Sausage Potato and Kale Soup

This is my take on the infamous Zuppa Toscana Soup.    I think you'll really like it.

 I've cleaned it up to make it healthy, and I've changed some ingredients to fit the tastes of my family.

 Just a note:  If you have bones left-over from a turkey breast or chicken you had for dinner last night- SAVE THEM and make your own broth.  Bone broth is so beneficial and good for you.

Sausage Potato and Kale Soup

1 lb. Sausage (Italian or smoked- I usually use Aidell's Chicken Apple Sausage from Costco)

4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4" slices

1 large onion, diced

1 cup mushrooms, chopped (your favorite kind- I use button)

2 large russet potatoes, chopped in thin pieces.

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 cups kale (or spinach if you're not a kale fan), chopped

3 cups (24 oz.) chicken broth

6 cups water

salt and pepper, to taste

1-1/2 cups milk (I use coconut milk, but regular would work too)

Slice sausage into small pieces.  Brown sausage in large soup pot. Add broth and water to pot and stir.  Place carrots, onions, mushrooms, potatoes, and garlic to pot.  Simmer over medium heat until vegetables are tender.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Turn heat to low.  Add kale and milk.  Stir together. Simmer another 10 minutes before serving.

Bone Broth- Basics

Did you know making your own broth is really easy?

You can make vegetable broth using just the veggies, or if you want something super healthy, make broth using bones - chicken, beef, pork.  

Bone broth helps heal the gut and contains super-charge nutrients that promote health and healing throughout the entire body. Don't let the lengthy simmer time scare you.  It takes only minutes to throw all the ingredients into a pot.  Then you're done.  

I like to store my broth in 2 cup increments poured into canning jars in the freezer.

BONE BROTH

2-3 lbs of bones (chicken, beef, etc)

3 celery stalks, halved

3 carrots halved

3 onions, peeled and quartered

Handful of fresh parsley (optional)

filtered water

Place bones, celery, carrots, and onion,  into a large stock pot.  Fill pot with water until everything is covered and water is about an inch above the bones and vegetables.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low, cover, and allow to simmer 24-72 hours.*  The longer the better.   The last 10 minutes of cooking, add parsley.  Remove from heat, and cool.  Once broth has cooled, strain the broth, removing all bones, veggies, and any little pieces of meat that might be floating around. 

Store in the fridge 5-7 days or in the freezer up to 6 months.

*You can also make this in a slow cooker on low heat.  If you do this on the stove top, turn off the heat before you go to bed and turn it back on in the morning -Safety first.