This Spicy Kale Soup recipe is the ultimate comfort food. Easily made in the slow cooker. Perfect as a main dish or appetizer soup.
Fresh kale, potatoes, and dry-cured spicy sausage combine to create a hearty and delicious meal. It’s a great way to warm up on a chilly day. You will also want to give this kale pesto recipe a try.
This time of year I am all about the comfort food. Food in a bowl is what I want. Let me wrap my hands around a huge mug of goodness.
This kale and sausage soup from scratch is super easy to make. If you love Zuppa Toscana you will love this too. It is very similar to the Portuguese kale soup Caldo Verde.
RECIPE and INSTRUCTIONS for this slow cooker sausage soup with kale can be found at the bottom of this post.
I LOVE making soup. It cooks all day while I do other things. You can’t beat homemade soup. Using your crockpot is the easiest way possible.
My family devours my Creamy Fish Soup. So thick and hearty. Slow Cooker Pho beats any takeout hands down. These soups are so easy to make right at home.
Simple Kale Soup Ingredients
Believe me when I say there is nothing complicated about this recipe. Grab a few things at the grocery store and you are good to go.
- A bunch of fresh kale
- Chicken broth
- Dry-cured sausage
- Onion
- Mini potatoes
- No salt seasoning (affiliate link)
- Ground black pepper
Best Sausage For Soup
This recipe uses dry-cured sausage. Since we love our food on the spicy side, I chose a Chipotle flavour. A great alternative would also be dried (not fresh) Chorizo.
If dried meats are not your thing, you can substitute in any sausage you like. It works just as well, and you can decide if you want it spicy, mild or hot.
Some great choices would be:
- Hot, mild or sweet Italian
- Bratwurst
- Honey Garlic
- Andouille
- Chicken or Turkey Sausages (perfect if you don’t like spicy sausage)
- Kielbasa (a great smoked meat alternative)
While you are at it, you just might want to give a few of these recipes a try.
- Hot Italian Sausage and Apple Stuffed Squash is great, especially during the holidays. It can be a meal on its own or a stunning side dish.
- Chorizo Chili is always a warm welcome. Great for an easy and tasty meal any night of the week.
- Ukrainian Kobasa Kapusta is the ultimate comfort food. You can never go wrong with sauerkraut and kielbasa.
Preparing Spicy Kale Soup In The Slow Cooker
This crockpot soup is super easy to make. With a few minutes of prep work, this spicy sausage soup cooks while you go about your day.
Step ONE: Ingredients prep
- Wash, dry, stem, and chop the kale.
- Dice the onion
- Slice the sausage
- Cut the potatoes
- Get the stock
- Grab your spices
Step TWO: Pre-cook the meat and onions
- Brown the sausage over medium heat for about (6-7 minutes)
- Transfer to slow cooker
- Remove excess fat from the pan
- Brown the onions in the same pan until golden (8-10 minutes)
- Transfer to slow cooker
Step THREE: Slow cooking the soup
- Add all the remaining ingredients EXCEPT the kale to the pot
- Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours (check potatoes for doneness)
Step FOUR: Adding the kale
- Using a slotted spoon, remove as much of the cooked sausage as possible and transfer it to a bowl
- Add the chopped kale to the crockpot. Turn the heat to HIGH, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.
Step FIVE: Blending the soup
- Using an immersion blender, puree the soup to your desired consistency
- Stir in the reserved cooked meat
- The best kale soup is ready to eat
Over the years, I have had lots of different slow cookers. My favourite right now is this (affiliate) Hamilton Beach.
If you don’t have an (affiliate) immersion blender, you can always place the soup in batches and use a regular blender. Alternatively, you can leave the entire soup chunky, it will still be delicious.
FAQ
Yes it sure is. It is low in calories, high in fiber and contains no fat.
It is often confused with being raw. It is dried (not cooked) and is fine to eat without cooking.
The casing is perfectly edible, but removing it gives you easier access to the filling.
Yes, this will freeze nicely. Place in a sealed container. Thaw in the fridge before reheating.
Now that you have your delicious, hearty, slow cooker sausage kale soup ready, I am sure you are wondering what to serve with it? Here are a few suggestions:
- Fresh Tomato Bruschetta
- Cheezy Cornbread
- Cheddar Onion Muffins
- Rosemary Cheddar Dinner Rolls
- Black Olive Tomato Bread
- Onion Bread
- Easy Irish Soda Bread
What is your favourite way to use kale in recipes?
