This delicious turkey sausage and kale soup recipe is classic comfort food! Made with Italian turkey sausage, aromatic vegetables, white beans, and fresh kale, this comforting soup recipe will warm you up like nothing else. Better yet, it’s even fast enough for busy weeknights! {Gluten-free & dairy-free}
Turkey Sausage and Kale Soup Recipe – So Hearty!
This hearty turkey sausage and kale soup is a satisfying and healthy way to fill up on lots of goodness, without compromising on flavour.
It’s loaded with protein, nutrient-dense vegetables, and fibre-rich white beans to nourish your body.
With all of those delicious flavours and textures, your whole family is sure to love this recipe. You’ll definitely want to keep this one on your regular fall and winter dinner menu for those chilly days!
For more hearty soups, check out this One Pot Ground Turkey Chili and Italian Sausage Soup too!
Why We Love This Tuscan Sausage and Kale Soup
- One-pot wonder: Cook the entire recipe in your favourite Dutch oven or stock pot for minimal clean-up.
- Full of hearty flavours: Think Italian sausage, aromatic vegetables, and robust tomatoes in a delicious chicken stock base. Perfect for the colder weather!
- Quick & easy: From start to finish, this recipe takes about 45 minutes. The leftovers taste heavenly the next day, too!
- Healthy option: Made with leaner protein, low-sodium broth, and lots of veggies, this sausage kale white bean soup is much more nutritious than the cans from the grocery store.
Ingredient Notes
- Olive oil: A little oil will help keep the sausage from sticking to the pan and draw out extra flavour.
- Italian turkey sausage: If you can’t find ground turkey sausage, remove the casing from Italian turkey sausage links.
- Vegetables: Dice celery, onion, and carrots and mince garlic. To save time, do this ahead of time or purchase them pre-cut.
- Italian seasoning: This herb blend will add tons of flavour to this Tuscan sausage and kale soup.
- Chicken broth: Use homemade chicken stock or reduced-sodium stock from the store.
- Diced tomatoes: Strain a large can of no-salt diced tomatoes for pops of tomato flavour.
- Tomato paste: This ingredient makes every recipe taste more rich, hearty and filling.
- Balsamic vinegar: Balsamic adds a sweet, umami flavour when it cooks down.
- Bay leaf: Bay adds a savoury note to any soup and stew.
- Maple syrup: Although it’s optional, maple syrup really brings this healthy sausage and kale soup together and helps cut some of the acidity of the tomatoes.
- Fresh kale: Wash your kale, remove any tough stems, and chop or tear it into small pieces.
- Cannellini beans: Drain and rinse a can of these Italian white beans, which add a creamy texture and extra fibre.
- Salt and pepper: Season as you go and add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
How to Make Sausage Soup – Step-by-Step Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook until sausage is lightly browned, breaking up any large clumps with a wooden spoon.
- Add onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. Cook and stir until vegetables begin to soften and onion is fragrant, about 5 minutes.
- Add Italian seasoning and mix well. Add broth, tomatoes, tomato paste, balsamic, bay leaf, and maple syrup (if using). Bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 25 minutes.
- Add cannellini beans and kale and simmer for an additional 2 minutes. Remove soup from heat, remove and discard bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Garnish with fresh chopped basil and parmesan cheese, if desired. Serve warm.
Keep scrolling to the recipe card below for the full printable recipe!
Recipe Tips:
- I like to rip the kale into small bite-sized pieces to make it more subtle and easier to chew. By tearing it into smaller pieces, it also gets more evenly distributed throughout the soup.
- You can use mild or spicy Italian turkey sausage for this soup. The spicy gives it a nice kick, while mild keeps it more kid-friendly.
- If you plan to make this soup ahead of time, I recommend heating up the soup and adding the chopped kale right before serving. It tends to have a better presentation and more vibrant green colour when served fresh.
Recipe FAQs
Cooked kale freezes and thaws very well in soup recipes, like this white bean sausage and kale soup. Be sure to cool the soup in the fridge before freezing. If using mason jars, leave at least an inch of head space for the soup to expand. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating like normal.
Yes! Although I prefer to gradually sautee all of the ingredients in this Tuscan sausage soup, it’d also be a great slow cooker recipe. I recommend browning the sausage and vegetables first to improve their texture and draw out their flavours. Add everything else into the crockpot and let it cook on high for 2-3 hours or low for 4-6 hours.
