Healthy Soup Recipes

Kale is definitely an under-used vegetable nowadays. We love the earthy flavor and healthy soup recipes has lots of great flavor. The Portuguese sausage, linguica, is not always that easy to find locally, we substitute the Spanish sausage, chorizo and are not disappointed. Serve with a crusty baguette.

Ingredients

1/2 lb linguica or chorizo
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 cup of chopped onions
2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 lb baking potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 qts chicken broth or a combination of chicken and beef broth
1/2 cup diced carrots
2 20 oz cans of diced tomatoes with the juice
1 16 oz can of red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 15 oz can of small red beans, rinsed and drained
1 16 oz can of cannelloni beans, rinsed and drained
1 lb kale leaves, trimmed into roughly 3 inch pieces

Healthy Cooking Instructions

Prick the skin on the sausage links.
Blanche the sausage in boiling water for 5-10 minutes to release the fat.
Drain the links on paper towels.
When cooled, peel and slice in 1/4″ slices. Set aside.

Melt the butter and oil together in a large soup pot.
Saute the garlic and onion in the butter/oil combo until soft.
Add the broth and also the potatoes.
Bring to boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes, covered.
Mash about half of the potatoes in the pot, to break down the cubes and thicken the soup.
Add the tomatoes, carrots and all of the beans.
Simmer another 15 minutes to heat all ingredients thoroughly.
Add the sausage slices and kale.
Simmer another 15 minutes to complete the soup.

Healthy Soup Recipes

Healthy soup recipes will take care of many hungry appetites. Be sure to pull out your largest stock pot for this one. Lentils are a good source of fiber along with the other legumes. We serve this soup with cornbread or some old fashioned spoonbread.

Ingredients

2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 large carrot, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 stalks of celery, diced
4 cups of chicken broth
8 cups of water
2 cubes of chicken bouillon
1 lb package of lentils, rinsed and cleaned, (check for any small stones, etc )
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
8 cups of fresh kale, about 6 ounces, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

Healthy Cooking Instructions

Heat oil in a 6 quart pot over medium high heat.
Add the onion, stirring frequently to prevent browning.
Cook 3-5 minutes until softened.
Then add the garlic and saute a few more minutes.
Lower the heat to medium.
Add the carrots and celery. Stir once more.
Cover and cook an additional 5 minutes. Peek in a give another stir once or twice.
Add the broth, water, bouillon cubes, lentils, basil and thyme.
Bring to a boil.
Cook uncovered on a low simmer for 30 minutes or until the lentils are tender.
Add the kale and cook an additional 30 minutes. Adding more water if necessary.
Stir in the lemon juice and lemon peel.
Ready to serve!