Lower Sodium Sausage, Potato, and Kale Soup

Another soup recipe, and what to do with those other sausage links leftover from this recipe. Hubby and I love Olive Garden for the soup, salad, and bread sticks. The only downside is the sodium. Nowadays I'm not even worried about overall calories because I always stay right around 2000-2200. I am however worried about sodium content, which has put a damper on eating out. I decided to spice up the leftover chicken apple sausage and try a lighter version of our favorite soup, Zuppa Toscana. This doesn't taste as good as the real deal because I'm using milk instead of cream, and I've omitted the bacon. Give this a try if you're also stuck on a low sodium diet like me!

Lower Sodium Sausage, Potato, and Kale Soup

      serves 4

• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• 7 ounces cooked Sausage, casings removed and finely chopped
• 1/4 cup diced White or Yellow Onion
• 2 cups low sodium Chicken Broth
• 2 cups Water
• 1/2 cup 1% Milk
• 1 lb organic Red Potatoes, sliced
• 1 clove minced Garlic
• 4 ounces shredded Kale
• 1/2 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
• ground black pepper to taste

In a large pot over medium heat add the olive oil, sausage, and onion. Let this cook until the sausage has browned along with the onions. I like to let it go for at least 7 minutes to really develop a nice brown crust on the bottom of the pot. After the meat and onions have browned add the minced garlic and red pepper flakes, let this saute for about a minute and be careful not to brown the garlic. Add 1 cup of chicken broth, and use a wooden spoon to scrape that extra flavor from the bottom of the pot. Add the remaining chicken broth and water.

You can bring this up to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes for a thinner soup. I left my heat at medium and let this go about 20 minutes to cook out some of the liquid. Once the potatoes are tender and you have the amount of liquid you'd like, stir in the milk, kale, and black pepper. Simmer until the kale has wilted. Serve with parmesan cheese and extra pepper if desired. Enjoy!

Per bowl: 237 calories, 10 grams of fat, 354 mg sodium, 632 mg potassium, 24 grams carbs, 13 grams of protein.