When I serve a new, unfamiliar recipe to my family, I can usually expect the following reactions:
- Husband: Thanks me for cooking; eats at least two servings (unless he hates it–then he just quietly finishes his first serving and puts his plate in the sink)
- Older daughter (age 12): Criticizes something about the dish, but eats a serving or two
- Older son (age 10): Likes it and eats two or three servings
- Younger daughter (age 7): Takes a few tentative bites, then asks me to never make it again
- Younger son (age 5): Announces that he hates it before he even tries it, then grudgingly agrees to taste the most familiar ingredient
Do these responses sound familiar to you too? If so, you can probably imagine my surprise when I served up a new dish containing five different vegetables (including KALE!!!), and everyone liked it! No complaints. No skeptical questions about ingredients. Just contented noshing and requests for seconds.
What is this magical dish? I’d call it a healthy mashup of Loaded Baked Potato Soup and Zuppa Toscana from Olive Garden. I love both of those soups, but I never make them at home because I feel my arteries clogging just reading their recipes. A WHOLE cup of heavy whipping cream? HOW many slices of bacon? NO THANKS!
Nothing Scary Here!
Most potato soup recipes seem to call for a ton of cream, plus sour cream, bacon, and a bunch of cheese, for good measure. I’ve found that you can achieve a creamy texture and rich flavor with just a bit of half and half, and some freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
I’ve tried using milk instead of half and half, but the soup’s texture seemed kind of thin and sad without that creamy little boost. As with Chicken Broccoli Parmesan, when you want a creamy dish, sometimes you really do have to add a little bit of cream.
Even if you’re counting calories, please don’t be scared of the half and half. A 1/2 cup of it mixed into 8 servings of soup means each serving has just 1 tablespoon of half and half, which has less fat than 1/3 cup of 2% milk. That’s less than most people add to their cereal bowl every morning.
I also really encourage you to use some freshly-grated Parmesan cheese in this recipe. A few weeks ago I accidentally left the Parmesan cheese out, and then wondered why this awesome soup suddenly wasn’t awesome that night. Oh yeah! I forgot the Parmesan! It really adds wonderful, savory depth to the soup’s flavor.
Trim off the tough stalk before chopping kale.
Winning Over the Skeptics
Is there someone in your family who isn’t keen on kale? Try adding just one leaf the first time you serve this, and cut the kale into very small pieces before adding it to the pot (make sure to cut off the tough stem before you chop it–see photo above). The rest of the soup is so good, they may not even notice the little bits of green among the potatoes. Health by stealth strikes again!
If all else fails, you could serve this with a little bowl of cooked, crumbled bacon for people to garnish their soup. If your picky eater is a bacon lover, that might be enough to win them over.
Personally, I think this soup is already so good that bacon doesn’t add much, taste-wise (though it certainly doesn’t hurt). As with most kinds of sprinkles, the benefit is mostly psychological. We don’t add sprinkles for their flavor. We do it because it’s fun. 🙂
When it’s cold outside, soup is never the wrong answer.
- 1 pound uncooked Italian sausage
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 3 stalks celery, diced
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 cups water
- 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon
- 6 yellow potatoes, diced (about 3 pounds)
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup half and half (not milk)
- 2 cups chopped kale
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
- 2 tablespoons cooked crumbled bacon (very optional)
- Turn your Instant Pot onto saute mode, and add the sausage. Chop the onion, and stir it in with the sausage. Continue cooking until the sausage is no longer pink, and is starting to turn brown in spots. Drain.
- Add the garlic, celery, and carrots, and continue to saute for 2-3 minutes.
- Pour in the water, then add the chicken bouillon, potatoes, herbs, and salt. Give the soup a stir, then lock the lid in place. Make sure the release valve is closed, and cook on high pressure for 7 minutes. When the timer goes off, turn the valve to quick release the pressure.
- Add half & half, then to do a few quick pulses with an immersion blender to add some extra creaminess to the soup (you could also blend part of the soup in a regular blender, then add it back to the pot). Stir in the chopped kale and ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
- Serve soup in bowls, garnished with additional Parmesan cheese and optional bacon crumbles.
If preparing this soup on the stove, simmer it for 20 minutes after adding the potatoes. Remove from heat before adding half and half.
You can make this in a slow cooker too. Saute the sausage, onion, carrots, celery, and garlic in a skillet, then place in a slow cooker. Add the potatoes, herbs, salt, and broth, then cook on high for 6 hours. Add the half and half, then do a couple of quick pulses with an immersion blender (or blend part of the soup in a blender, then add it back to the pot). Stir in the kale and Parmesan. Serve the soup topped with additional Parmesan cheese and optional bacon crumbles.