Certainly! Cannellini beans are a really nice Italian white bean that have a distinct flavour and tender texture. If you don’t have any on hand, you can try using Great Northern, navy, or butter beans.
Nope! This turkey sausage and kale soup recipe makes a broth-based soup, so it doesn’t need to be thickened at all. This makes it a really easy recipe you can make any night of the week.
Not really. You can use curly kale, lacinato, or your favorite variety. Baby kale is a great option, too. It is more tender than regular kale, so it will likely cook down a little bit faster. You can also substitute your favorite leafy green like frozen spinach or even chard, but we’d need to rename the recipe for that!
Storage Guidelines
Refrigerator: Let the soup cool slightly, then fill your favourite meal prep containers. Leave them uncovered in the fridge until they cool completely. To reheat, either microwave for 2-3 minutes or reheat in a pot on the stove top.
Freezer: Allow the soup to cool completely in the refrigerator before freezing and leave at least a 1-inch headspace for the soup to expand. Thaw in the fridge overnight and then reheat following the instructions above.
Serving Suggestions
Serve this hearty soup with crusty bread or this Healthy Cornbread Recipe, a sprinkle of parmesan cheese, and chopped fresh basil leaves.
It also pairs well with a nice green salad like my Tossed Green Salad or Kale Salad with Cranberries.
Recipe Variations
- Meat options: Substitute regular or spicy Italian sausage for a more traditional recipe. Chicken sausage is also a delicious option that’s leaner than regular pork sausage.
- More veggies: This turkey sausage and kale soup recipe would taste great with another starchy vegetable like sweet potatoes, Yukon gold potatoes, or even cauliflower. Cut your veggies into bite-sized pieces and saute them with the other vegetables.
- Go vegan: If you prefer to go meat-free, use a meat alternative or skip the meat entirely. Swap vegetable broth for the chicken stock and add extra vegetables or beans to make it more filling.
- Spicy: Add a pinch of red pepper flakes for a spicy kick.
More Hearty Soup Recipes
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Turkey Sausage and Kale Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound raw Italian turkey sausage casing removed
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 4 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
- 1 28 ounce can no salt-added diced tomatoes drained well
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup (optional)
- 2 cups packed chopped fresh kale ribs removed
- 1 19 ounce can low sodium cannellini beans drained and rinsed
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
To garnish
- Chopped fresh basil leaves
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook until sausage is lightly browned, breaking up any large clumps with a wooden spoon.
- Add onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. Cook and stir until vegetables begin to soften and onion is fragrant, about 5 minutes.
- Add Italian seasoning and mix well. Add broth, tomatoes, tomato paste, balsamic, bay leaf, and maple syrup (if using). Bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat to medium- low, cover and simmer for 25 minutes.
- Add cannellini beans and kale and simmer for an additional 2 minutes. Remove soup from heat, remove and discard bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Garnish with fresh chopped basil and parmesan cheese, if desired. Serve warm.
Notes
- I like to rip the kale into small bite-sized pieces to make it more subtle and easier to chew. By tearing it into smaller pieces, it also gets more evenly distributed throughout the soup.
- You can use mild or spicy Italian turkey sausage for this soup. The spicy gives it a nice kick, while mild keeps it more kid-friendly.
- If you plan to make this soup ahead of time, I recommend heating up the soup and adding the chopped kale right before serving. It tends to have a better presentation and more vibrant green colour when served fresh.
Nutrition
Adapted from the Yum & Yummer Cookbook
This recipe was originally posted in September 2018 and was updated in March 2023 to include more helpful tips and photos.
So glad you joined us!! This soup is amazing – hope to see you next week too!
Thanks Helen — I’ll be sure to hop on over next week!
I’m always looking for healthy entrees, and this one looks absolutely delicious! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much Emily! Hope you enjoy the recipe if you get a chance to try it out!
I love a good hearty soup on a cold evening. This looks perfect! I’d be so honored if you shared it at our What’s for Dinner link party – http://www.lazygastronome.com/whats-for-dinner-sunday-link-up-166/
Thanks Helen! And I agree — nothing like a warm, healthy and hearty soup! I appreciate the invite to your What’s for Dinner link party! I’ll head on over and share the link :)