Spicy Sausage, Kale and Whole Wheat Orecchiette Soup.
I’m thinking that my 2014 is already off to a great start since I’m getting really good at math.
For instance, I figured out that if you eat two bowls of this soup and times it by the number of steps you take from the stove to the table, you can have that number of cookies. If you divide the number of spoonfuls you take from the pot while cooking with the number of red chili flakes in the pot (give it a good old fashioned estimate), that’s how many seconds you need to run tomorrow to burn off said cookies. Spoiler alert: it’s not that many. Jessica math.
The square root of the number of little pasta noodles in your soup is directly correlated to the number of cocktails you should consume while preparing this meal.
See? Everyone wins.
If you would have told me three years ago that I would be eating kale period, I would have laughed in your face. Heck, had you told me two years ago that I’d be eating kale in an unroasted form? Hilarity would ensue. Giggles for days.
Even one year ago it would have been a stretch. Totally reaching.
Today, I’m eating kale in soup. Seriously. I want to shout in people’s faces on the street, HEY YOU! I’M EATING KALE! IN SOUP!
I know you probably already find me quite obnoxious but I’m not that obnoxious. Maybe only half that obnoxious. I don’t have the guts to do it. Yet.
I’m also sort of eating kale in salad, at times. It’s still one of those issues where I can choke down about half of the salad before wanting to pitch a fit, but we will discuss more about that shortly. I’m pretty sure that the number of kale salads you eat per week plus the stairs you climb equals things like mac and cheese, bacon breakfast sandwiches, ice cream sundaes and cheesecake. Math is so EASY.
Some of you maybe be doubly shocked by this soup considered I’ve also complained about my feelings on sausage in previous years. It’s not my meat of choice, but as long as the fennel seeds are absent, I’m game every once and a while. That’s why I went with turkey sausage here instead of pork, because my grocery store’s version goes low on the fennel. This original recipe actually calls for additional fennel seeds to be added with the onion, so if you’re down with that, go ahead and add them. I will then promptly reevaluate our friendship. But it’s okay.
Spicy Sausage, Kale and Whole Wheat Orecchiette Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 sweet onion, diced
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- 1 pound spicy italian turkey sausage
- 1 cup whole wheat orecchiette pasta
- 4 cups fresh kale, remove from stems and torn into pieces
- 1/4 cup freshly grated parmigiano reggiano cheese, plus more for sprinkling
Instructions
- Heat a large pot over medium-low heat and add the olive oil. Add the onion with the salt, pepper and red pepper flakes and stir. Cook until onions soften, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in the garlic and cook for 1 more minute, then add the chicken stock, increase the heat to medium-high and bring the liquid to a boil.
- While the stock is heating up, heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Remove the sausage from the casing (if it’s in casing) and add it to the skillet with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook until the sausage is browned, about 6 to 8 minutes, breaking it into smaller pieces (or whatever size you desire) with a wooden spoon. Turn off the heat.
- When the stock is boiling, add the pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, just until it’s al dente. Add the kale and stir well, cooking for 2 more minutes. Stir in the cheese, then taste and season with more salt and pepper if desired. You can add all of the sausage into the soup or serve the soup into bowls and add the sausage on top per serving. Serve with extra cheese for grating. Make sure to turn the heat off underneath the soup to prevent the noodles from getting super soggy.
Notes
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I appreciate you so much!
That’s pretty green.
160 Comments on “Spicy Sausage, Kale and Whole Wheat Orecchiette Soup.”
This was so good and easy!
My husband detests kale. I did find a salad recipe this summer that he actually enjoyed. He says he can tolerate it uncooked over cooked, but I love it in soup, so I will be trying this recipe soon.
I love that there is kale in this soup! Its the go-to ingredient right now and I can never get it to work in my recipes – can’t wait to try your recipe. :)
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THANK YOU. So glad I’m not the only one who hates fennel. I would really love a recipe for sausage without fennel so I could make the many sausage soups on my Pinterest board – including this one!
Made this tonight and it tasted amazing though I accidentally added a can of cannelli beans to it too. Love your recipes!
I try to make several of your recipes every week. This one was fantastic, definitely one of my favorites, amazing flavor!
Made this soup tonight and it was absolutely delicious! I normally have to add additional ingredients to some of the recipes found online, but your recipe didn’t need any additions. It was Perfect. Thanks!
PLEASE GO READ WHEAT BELLY- IT IS A BOOK THAT EXPOSES WHEAT FOR WHAT IT TRULY IS AND HOW IT DAMAGES YOUR BODY IS SO MANY VARIOUS WAYS – IM TRYING TO SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT THIS BOOK AND SO PEOPLE CAN LEARN WHAT TRUE HEALTH REALLY IS. I HOPE THIS MESSAGE REACHES SOMEONE TO GO PICK UP AND READ WHEAT BELLY. YOU’LL BE SHOCKED AT WHAT YOU’LL FIND. ALSO, YOU CAN GO TO WHAETBELLYBLOG.COM AND SEE THE WEBSITE.
– FROM A CONCERNED READER
Everyone has the right to put whatever they want into their body. This blog about delicious, FRESH food is not the place for you to rant about what you consider healthy living.
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I love adding kale to soup! I feel it replaces crackers for me, it stays crunchy which I love! Looks amazing, it’s hard to find orecchiette in my stores, but I am sure it will be fine with another noodle :) Thank you so much, perfect for the snowy days we are having in Virginia this week!
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I made this last week and now I’m craving it again! So good! Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
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I made this last week and it was excellent!
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Made it tonight and it was fantastic! Thank you!
Can I make this recipe with gluten free pasta instead? Will it still work in the soup even though it is a different consistency?
it should definitely work! just cook the pasta in the soup according to the directions on the pasta.
Delicious recipe! I added a bit more kale (about 2 more cups) because my family and I love it. I also put in white cannellini beans. It just gave it a bit of a different flavor. Definitely will make again !
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