Hearty Kale Soup for Meat Lovers or Vegetarians and Vegans!

Nothing like a bowl of hearty soup on a cold cloudy day.  This soup is great for meat lovers, vegetarians and vegans!  Serve it with a hot loaf of crusty bread!

Alton Browns Christmas Soup!  It is a soup that has been in Alton Browns family for years and they only eat it once a year on Christmas Eve.  We love it because it is so easy and so delicious! 

Check out the video below…   Hope you enjoy!

 Christmas Soup
Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2008

Ingredients

1 pound kielbasa, sliced 1/4-inch thick on bias (obviously vegetarians and vegans won’t need this)

Vegetable oil,  if needed

8 cloves garlic, minced

2 - 15oz can of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

3 - 32oz cartons of Vegetable Stock or Chicken Broth

1 pound red potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

6 ounces fresh kale, approximately 4 handfuls

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup red wine vinegar   (I did not use, not a real big fan of vinegar, but hey, if you are, go for it!)

Directions

MEAT EATERS START HERE…
Place the kielbasa into a 7-quart Dutch oven (any stock pot or big pot will do) and set over medium-low heat. Cook until the kielbasa has browned well and rendered its fat, approximately 15 minutes. If you do not have at least 2 teaspoons of fat, add enough vegetable oil to make 2 teaspoons. Remove the kielbasa from the pan and set aside.

VEGETARIANS AND VEGANS START HERE… Add the garlic and vegtable oil and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent the garlic from burning. Add the beans and the chicken broth and cook, covered, for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, add the potatoes, cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Wash, rinse and trim the kale and tear into bite size pieces. Add the kale to the pot, cover and cook for an additional 10 minutes or just until it is tender, but not mushy.

Add the red wine vinegar and black pepper and stir to combine.

MEAT EATERS… Evenly distribute the kielbasa between 8 soup bowls. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.



Alton Browns Christmas Soup

Nothing like a bowl of hearty soup on a cold cloudy day.  This soup is great for meat lovers or you can leave out the meat if your a vegan.   Serve it with a hot loaf of crusty bread!

Alton Browns Christmas Soup!  It is a soup that has been in Alton Brown’s family for years and they alway eat it on Christmas Eve.  We love it because it is so easy and so delicious! 

Check out the video below…   Hope you enjoy!

 Christmas Soup

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2008

Prep Time: 30 min

Inactive Prep Time: 4 hr 0 min

Cook Time: 1 hr 30 min

Level: Easy

Serves: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

• 1 pound kielbasa, sliced 1/4-inch thick on bias
• Vegetable oil,  as needed
• 8 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 - 15oz can of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 3 - 32oz cartons of Vegtable Stock or Chicken Broth
• 1 pound red potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 6 ounces fresh kale, approximately 4 handfuls
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar ( I did not use, not a real big fan of vinegar, but hey, if you are, go for it!)
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Place the kielbasa into a 7-quart Dutch oven (any stock pot or big pot will do) and set over medium-low heat. Cook until the kielbasa has browned well and rendered its fat, approximately 15 minutes. If you do not have at least 2 teaspoons of fat, add enough vegetable oil to make 2 teaspoons. Remove the kielbasa from the pan and set aside.

Add the garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent the garlic from burning. Add the beans and the chicken broth and cook, covered, for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, add the potatoes, cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Wash, rinse and trim the kale and tear into bite size pieces. Add the kale to the pot, cover and cook for an additional 10 minutes or just until it is tender, but not mushy.

Add the red wine vinegar and black pepper and stir to combine. Evenly distribute the kielbasa between 8 soup bowls. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.