So yes I know it’s almost summer. Yes, I know this is soup. And yes I know I should be posting stuff about cookouts and bbqs but seriously this soup is so flippin’ amazing that you won’t care if it’s a bajillion degrees (okay maybe then you would care if you had something hot to eat) or negative-freeze-my-butt-off cold out. Think of this soup as a cross between my Tuscan Bean Soup and Pasta e Fagioli. Now this soup came out of a need. A need to clean out my fridge that is. LOL I mean we’ve all been there – we buy a big package of chicken only to use part of it up. We rush to get it cooked up while the remainder stays in the fridge to be eaten another day. 1 or 2 lone carrots lie at the bottom of my bin, sobbing because they feel unloved. And kale… trendy green goes unnoticed next to the arugula. Sorry kale but in my house arugula trumps you every single time. It’s not you; it’s me.
See I had all of these ingredients in the fridge. There wasn’t enough of any one item to make a full meal out of it itself so when it doubt, soup it out! Hey.. that’s a pretty cool line. Maybe I could copyright that. lol Yeah my luck someone already did and wants to be paid for using it.
So as I was rooting around the fridge, pulling out this and that soon I found myself with a bounty of onesie-twosie items on the counter. My go-to recipe if you will is soup when I want to just use up stuff. Well wait that’s not entirely true – it’s either soup or a one-pan casserole. But after giving a quick look over of what all I pulled out soup it is – plus I was in the mood for it. Soup, for me, is all about comfort. Sure it has to taste fantastic (which this does) but it has to give me a sense of ease. Most soups, other than say a bisque, should be rather simplistic to make. By having them easy it allows you to not stress as much and ultimate relax and actually take a breather.
It’s funny as Mr. Fantabulous is sooooooooooo not a soup for a meal type of guy. Like he has to be super “thick” (that’s sick is sick-ese stuffed up nose language) for him to want it. However, he will make an exception. Pasta e fagioli is one that he loves however it MUST be Mama Fantabulous’ recipe and ONLY Mama Fantabulous’ recipe. I tried once (ONCE) tweaking it by using a different noodle and to him that completely ruined the taste of it. Okay seriously, it was just a different damn shape – the same brand, same damn taste but noooooooooooooooooooooo the Princess (he’s gonna beat my butt for saying that… love you honey!)
He also loves French Onion soup however I still for the life of me cannot make a decent one. Now that could be due to the fact that I don’t really like it that much but that’s a poor excuse on my part. I am working on making a master recipe of my own. I just have to find the time sadly. The other two soups he loves are my Magic Soup (a chicken soup recipe that has been passed down through the generations that I’ve now made my own) and my Tuscan Bean Soup. 
I’ve made this soup several times since creating the recipe trying this and that but it never quite was the same as the original. There is just something magical about these flavors melded together in a single pot. I’d say the only thing you could tweak is spinach in place of the kale. The chicken and chicken sausage paired against the sweet carrots and the bite of the kale balance out beautifully. To balance out this hearty soup I made some crusty garlic bread toast sticks to dunk and sop up all that amazing broth/juices.
This soup is hearty enough that it can stand alone as a meal for sure. At most I’d serve maybe a light cheese and charcuterie platter to start off with some rustic crackers. For dessert I’m thinking…
Super Soft and Creamy Chocolate Lofthouse cookies would definitely round out this meal. They have just enough sweetness to satisfy your sweet tooth but light enough to not make you want to take a nap post-dinner.
Those looks pretty awesome huh? Yeah… I just got a HUGE craving for them right now. LOL But let me finish this post first… then I’ll go whip up a quick batch. But yeah this soup, definitely make it. What I love most about it is as the days go on and it rests in the fridge the flavors become more and more robust. The flavors meld together to create a symphony in your mouth with each and every single bite!
So get in your vehicle or on your bike and go grab these ingredients (um.. paying for them at first, k? Stealing is a no-no) and make this. Go on and create your own symphony of flavors! Go fall in love with this recipe and accept that soup is not just for winter!
Double Chicken with Power Greens Soup
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Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lb chicken sausage (fully or partially cooked), sliced into 1/2” rounds
- 1 lb (2-3) large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and roughly shredded
- 3/4 cup yellow onion, chopped small
- 3 carrots, diced
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 cup ground pecorino cheese
- 4 cups chicken stock, low sodium – divided
- 1/2 cup marinara (or tomato) sauce (or 2 plum tomatoes chopped)
- 4 cups loosely packed rinsed kale, roughly chopped
- 4 cups cooked ditalini pasta, 1 cup pasta water reserved
Instructions
- Heat a large heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat.
- Add in the oil.
- Once the oil shimmers add in the sausage.
- Cook 5-6 minutes on one side, flip and continue cooking an additional 5 minutes or until the sausage browns.
- Remove the sausage from the pot and set aside.
- To the pot with the oil add in the onion and carrots cooking for 7 minutes or until the onions are starting to turn translucent and soft.
- Add in the garlic and cook for 1 minute stirring.
- Add in 1/2 cup of the stock, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper stirring.
- Bring to a steady boil and cook for about 10 minutes or until the carrots are fork tender.
- Add in the chicken, sausage, 1 cup of the pasta water, the rest of the stock, oregano, paprika and marinara sauce giving it a gentle stir.
- Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer 15 minutes.
- In batches add in the kale and simmer 15-20 minutes more or until the kale has softened.
- Add in the cooked pasta and heat for 1-2 minutes or until the pasta is warmed through.
- Remove from the heat and add in the cheese.
- Taste for seasoning.
Additional Soup recipes that rock
Tuscan Bean White Bean & Sausage Soup
Harvest Spice Butternut Maple Soup
Creamy Ham, Potato and Corn Chowder
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