ITALIAN SAUSAGE & COLLARD GREENS SOUP
Ok, this is NOT the first time I’ve made a soup like this. In fact, I make these kinds of soups chock full of hearty veggies, savory broth, and turkey sausage or shredded chicken almost weekly in the winter. But I got such an overwhelming request on social media to share the “how to” that I figured I would add it to the repertoire (PS see here for another version).
I love these kinds of soups because you can use whatever veggies you have on hand and you can give them a more acidic spin by adding canned tomatoes, or a whole new flavor but using different fresh herbs in each batch. For this one, I decided not to add tomatoes since I often do and instead focus on keeping the broth a yellowish hue, accentuating the stock and green veggies. You can also amp it up in the carb department by adding white beans, brown rice, or gluten-free pasta to make it that much heartier!
What I used:
- 4 turkey Italian sausages
- 3-5 carrots peeled & diced
- 1 large white or yellow onion diced
- 1 head of celery diced (include the leafy parts!)
- 1 head of collard greens cut longways down the center of the rib then cut into strips
- 3-4 cups of chicken stock (I use better than boullion) depending on how much soup you want
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tbsp crushed dried oregano
- 1 tbsp crushed dried basil
How To:
- In a large pot saute the carrots, onions, and celery in a few Tbsp of oil on high/medium heat until translucent (10 minutes or so constantly stirring). When they’re almost done add all of the seasonings in and toss around again.
- Then add in the chopped collards and give them a minute or two to wilt a tiny bit
- Next, add the chicken stock, bring to a low simmer cover and let cook for a about an hour.
- While the soup is simmering, roast the turkey sausages in the oven with a drizzle of oil at 425 for about 45 minutes. Then remove them, let them cook just a bit and slice into medallions. Add to the soup. Taste test and add more salt or pepper if needed.
Enjoy!