Creamy Kale Kielbasa Soup (Print Version)

# Ingredients:

→ Meats

01 - 400 grams kielbasa sausage
02 - 5 strips bacon

→ Vegetables

03 - 1/4 cup green onions, sliced
04 - 2 cups kale, roughly chopped
05 - 560 grams Yukon Gold potatoes or red potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 cm pieces
06 - 2 ribs celery, diced
07 - 1 yellow onion, diced

→ Liquids

08 - 120 milliliters heavy cream
09 - 1.3 liters low sodium chicken broth
10 - 120 milliliters dry white wine

→ Dairy

11 - 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
12 - 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

→ Seasonings

13 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
14 - 1/4 teaspoon paprika
15 - 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
16 - 1 teaspoon hot sauce
17 - 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
18 - 1 teaspoon dried parsley
19 - 1 bay leaf
20 - 1 teaspoon soy sauce
21 - 3 cloves garlic, minced

→ Other

22 - 1/4 cup flour

# Instructions:

01 - Top hot soup with crumbled-up bacon and a handful of green onions, then dig in right away.
02 - Toss in that chopped kale. Let it soften for a bit—just watch it wilt. When that's done, dial back the heat and slowly toss in the shredded cheddar. Turn off the heat when it's all melted.
03 - Bring those kielbasa slices back to the pot. Leave the lid off and let everything bubble until your potatoes are just soft enough to poke through, should be about 20 minutes.
04 - Toss the peeled potato chunks into your soup and crank up the heat so it boils, then lower to keep it gently bubbling.
05 - Start pouring in the chicken broth bit by bit, giving it a good stir each time. Add the heavy cream next and slide in that bay leaf.
06 - Dump the flour in and keep it moving around for a couple of minutes to make it thick and smooth.
07 - Now, stir in your garlic, soy sauce, mustard, hot sauce, parsley, thyme, a bit of paprika, and black pepper. Let it cook just a minute.
08 - Now, add your butter, celery, and onion to the pot. Let them get soft and smell yummy for about 5 or 6 minutes.
09 - Shut off the heat. Wipe out any burnt bits and drain extra grease, but don't touch the browned bits stuck to the pot. Pour in that white wine, set heat back to medium, and scrape the bottom. Let it bubble down by half—that'll take about 3–4 minutes.
10 - Crank the heat to medium. Brown the kielbasa, leaving it whole, for a few minutes per side. Rest it for about 10 minutes, then slice any way you want.
11 - Cut the bacon strips in half and let them cook over low heat in a large pot 'til they're crispy. Drain on paper towels and chop once cooled, but leave all that bacon fat in the pot.

# Notes:

01 - Skip pre-shredded cheese; freshly grated cheddar melts nicer and tastes much better.
02 - Chuck the cheese in when the soup's cooled off a little so you don't end up with weird stringy bits or clumps.
03 - You can swap in spinach if you're not into kale. Let it wilt in just a couple of minutes.
04 - Sticking with broth, soy sauce, and butter that are low on salt lets you control how salty things get.
05 - Ham, chicken, or broccoli all work as different proteins if you want to mix it up.
06 - Leftovers? Keep them covered in the fridge up to 3 days, or toss in the freezer for about 3 months.

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