"Breezy Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Kale & Smoked Turkey Sausage"

Made this last night for dinner. Adapted Martha's recipe enough to where I feel this version is now my own. It was WONDERFUL. Using FRESH dill is key. You'll be amazed at how "creamy" this soup is, yet there's no dairy in it. This recipe provided two large soup plates/bowls for dinner (along with crusty bread), as well as 1 pint in the fridge to enjoy for lunch, & a quart in the freezer to enjoy another night.

Breezy Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Kale & Smoked Turkey Sausage
(Adapted from a recipe by Martha Stewart)


INGREDIENTS:
Approx. 2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled & chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled & chopped
1-1/2 quarts chicken broth
Sea salt to taste
1 medium or ½ a large head cauliflower, leafy stems included, cut into 1-inch dice
¼-1/2 cup chopped fresh dill, plus more for garnish
1 bunch of Kale, tough stems removed, roughly chopped
1 pkge. Turkey “Lil Smokies” sausages (or turkey kielbasa), sliced into bite-size pieces
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS:
Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat; cook onion until soft, but not browned. Add garlic and a pinch or one grind of salt, and cook for a couple of minutes more, but do NOT allow garlic to brown or – heaven forbid - burn. Add cauliflower pieces and chicken stock.
Bring to a boil over high heat. Add approx. 2 tablespoons of the fresh dill. Reduce heat to low, and simmer until cauliflower is just tender. Stir in kale, and simmer until wilted & tender.
Remove from heat & let sit for 5 minutes or so to cool slightly. Stir in remaining dill. Using a stick blender, roughly puree most of the cauliflower in the soup, leaving some of the cauliflower & greens chunky. Stir in some water if it seems too thick for your preference. Add in smoked sausage pieces, heat through, & season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, garnished with additional chopped fresh dill.
https://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/OcN79fBdENm2_OtqjR-U5o5fyso/xjaXHjU3Vi28jU81ZaIjHCx-yeE/0/pa
https://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/OcN79fBdENm2_OtqjR-U5o5fyso/xjaXHjU3Vi28jU81ZaIjHCx-yeE/1/pa

OMG, Breezy!!! This sounds fabulous!!

I am sending it right off to my friend who is eating a low carb, low dairy diet!

And I'm going to make it for me, too!

Thank you!!!!

Lee

Oh - & I'd imagine you could EASILY make this "vegetarian" by leaving out the sausage & using vegetable broth instead of chicken. I'm sure it would be just as good. A friend of mine made it via Martha's original recipe - which was sans sausage & called for plain water instead of broth - & said that it definitely needed more seasoning, so if you make it "vegetarian", definitely taste for seasoning as you go along, as it may need more salt, pepper, & dill.

It really turned out extremely well - definitely a keeper recipe here. And warm crusty bread & maybe a green salad on the side makes a full healthy meal.

Okay, I made this this morning.

I used an entire bunch of de-stemmed kale, which, when chopped, filled up a 2-gallon Ziplock bag. Was that too much, Breezy?

I couldn't find smoked turkey weiners, so I got a package of Nathan's beef cocktail weiners. Cut them in thirds and browned them up in a splash of olive oil. The soup could have used at least another half package of weiners.

I may have over-processed (it goes very quickly). The soup is thick, which I like, and green.

As others have said, it is very bland, as written. I added Adobo seasoning (tastes like garlic salt), hot pepper flakes, and Frank's hot sauce.

I think this is an excellent canvas for whatever seasonings people like! I LOVE the fact that it's thick and a wonderful way of eating kale, which is one of the most healthy things you can put in your mouth! Also, I adore dill, and may add even more when I serve this.

I'm getting ready to pack it up for lunches at work this week.

Thanks, Breezy! It's a good one!

Lee

I think you do have to fiddle with it to taste - especially with the seasoning.

I had half a HUGE jumbo-size head of cauliflower & one bunch of stem-on kale (removed the stems myself), & my soup wasn't remotely as green as yours. Was more cauliflower-white with flecks of green. Martha's original recipe calls for 5 stems of kale & 5 stems of collards, but unlike when the farmers markets are open, all the supermarkets around here sell their greens in rubber-banded bunches or in large plastic bags - stemmed & chopped or torn. So I just bought a bunch of kale since I prefer it to collards. I also believe that Martha's original recipe must be SUPER bland, because it calls for water rather than stock or broth. I increased the amount of dill she called for, because I really think it needed it.

Next time I'll probably make it spicier as well, but this time it worked out well because I've been struggling with a little cold, & the mildness worked for me.

Yeah, I toyed with the idea of holding back some of the kale, so that the soup would look more like you described, but I didn't feel like thinking of another use for the kale (and heaven forbid I throw anything away). Also, I figure, the more kale, the better.

This recipe made 5 tupperware soup bowls-ful. I am tickled pink that my work lunches are all set for the week. Piece of fruit for dessert, and I'm happenin'!



Lee