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Too cold outside? Grab your Crock Pot and whip up this cozy and warming creamy sausage and kale soup. With punchy garlic, sweet sun-dried tomatoes, and hearty Italian turkey sausage, this soup is the perfect antidote to the cold winter weather.
This Tuscan-style sausage soup couldn’t be any easier to prepare and it turns out so delicious and cozy!
It only requires a handful of basic ingredients. Turkey sausage, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, chicken bone broth, coconut milk, kale, oregano and parsley. BOOM dynamite!
Coconut milk is what makes this soup nice and creamy. If you don’t like the flavor of coconut milk, no sweat – you truly cannot taste it. If you do dairy, you can always replace the coconut milk with half & half or heavy cream.
It’s wholesome, nutritious, and instantly comforting. Leave the cold weather outside, light a fire, and tuck into a bowl of pure joy!
I serve my sausage and kale soup with my paleo cornbread, gluten-free jalapeno cheddar cornbread muffins, or keto everything bagels, depending on my mood.
Ingredients for Slow Cooker Sausage Kale Soup
Here are all the ingredients for our Crock Pot soup. It’s all good, wholesome, nutritious food!
Avocado Oil: To cook the sausage. Avocado oil delivers a gentle, nutty edge when used in cooking, which works fabulously in this cozy soup.
Turkey Italian Sausage: Turkey is leaner than pork or beef, helping our recipe to balance healthy eating with flavor. Seasoned with traditional Italian spices, this sausage packs a delicious, savory punch. Use sweet Italian sausage or spicy sausage, according to your taste.
You can also use pork sausage or chicken sausage.
Lacinato Kale: Otherwise known as dinosaur kale or Tuscan kale, this type of kale is especially popular in Mediterranean cooking. It’s rich in vitamins and fiber, and is a great source of calcium, potassium, iron, and antioxidants. Swap it out for curly kale or baby spinach.
Garlic: Slow-cooking tempers the sharp punchiness of garlic, leaving a mild umami taste that permeates our soup.
Sun-Dried Tomatoes: These little bursts of color and flavor add a fantastic element of sweet contrast to this sausage and kale soup.
Chicken Broth: The base of our soup. Chicken broth complements the turkey sausage to create a savory flavor that’s less meaty than that of beef or pork.
Full-Fat Coconut Milk: Turns the soup deliciously creamy! Full-fat coconut milk is the heart and soul of this recipe.
Dried Oregano: With its bold, fresh, zingy flavor, dried Italian oregano is the perfect seasoning for this Tuscan-inspired dish.
Dried Parsley: It’s far subtler than oregano, but the mild, grassy taste of dried parsley helps brighten and balance the rich, heavy ingredients like sausage and kale.
Sea Salt: To taste!
Recipe Customizations
- Add any of your favorite vegetables. Cauliflower, broccoli, spinach, tomatoes, cabbage, and potatoes all work brilliantly in this sausage kale soup.
- If you follow a low-FODMAP diet, simply omit the garlic.
- Beef bone broth can be used instead of chicken stock for a different flavor profile.
- If you’re not dairy-free, consider using half-and-half or heavy cream instead of coconut milk.
- Add in one can of cannellini beans or white potatoes to give the soup a more substantial feel.
- Pour in 1/4 cup of white wine if you love the flavor of wine in food.
How to Make Crock Pot Sausage Kale Soup
Add avocado oil to a cast-iron or non-stick skillet, then add the chopped onion to sauté for 5 minutes. Brown off the sausage for 2 minutes over medium heat.
Flip it and brown for another 2 minutes, until both sides have a golden-brown sear.
Break up the meat using a spatula, and continue cooking for an additional 30 seconds. There’s no need to cook it all the way through, as this is taken care of in the Crock Pot!
Plug in your Crock Pot and add the browned sausage, along with the rest of the ingredients.
Secure the lid and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 6 to 8 hours. Taste the soup for flavor and add salt and black pepper to your personal taste.
Serve in bowls with your favorite crusty bread on the side, and enjoy!
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can also freeze leftovers for up to 3 months.
Recipe Tips
- Drizzle a little olive oil over your soup before serving to ramp up the comfort factor!
- Your sausage will finish cooking in the Crock Pot. The skillet stage is all about achieving a nice browning sear on the meat, activating the Maillard reaction to create a wonderful, deep flavor. Don’t worry about cooking it all the way through!
- Prepare the recipe in a large pot such as a Dutch oven if you prefer a quicker cook.
Warming, filling, and full of comfort, this crock pot sausage kale soup is a seriously cozy treat. It is perfect for weeknight meals, so set it up in the morning for an easy dinner at night!
In love with this Crock Pot sausage kale soup? Here are five more soups and stews for you to try!
More Cozy Soups:
- Albondigas Soup
- Transylvanian Stock Pot (Cabbage and Sausage Soup)
- Instant Pot Sausage and Cabbage Stew
- Rustic Minestrone Soup with Rice and Kale
- Instant Pot Steak and Potato Soup
Slow Cooker Kale and Sausage Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil
- 1 lb turkey Italian sausage
- 1 head lacinato kale
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, drained
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 (15-oz) can full-fat coconut milk
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Add avocado oil to a cast iron skillet and heat to medium heat. Sauté the onion for 5 minutes, until it begins turning translucent.
- Transfer the sausage to the hot skillet and brown for 2 minutes. Flip and brown another 2 minutes, until sausage has a nice golden-brown sear on it. Break up the meat using a spatula and cook another 30 seconds or so. There’s no need to cook the sausage all the way through.
- Plug in your slow cooker and add the sauteed onion and browned sausage, along with the rest of the ingredients for the soup. Stir well. Secure the lid on the crock pot and set on high for 4 hours (or low for 6 to 8).
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate and comment below!
Hi Joe! I’ve cooked and baked with canned coconut milk for years and haven’t experienced it curdling. Do you remember the brand of canned coconut milk you used?
Hi! Are the sun dried tomatoes necessary? Could you omit or use a can of diced tomatoes instead?
Hi Jessica!
I like the flavor of sun-dried tomatoes in the soup because it has a more intense flavor than diced tomatoes, but you can definitely make the replacement!
Does this freeze well?
What’s the nutritional info on this recipe?
Hi Leslie! I added the nutrition information to the recipe card. Let me know if you have any other questions! xo
Hello Julia,
Thanks for your best article about crock pot creamy kale sausage soup soup keto paleo whole30.
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