Healthy Cauliflower Sausage and Kale Soup
on Mar 08, 2018, Updated Aug 22, 2024
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Healthy Cauliflower Sausage and Kale Soup is the low-carb version of Zuppa Toscana that uses cauliflower in place of the potatoes! This hearty vegetable soup recipe is the delicious but low-calorie meal you’ve been searching for!
Healthy and Hearty Cauliflower Sausage and Kale Soup Recipe
I love rich creamy soup that has sausage in it, so while I was making a recipe for Zuppa Toscana from my friend Rivka, I wondered if I could get away with adding cauliflower in place of the potatoes. I love me some potatoes, but I was looking for a low carb option for some friends that were coming by. I always find it useful to collect great recipes that also can be filed under labels like low-carb, gluten free, vegan etc. That way, if someone is coming over for dinner or to visit that has specific dietary needs, then I don’t have to panic. Having some tried-and-true recipes that you make for the family but also work for dietary restrictions is awesome.
This soup is great for everyday eating with the family, and it also hits low carb and Keto diet requirements. I also like to keep some good low-carb options around for folks (like my older sister and grandma), who are diabetic.
Food restrictions or not, this soup is delicious. It’s comforting, creamy, and packed with vegetables, which is always a plus. You make it all in one pot and the leftovers might be even better the next day. Sausage and cream make all vegetables taste better, if you ask me. If low-carb isn’t a concern, this sausage and kale soup recipe is great with this no-knead bread recipe or with some cornbread. It’s a favorite in this house, and I make it often.
Tips and Tricks for Making Healthy Cauliflower Sausage and Kale Soup
- You can use all kind of sausage for this recipe. You can use Italian, Hot Italian, Spicy breakfast sausage, and even turkey or chicken sausage. Use what you like!
- Don’t be afraid to cut the cauliflower a little bit on the small side of bite-sized. You want it to fit nicely on a spoon.
- You can use 2 cans of canned milk (evaporated) or 2 cups of half-and-half, if you’d like a lighter soup.
- Do you own a big colorful dutch oven yet? I LOVE mine and make all the things in it. I think you should get one.
- Be sure to trim the stems from the kale and chop it into bite sized pieces. The thick stems can get woody and aren’t that great to eat. My chickens like them though, or you can save them and toss them in a good blender in the morning with your smoothies.
Healthy Cauliflower Sausage and Kale Soup
Ingredients
- 12 ounces country-style pork sausage
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 5-6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
- 3-4 cups bite-sized cauliflower pieces
- 2 cups cream
- 3-4 large kale leaves, stems removed and chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large dutch oven, over medium high heat cook and crumple the sausage until it is cooked through and no longer pink, about 8 minutes.
- Remove the sausage from the pan with a slotted spoon and place on a plate, leaving behind the sausage grease. You need about 1 tablespoon of grease in the dutch oven. If you have too much, dump some out. If you don’t have enough, add a little olive oil.
- Return the dutch oven to the heat and add the onion. Cook until the onion is tender, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until the garlic is fragrant, stirring often, about 30 seconds.
- Add the broth and the cauliflower. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat so that it is simmering. Add a lid and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cauliflower is very tender, about 20 minutes.
- Remove the lid and stir in the cream, kale, and the cooked sausage. Cook for 5-10 more minutes.
- Add salt and pepper to taste and serve hot.
Notes
- You can omit the red pepper flakes, though I find a little spice is delicious in this recipe.
- You can use 2 cans of canned milk or 2 cups of half-and-half if you’d like a lighter soup.
- The amount of salt needed will be determined by how salty your broth and sausage are. Don’t under salt though – it really helps the dish.
Nutrition
Delicious low-carb sausage and kale soup recipe that is great any day of the week. Long live all the cauliflower recipes – that stuff is magic, isn’t it?!
Made it today on a cold snowy day! Delicious! My husband does not normally eat kale but he liked the soup. I used Boar’s Head chicken sausage. I used about 1 cup half and half in place of the cream and it was delicious! I would add more kale because I like kale. Thank you for the recipe!
We really enjoyed this soup. I recommend using 4 cups cauliflowers. I also used 30% less sodium kielbasa sausage.
I have made this soup several times now and my family loves it!