Kale showed up for the first time this season and I decided it was nearly fall enough to break out a soup.  I looked online for kale soup recipes, then just decided to freewheel it.  The result was pretty tasty and successfully used one of the more difficult veggies from the box – turnips.

This was a nice and patient soup.  I made it one day when I had a little time in the kitchen and we ate it a couple days later when I didn’t have the time to make dinner.  It held up well and served as good leftovers the next day.  This is not a hard and fast recipe – use what you’ve got.  For this batch, my recipe is as follows:

1 lb cheddar sausage (or other flavorful sausage), cut into slices

1 large baking potato, diced into 1″ squares

1 large bunch of turnips, diced into 1″ squares

4 c low sodium chicken stock

4 c water

1 large bunch of kale, medium dice (if you’ve got turnip greens, add those as well.  They’ll cook the same)

Pinch of red pepper, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and celery salt

In a large dutch oven, saute the sausage until it is browned.  Add the potato, turnip, chicken stock, and water.  Bring to a simmer and let cook until the potato and turnip are tender, about 15 minutes.  Add the kale and spices and let simmer until the kale is softened, 2-3 minutes.  Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.