Name: Vegetarian Sausage and Kale Soup
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 3-4 links of your favorite vegan/vegetarian Italian sausages, sliced into rounds; 10oz cremini mushrooms, dirt removed and halved; 1 medium onion, diced small; 3 garlic cloves, minced; 7 cups veg stock; 4 lg potatoes, scrubbed clean and cut into 1 inch pieces; 1 cup heavy cream; 8 oz (half the bag) of already washed ready to use chopped kale; Kosher salt and black pepper to taste; Grated parmesan cheese; Crushed red pepper, optional; Your fave buttered and toasted crusty bread.

Add this Vegetarian Sausage and Kale Soup to whatever dinner rotation you have going on over there! This vegetarian soup is full of umami deliciousness from the vegan sausages, cremini mushrooms and kale. The heavy cream rounds it all out and just adds to the overall yumminess of the soup. It’s guaranteed to satisfy both vegetarian and meat eaters alike!

I started making this vegetarian version of zuppa toscana when my daughter was a vegetarian during high school and a little beyond. My other daughter was certainly not trying to be vegetarian anything and I didn’t have the time or energy, back then or now, on a weeknight to make two meals. This Vegetarian Sausage and Kale soup fit the bill for both my girls and still does.

This recipe is simple, it uses staple pantry ingredients. It’s also quick, thanks to the already washed , pre cut kale. There is absolutely no shame in supermarket shortcuts, they certainly can make life easier and no less delicious. Don’t forget the crusty bread…you’re gonna wanna dunk all those nooks and crannies into this soup for sure!

creamy golden liquid with brown chunks of sausages and mushrooms inside and white parmesan cheese grated on top with crushed red peppers floating on top in a white bowl and a silver spoon inside the bowl

Mise En Place for Vegetarian Sausage and Kale Soup:

Equipment:

Cutting board and chefs knife
vegetable peeler
measuring cup
2.5 qt soup or stock pot
wooden spoon
mixing/prep bowls

Ingredients:

Vegetarian or vegan sausage
Cremini mushrooms
White onion
Garlic cloves
Vegetable stock
Idaho potatoes
Heavy cream
Pre washed chopped Kale
Parmesan cheese, for serving
Crushed red pepper, for serving
Crusty Bread, for serving

Let’s make this Vegetarian Sausage and Kale Soup!

Prep:

Affix your cutting board to your counter with a damp piece of paper towel. Slice your vegetarian sausages into rounds, set it aside in one of the small prep bowls. Take some paper towels and dampen them. Use that to clean your mushrooms , no need to dunk them in water- actually never do that. Slice those in half and set aside in another prep bowl. Peel and cut your potatoes into 1inch pieces, set aside in an other bowl. Dice your onion, set aside and finally peel and mince your garlic.

This will be a good time to prep your bread too. Butter your bread of choice and set it aside.

Cook:

Place your pan over medium high heat. when the pot is hot, add the oil. Let it coat the bottom of the pot. Add your sausage and start to brown. When the sausage is nice and browned, remove them and set aside. use the same prep bowl as before.

To the same pot add the mushrooms and start to brown those. This will take a little while. Mushrooms sweat a lot, releasing lots of moisture. after about 8-10 minutes the mushrooms should be browned. Season them with salt and pepper. At this point add the onions and cook those until they are translucent and starting to get golden around the edges, now add the garlic. stir and cook until fragrant. Basically when it starts to smell fantastic, you’re ready for the final steps.

Pour in the veggie broth and the potatoes. Season the vegetarian sausage and kale soup with a dash of salt and pepper. Bring everything up to a boil and lower to a simmer. Simmer until the potatoes are fork tender, abut 15 minutes. Add in the cooked sausage, heavy cream and kale. Simmer until the kale is wilted, another minute or so. Adjust seasoning if needed with salt and pepper. Hold back a little on the salt if you are going to add parmesan cheese to your soup.

The perfect time to toast your bread is when the soup is simmering for the first time.

Eat:

Serve this hearty Vegetarian Sausage and Kale soup with grated parmesan cheese, as much as your heart desires. and a little bit of crushed red pepper if you want to feel alive 😉 Don’t forget the bread for dunking! Enjoy!

If you like this soup you’ll absolutely love my Easy Vegetarian Chili Recipe. Its soooo good!

FAQ’s

Can I use regular sausage in this recipe?

Absolutely! Any sausage works.

What type of Vegetable broth should I buy?

Stay away from the broths or stocks that are heavily tomato based.

Can I use a vegetable bouillon cube instead of stock?

You sure can! Dissolve 1 cube in 3 cups water.

Can I use water instead of vegetable broth?

Yes you can, but make sure you season the water. I would add some garlic and herbs to add some heft to the soup. Read this article by Bon Appetit for more suggestions.