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Spicy Kale Soup with Sausage
Ingredients
- 20 ounces mini potaotes (washed and quartered)
- 6 ounces white onion (diced)
- 10 ounces dry-cured sausage (I used Chipotle)
- 5 cups chicken stock
- 13 ounces kale (washed, dried and chopped)(reserve some for garnish)
- 1 teaspoons no salt seasoning
- ½ teaspoons ground black pepper
Instructions
- Wash, dry, remove stems and chop the kale. Set aside.
- Slice the cured sauasge in have lengthwise, then cut into pieces.
- Over medium heat in a skillet, brown the sausage. Transfer to slow cooker when done. (about 6-7 minutes)
- Remove excess fat from the same pan. Over medium heat cook the diced onion until soft and golden. (about 8-10 minutes)
- Add the onion, potatoes, stock and seasonings to the slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
- With a slotted spoon, remove as much of the sausage as possible. Transfer to bowl and set aside.
- Add the chopped kale to the slow cooker. Switch temperature to high. Cover and cook until tender. (about 10 minutes)
- Using an immersion blender, puree until almost smooth (or your desired consistency). Stir in the reserved cooked sausage.
- Garnish with additional chopped kale. ENJOY!
Laura Arteaga
Yummy!! Kale is soo good I can imagine how amazing this soup tastes! definitely trying it this week, thank you for sharing such a nice recipe.
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
We loved this spicy kale soup….and cannot wait to make another batch.
Andrea Howe
Oh yum! I can’t wait to give this a try as I love soup, especially ones that are healthy and spicy! Thanks for the recipe!
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
You are welcome…enjoy!!
Mama Maggie's Kitchen
My mouth is watering. I have to make this Slow Cooker Spicy Kale Soup tonight!
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
Enjoy….perfect for this kind of chilly weather.
Anna
Buying slow cooker was one of the best investments I’ve ever made! This soup was full of flavour, and so comforting! Even my partner, who is not a fan of kale, really enjoyed it and said he will happily have it again! Great recipe!
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
I love my slow cooker. Makes life much easier in the kitchen. Enjoy the soup.
Kushigalu
What an amazing combination of ingredients in this soup recipe. Specially kale and sausage. Perfect for the weather here. Thanks for sharing
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
The spicy sausage really adds a nice kick of heat to this recipe.
Amy Liu Dong
I have never tried making a soup using kale and this one looks really easy and delicious!
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
Hope you give this delicious kale soup recipe a try.
Shelley
This looks so hearty and like such a great comfort food dish! I always feel like I run out of ideas for kale once summer ends, but it stays healthy and delicious all year! I think the little bit of spice adds the perfect touch to warm up from the cold, too.
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
I love using kale all year long. Enjoy!
Neha
Oh huge mugs are my favorite too! I have a ton of kale in my fridge and now I know what I am preparing with it. Thanks for posting this amazing soup right on time. 😉
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
Love my soup mugs….the perfect vessel for this slow cooker kale soup.
Ramona
I knew my leftover kale would be good use! this recipe is super creative and I am so looking forward to trying it out. I love trying new recipes! thank you for sharing this recipe.
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
Enjoy, hope you love this soup as much as we do.
Patti@PattyCakesPantry
Gloria, I had to laugh when you said you “love to wrap your hand around a huge mug full of goodness.” This time of year, my most used kitchen item is a large, bowl sized, mug that I eat soups from. I love this recipe and really appreciate your clear instructions as well as the different options you provide for substitutions. I can’t wait to make this. Thanks for sharing.
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
I know right….LOVE those huge mugs for sure. We use them a lot this time of year.
Dionne
I have plenty of kale andI wondered what would be the best way to use it. Well, this soup is just perfect! The instructions sound really easy to follow, too. Thank you!
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
Thanks so much. This spicy kale soup is super easy to make ENJOY!
Angela
Fabulous recipe to have on hand this fall! Love that this can all be made in the slow cooker! So flavorful and delicious, YUM!
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
This really is a hearty and delicious soup. Hope you give it a try.
Irina
OMG! This recipe is so creative! I would never think to make a soup using kale. I am impressed. More, it is cooked in a slow cooker. I cannot wait to make it!
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
ENJOY….this is a keeper for sure.
Shadi Hasanzadenemati
I have everything I need for this dish, can’t wait to make it this weekend!
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
Perfect….I know you will love this easy kale soup recipe.
Chenée Lewis
This soup will be perfect as the weather gets cooler! And so easy in the crock pot!
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
Yup…this spicy soup with kale and sausage is just what you need to warm up from the cold.