It’s that time of year again. The night air has a hint of a chill, the schools are back in session, every road in the state is under construction, and everything is doused in pumpkin. Ah…fall. In honor of all things cozy, I figured I’d share a little fall soup recipe I just made up (based on Portuguese kale soup)…which came out great! And is SUPER healthy and nutritious!
I recently substituted kielbasa for linguica in kale soup, and used cannellini beans instead of potatoes (this was DELICIOUS, by the way)…but wanted to find a way to incorporate lentils (super healthy), leaner kielbasa, and sweet potatoes. I also threw in hot peppers, which boost metabolism and add a kick. Of course, feel free to tweak this to your needs/tastes. Not everyone likes spicy stuff!
Healthy Kale & Kielbasa Soup for Fall
What You’ll Need:
1 pkg. turkey Polska kielbasa
1 sweet yellow onion
2 red chili peppers
1 medium sweet potato
3/4 cups lentils (measured dry)
10 cups kale
32 oz. vegetable stock
4 cups of water
salt & pepper
And one pot (Coated if possible)
Prep:
Cut sweet potato, onion, and pepper into tiny cubes. If kale is not chopped, chop this as well. Slice kielbasa to your liking (I do semi-circles).
Cook:
1. Brown kielbasa lightly, over medium heat, in the bottom of the pot. If it’s not coated, you’ll need to use cooking spray to prevent sticking.
2. Add stock.
3. Add onions, peppers, sweet potato, and lentils. I added garlic salt & pepper but you can season this as you’d like. Bring to a rigorous boil.
4. Once boiling, lower heat to medium-high. Slowly add kale.
5. Lower heat to medium for 15-20 minutes. It’s necessary to cook on medium OR medium-high for some period of time so that the sweet potatoes soften. Stir frequently.
6. After 20 minutes, add 4 cups of water. Mix, lower heat to low/medium-low and simmer for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
7. Your soup is done. I like to turn the heat off and let the soup cool slightly.
So…what’s the nutritional breakdown?
Total calories for the pot: 1,200
Total yield: 10-11 cups
That breakdowns to 110-120 calories per cup! AWESOME!
Each cup has about 7 grams of protein, 3 grams of fiber, and 3 grams of fat (Less than 1 gram of saturated fat!) Plus, TONS of Vitamin A, C, calcium, and iron!
It’s delicious. (If I do say so myself.)
Even my husband said, “Hey, that’s not bad!”
So yeah, I’m basically Rachael Ray.
I really like this fall soup re-heated the next day with good, crusty bread. Enjoy while wearing an oversized sweater and watching Hocus Pocus if you want to be next level basic.
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