Italian Sauage, Kale and Potato Soup

There is nothing better than homemade, warm soup on a cold winter day. A fire going is a close second. Okay, so, anyone else love the Zuppa Toscana from Olive Garden?? Well, I've been meaning to try and replicate it at home for years now but haven't gotten around to it until..today, ha. And guys, it's so easy!

I always feel like soup should be healthy but I've found a lot of the yummy ones are full of cream, cream and more cream. This is made completely guilt free, wahoo! That means you can eat more bread??? ;) 

Ingredients:

1 bunch of Kale (ripped and stems removed. I just bought a bag pre-cut from Trader Joes - winning.)
10-12 Red Potatoes, sliced
1 Onion, chopped
1 lb of Sweet Italian Sausage (I used pork but you could use chicken to keep it even lighter)
Red Pepper Flakes
Dried Oregano
6-8 cups of low-sodium Chicken Broth
2 cups of Almond Milk (unsweetened, withOUT vanilla), Rice Milk or Regular Milk
 

Directions:

Heat a large pot (preferably a dutch oven) over med-high heat. Remove the sausage from its casings and dump into the pot.

Break the sausage into crumbles with a wooden spoon and cook until browned.

Add in the chopped onion and cook until onions are softened. (A tip on chopping onions, slice but don't slice all the way through. Leave a centimeter or so at the end so that it holds it all together. Then chop.)

Sprinkle in a little or a lot of red pepper flakes, depending on how you like your spice. Add a couple dashes of the dried oregano. Mix together.

Pour in the chicken broth (I used 7 cups) and milk, scraping down the brown bits on the bottom of the pot. Add the sliced potatoes. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer. Cover the pot and continue to simmer for 30 minutes.

Finally add in the kale and check the seasonings. Salt and pepper to your taste. Let it simmer for 5-10 more minutes. And done. So good! It's satisfying, light and hearty all at the same time. 

Hope you enjoy it as much as my family and I did!