The huz and I have a weird obsession with squirrels. Recently I showed you a picture of Bucky, a.k.a., Buckwheat, Jr., who had seemed to have taken off the tree branch perch in our backyard. But don’t worry, Buckwheat is still going strong! (Look at that TAIL!):
And guess what? There is not just one, but at least two Buckys. How cute are these little guys?
In case you missed the falling leaves, dropping temperatures, and darker evenings – guess what? Fall is here. Which means it is SOUP SEASON! My favorite! (Though I wouldn’t mind having some of that sunshine back.)
Soups featuring greens, potatoes, beans, and sausage are fairly popular right now, but I wanted to share this healthy variation I recently tried, which uses sweet potatoes in place of regular white potatoes. Hooray for beta-carotene!
Like many of the recipes I share, this one is also from Cooking Light. They are of my favorite resources for dependable, delicious, healthy recipes.
Sweet Italian Turkey Sausage adds a spicy anise zip to the soup. It is so flavorful that a lot is not required.
KALE is the other superfood ingredient in this soup!
White beans add texture, protein, and fiber. And yums.
This soup is a nutritional powerhouse and perfect for a healthy fall dinner. The pot was steaming something fierce when it came time to snap this picture, hence the blurrrrr.
Also, when I made the soup, I cut the recipe in half since there are just two of us. That was more than enough!
Sweet Potato, Sausage, and Kale Soup
Recipe from Cooking Light
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cups chopped onion (about 2 large)
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 pound sweet turkey Italian sausage
- 8 cups coarsely chopped peeled sweet potato (about 2 1/4 pounds)
- 5 cups water
- 4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
- 1 (16-ounce) package prewashed torn kale
- 1 (16-ounce) can cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed and drained
Preparation
Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 5 minutes. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper, and garlic; sauté 1 minute. Remove casings from sausage; add sausage to pan. Cook 5 minutes or until sausage is lightly browned, stirring to crumble. Add potato, 5 cups water, and broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 8 minutes. Gradually add kale; cook 10 minutes or until tender. Stir in remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and beans; cook 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
Yield: 10 servings (serving size: about 1 3/4 cups)
My Rating: 7/10
