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one plain bowl of creamy sausage and kale soup with browned chicken sausage coins, chopped dark green kale, small pearl-barley grains and tiny carrot dice in pale broth, with no crumbled pork, tortellini, beans, tomatoes or garnish
Rachel Kim

Creamy Chicken Sausage and Kale Soup

Brown chicken sausage coins before simmering the barley so their cut faces keep some color in the cream broth. Use fully cooked links and slice them thickly enough that they remain separate pieces when the pot is stirred. Pearl barley needs time to become tender, so the kale and cream wait until later. Chop the leaves into short pieces after removing the tough ribs; long strands are awkward to eat in a spoonful of grains and sausage. This is a good soup to serve promptly, because barley continues drinking the broth as it stands and can turn a loose bowl into something closer to a stew.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings: 6
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 12 oz fully cooked mild Italian chicken sausage links cut into 1/2-inch coins
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion diced
  • 1 carrot cut into 1/4-inch dice
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1/2 cup uncooked pearl barley rinsed
  • 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1/4 tsp dried thyme
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 4 cups chopped kale leaves tough ribs removed, about 4 oz
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream

Method
 

  1. Heat oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Brown sausage coins for 5 to 6 minutes, turning once, and transfer to a plate.
  2. Cook onion and carrot in the pot for 6 minutes, then garlic for 30 seconds. Add barley, broth, thyme and pepper and bring to a simmer.
  3. Cover partly and simmer gently for 30 to 40 minutes until barley is nearly tender, stirring occasionally along the bottom.
  4. Return sausage and add kale. Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes until kale and barley are tender and sausage is heated through to 165°F.
  5. Stir in cream and warm gently for 2 minutes without boiling hard. Divide among 6 bowls and serve promptly while the broth is still loose.