More RS Soup Recipes

Here are two more soup recipes from our recent Relief Society meetings.  


Chicken Vegetable Soup (recipe from Karen Hallifax)
3 lbs. chicken breasts cooked in 2 large boxes of chicken broth.  Remove the chicken from the broth and cool.  Cube or shred the chicken and reserve.


To the broth add:
1 finely diced onion
1 cup finely diced celery


Cook vegetables in the broth until tender.


Add 1 cup water and 1 bag frozen mixed vegetables.  May also add 1 handful of lentils or barley.  Cook until tender.  Add reserved chicken and cook until heated through.


Italian Sausage and Kale Soup (recipe from Lori D'Alba)
3 quarts chicken stock
2 lbs sausage (I use half hot Italian and half sweet Italian)
2 large onions, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 bunches of kale, tough stems removed, leaves cut into strips

Prepare sausage - options:
1. Remove the casings and brown the sausage.  Drain on paper towels.
2. Brown the whole sausage links in a little oil until lightly browned.  Add 1/2 cup water to pan and cover with lid - let sausages steam until mostly cooked, about 5 minutes.  Add a little more water if needed.  Remove lid and let remaining water evaporate.  Slice sausages on the diagonal.  I cook the sausage in my dutch oven and then just add the other ingredients (cuts down on dishes to wash).
3. If you are using all sweet sausage or breakfast sausage, you will need to add a pinch of red pepper flakes to the soup or it's too bland.

Make the soup:
Saute onions unti translucent.  Add garlic and saute until fragrant (about 2 minutes).  Add chicken stock and bring to a simmer.  Add sausage and kale.  Simmer 15-20 minutes.  Adjust seasonings if needed.  Tastes even better the next day.

Options:
My original recipe called for 2 cups of cream or half and half to be added right before serving.   It tastes good with the cream, but I like it better without.
I sometimes add cooked elbow macaroni or other pasta to make the soup go a little further.
If you don't have kale, you can use 2 boxes of frozen chopped spinach instead, or 2 bags of fresh spinach. (I like the kale best.)