Fennel Sausage Mushroom Soup

5 from 4 votes

This Italian Fennel Sausage Mushroom Soup is hearty and healthy! It's made with ground turkey sausage, carrots, and kale in a savory broth.

Prep Time15

Cook Time45

Total Time1

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Diet: Gluten Free, Low Lactose

Keyword: fennel mushroom soup, sausage mushroom soup, fennel sausage kale soup

Servings:

Calories: 269kcal

Author: Christine Rooney

Equipment

Cast Iron Dutch Oven or heavy-bottomed soup pot

Ingredients

6 cloves garlic
1 onion any color
1 bulb fennel yields 1 cup diced
3 Tbsp. olive oil split
1 lb. ground Italian turkey sausage or ground Italian sausage of choice
8 oz. button mushrooms or mushrooms of choice
4-5 large carrots
5 cups low sodium chicken broth
3 packed cups kale or hearty greens of choice
½ tsp. kosher salt split
½ tsp. pepper split

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

How To Cut The Fennel:

Place the fennel bulb on a cutting board. Remove both the top and bottom portion from the fennel bulb with a knife. Discard the woody bottom portion of the fennel and feel free to save the stalks for another recipe, or discard them as well.
Reserve some of the fennel fronds for garnish.
Peel any damaged, brown, or tough outer layers from the fennel bulb and discard.
Cut the fennel bulb in half. Place half of the fennel bulb on the cutting board (flat surface side down) and dice it just as you would an onion.
Repeat with the other half of the fennel bulb, making sure to place the flat surface on the cutting board when chopping it with a knife, so that the fennel doesn't roll around when dicing it.

How To Make The Soup:

Mince 6 cloves of garlic and 1 onion (any color).
Peel and dice 4-5 large carrots (yields 3-4 cups diced carrots).
Wipe any dirt from 1 8 oz. package of button mushrooms (or mushrooms of choice). Cut the mushrooms into slices.
Roughly chop 3 cups of kale (or hearty greens of choice, such as Swiss chard, collards, or spinach).
Place a cast iron Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed soup pot on the stove top and heat to medium. Add 1 Tbsp. olive oil to the pot. Once heated, add the sliced mushrooms along with ¼ tsp. each of kosher salt and pepper. Sauté the mushrooms for 8-10 minutes, or until they are slightly softened and fragrant.
Remove the mushrooms from the Dutch oven and set aside.
Increase the heat to medium-high and add another Tbsp. of olive oil to the Dutch oven. Once heated, add 1 lb. ground Italian sausage of choice. Sauté the sausage for 6-7 minutes, breaking it apart as it cooks. Make sure to drain any excess water or grease from the sausage and discard before adding the rest of the ingredients.
Once fully cooked, remove the sausage and set aside.
Add 1 more Tbsp. olive oil to the soup pot along with the minced garlic, onions, and fennel. Sauté for 5-6 minutes, stirring often.
Add the diced carrots along with another ¼ tsp. each of kosher salt and pepper. Sauté all of these vegetables for another 5-6 minutes, stirring often.
Add 5 cups of low sodium chicken broth to the Dutch oven. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce to a low boil, cover, and cook for 15 minutes.
Add the sautéed mushrooms and cooked sausage to the Dutch oven, along with the 3 packed cups of chopped kale or hearty greens of choice.
Feel free to add 1-2 cans of drained cannellini beans to make this soup even heartier.
Bring the soup to a boil once again, reduce to a low boil, cover, and cook for another 10 minutes, or until the carrots and fennel are tender and the kale wilted.
To Serve: Garnish the soup with some of the reserved fennel fronds for extra color and flavor (optional).

Notes

The nutrition information is calculated using ground Italian turkey sausage. Feel free to use any variety of ground Italian sausage, but keep in mind that this will alter the nutrition information.

Ground turkey sausage can become watery when sautéed in olive oil. Be sure to drain any excess water if using turkey sausage.

Feel free to add 1-2 cans of drained cannellini beans to make this soup even heartier.

Nutrition