It’s soup season. Don’t get me wrong, I love soup year-round, but B is much more likely to eat soup when it’s cold out. So we’ve been eating a lot of soup lately. When I was home, I had my mom’s minestrone soup (she makes it with butternut squash! so good) and her chicken noodle soup. When B and I get takeout, we’ve been pretty consistent about getting our favorite place – Souper Market. Give me soup, a hunk of bread and maybe some cheese and I’m good to go.

So needless to say, I was inspired to make some soup the other day. Of course it ended up being a 50 degree fall day (not 20s or 30s) but soup was still the perfect dinner. Paired with a hunk of Italian bread and brie, and this soup made a perfect dinner for B and I.

Tuscan Gnocchi, Kale and Spicy Sausage Soup

(a somewhat lightened version of a recipe from Gimme Some Oven)

Here’s what you need:

• 1 pound ground hot Italian chicken sausage
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2 large carrots, diced
• 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 12-ounce jar of roasted red peppers, drained and diced
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 1-2 tsp. crushed red pepper (use more if you like heat!)
• 1 pound potato gnocchi
• 1 bunch kale, with stems removed and chopped
• Freshly shaved Parmesan cheese

Here’s what you do:

1. Add Italian sausage, carrot and diced onion to a large Dutch oven or pot. Break up sausage with a spoon and cook on medium-high heat until sausage is browned. Drain out some of the excess grease if possible. (I didn’t have as much grease because I used chicken as opposed to traditional sausage)
2. Add in the chicken broth, diced tomatoes, diced roasted red peppers, Italian seasoning and crushed red pepper. Keep on medium-high heat and bring the mixture to a simmer.
3. When the soup starts to simmer, reduce heat to medium-low and stir in the gnocchi and kale.  Continue cooking for about 5 minutes, or until the gnocchi are cooked through and tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper and add more crushed red pepper if needed. Top with Parmesan cheese and serve warm.

For another kale and sausage recipe (apparently I like the combo) that can be made in your crockpot, check out Healthy Crockpot Recipe: Tuscan Chicken Sausage, Kale and Vegetable Soup.