Serendipitous Supper

It is finally soup season!

Tonight's dinner was meant to be. I had some leftover kale in the fridge that needed to be used up. I'd been wanting to make a copy of the Italian chain restaurant's Zuppa Tuscana - a college-days favorite - with the kale, but I didn't have all the ingredients. I'd planned on making fish tonight but I did have to go to the grocery store anyway... and to cap it all off:  I decided to take an actual lunch break and spent some time catching up on some of my favorite food blogs. One of those food blogs is Ree Drummond's The Pioneer Women Cooks. And what was the featured recipe on her blog today? Thank you for asking... it was:

Sausage, Potato and Kale Soup! (i.e., Zuppa Tuscana)

It was meant to be! I added the few ingredients I was missing to my shopping list and counted down the minutes until I was done with work. 

Here's my version of the recipe:

• 4 medium size red potatoes
• 32 oz. chicken stock
• 8 oz. fat free cream cheese
• 1 lb. sausage (we like hot Italian)
• 1 bunch of kale
• 1 clove garlic - minced
• half of an onion - any type
• salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to taste

To start: slice, boil and drain the potatoes. 

While the potatoes are cooking: rinse, remove stems and chop the kale (for the record, you can use the stems, you just have cut them out and instead of throwing them away - dice them and let them cook a good 5-10 minutes before the rest of the kale. I usually do this, but tonight I decided that eating kale leaves was good enough).

Also while the potatoes cook: chop up the onion. You can use any type of onion. I usually use red because it adds some nice color and is full of antioxidants. 

Next brown the sausage and cook the onion.

Drain the sausage/onion mixture and fill the pot with the chicken stock. Scrape up the brown bits from the sausage. Add the cream cheese. This is my favorite low-fat trick. Now, I'm not super crazy about using fake food to save on calories (especially when it comes to dessert). However, this an instance when I think that it is ingenious. Instead of 4 cups of half and half and 2 cups of whole milk.. one 8 oz package of fat free cream cheese makes a cream based soup just as creamy without all. those. fat. calories (and less lactose, of which I am intolerant). 

It looks funny and goes through stages of looking
like tofu, but with some heat and stirring, it works out.

Nice and creamy. Increase the thickness with a flour slurry.
I like a thick broth, but some people don't

Next, add the kale and let it cook down a little. 

Once the kale is BRIGHT green, add in the sausage/onion mixture, potatoes and minced garlic. 

Stir all the ingredients together.

Add the salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. This could also be done earlier in the process, but I forgot it before. 

Serve up with some bread, crackers or whatever you have on hand.

YUM! Brings back memories.