I came across this recipe and decided to make it my own. The original recipe called for chorizo, russet potatoes, tomatoes, kale, and broth. My version has turkey sausage, kale stems and leaves, small red potatoes, cannellini beans, carrots, tomatoes, celery, onions, red bell pepper, and broth. Here it is bubbling on the stove.

Kale soup on the stove

Soup can be anything you want to make it. Chorizo is too fatty for me so I subbed in turkey sausage. I wanted potatoes that held their shape so I used waxy small potatoes. I wanted it to be heartier so I added cannellini beans. I thought more vegetables would make the soup taste better so in went carrots, celery, bell pepper, and the cut up stems from the kale. I used chicken stock and reinforced the chicken-y flavor with powdered bullion (we call that chicken salt.) Since we were missing the smoky flavor of the chorizo, John suggested smoked paprika and red pepper flakes for a bit of zip. Some of the ideas I got from reading other peoples’ comments about the dish and others we just came up with on our own. A recipe is just a starting point. Put your personal flair on it! And don’t forget to make notes of everything you did!!

Finished bowl of soup