Sausage & Kale Split Pea Soup

Back in 2004 when I first wrote this column, something called "kale" was the new green on the block, not the trendy find-it-everywhere green it is today. For this recipe, I modified a classic split pea soup, adding kale for healthiness and a touch of sweetness and a bit of sausage for richness and texture. Delicious, this stuff! It's easily converted to a vegetarian or vegan soup and perfect for the fickleness of late-winter, early-spring days. Let's go green, "kale green"!

COMPLIMENTS!
"It was great!" ~ Kathy

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Lime green. Mint green. Olive green. Sage green. Kale green.

Kale green? Yes, kale green. It’s a new green, in the color and the culinary sense, your body and taste buds will thank you for seeking out.

Kale is part of the cabbage family. Like most greens, it is easiest to find during the winter. Find bunches of kale, its leaves dark and tinged with purple and packed with calcium, iron, folic acid and vitamins A and C, in the produce section.

Like cabbage, kale gains sweetness while cooking. So do split peas.

This recipe’s first test was for lunch for a girlfriend and a teenage nephew helping paint the family room. (The paint color? Tundra green.)

The recipe called for lentils but without hesitation, I substituted split peas when that’s what was in the pantry. “Yum,” was our unanimous reaction.

When making another batch with lentils later, was I ever surprised that the split peas were far preferable, yielding a softly sweet and creamy soup.

ALANNA's TIPS To clean kale, separate the leaves and soak for a minute or so in a sinkful of water, then rinse each leaf carefully under running water. Tear off the stems and center ribs, which are tough, then chop the leaves as fine as possible to prevent strings of kale forming as the soup cooks. Plan to freeze leftover soup for another meal. Plastic freezer bags work great, especially if your freezer is small, and come in pint, quart and gallon sizes, one of which is likely ‘meal’ size for your own family.

Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Do you have a favorite winter soup recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail via recipes@kitchen-parade.com. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. Follow Kitchen Parade on Facebook!

SAUSAGE & KALE SPLIT PEA SOUP

Hands-on time: 15 minutes
Stove-top time: 90 minutes
Makes 15 cups (freezes well or make a half batch)

• 4 ounces smoked kielbasa or Italian sausage or another sausage
• 8 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 onions, chopped (about 2 cups)
• 2 cups dried yellow or green split peas (about 14 ounces), rinsed and picked through
• 6 cups water
• 6 cups chicken stock, either No-Big-Deal Homemade Chicken Stock or Homemade Chicken Stock
• 1 bunch sturdy kale such as curly kale or lacinto kale, stems and center ribs removed, greens chopped fine (see TIPS), about 5 ounces after trimming, or fresh spinach leaves
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar
• Salt and pepper to taste

Heat a large Dutch oven or stockpot over medium high. Slice kielbasa in quarters lengthwise, then again crosswise in half-inch pieces. Drop into pot (they should sizzle) and stir lightly to spread evenly over bottom. Add garlic and onion as minced and chopped and lower heat to medium. Stirring regularly, cook until sausage is slightly crispy and onion is soft. (If the sausage isn't pre-cooked, be sure to cook it all the way through.)

Add split peas, water, stock and kale. (If substituting spinach, add it five minutes before serving rather than now.)

Cover and simmer for about 90 minutes or until peas are cooked through. Stir in vinegar, salt and pepper and serve immediately.

NUTRITION INFORMATION Per cup: 137 Calories; 3g Tot Fat; 1g Sat Fat; 21g Carb; 8g Fiber; 487mg Sodium; 5mg Cholesterol; 9g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS WW Old Points 2, WW PointsPlus 3 CALORIE COUNTERS 100-calorie serving, 3/4 cup; 50-calorie serving, 1/3 cup.

VEGAN POTATO & KALE SPLIT PEA SOUP To easily "veganize" this soup, just omit the sausage and chicken stock. For a texture contrast, dice one or two skin-on Yukon Gold potatoes, then use a vegetable broth.

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More Hearty Soup Recipes

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~ more hearty soup recipes ~

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More Kale Recipes

~ Hearty Healthy Chicken Stew with Chickpeas & Kale ~
~ Lucky Black-Eyed Pea Soup ~
~ Colcannon ~
~ more kale recipes ~
from Kitchen Parade

~ Seductive Kale Salad ~
~ Quinoa Pilaf with Kale & Corn ~
~ Quick 'Massaged' Kale Salad ~
~ more kale recipes ~
from A Veggie Venture, my food blog

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Shop Your Pantry First

(helping home cooks save money on groceries)

~ sausage recipes ~
~ canned & dried beans ~
~ kale recipes ~
~ All Recipes, By Ingredient ~
~ How to Save Money on Groceries ~

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