potatoes are tender.
• Five to ten minutes before you’re ready to serve, add ripped pieces of fresh kale to the pot of simmering soup. Stir gently and pull off the heat when the kale turns a vibrant green.
• Serve and enjoy!

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