Fennel Sausage Soup

5 from 4 votes

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

Prep Time15

Cook Time45

Total Time1

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Diet: Gluten Free, Low Lactose

Keyword: sausage fennel soup, fennel sausage mushroom soup, ground sausage fennel soup,

Servings:

Calories: 358kcal

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
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. mild Italian pork sausage or ground Italian sausage of choice
8 oz. button mushrooms or mushrooms of choice
4-5 large carrots yields 3 cup chopped carrots
5 cups low sodium chicken broth can sub low sodium vegetable broth
3 packed cups kale or hearty greens of choice
½ tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. pepper

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 pieces.
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-high. Add 2 Tbsp. olive oil to the pot.
Once heated, add the ground Italian sausage to the Dutch oven and sauté for 6-8 minutes, or until the sausage has cooked through. Break the sausage apart as it cooks.
Remove the cooked sausage and set aside.
Add the minced garlic, onions, and fennel to the pot. Sauté in the olive oil and sausage fat for 5-6 minutes, stirring often.
Add the chopped carrots and mushrooms, along with ½ tsp. each kosher salt and pepper. Sauté for 5-6 minutes, stirring often.
Pour 5 cups of low sodium chicken broth (or low sodium vegetable broth) into the Dutch oven and stir until combined. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce to a low boil, cover, and cook for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, add the 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 5 minutes, or until the carrots 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 mild Italian ground pork sausage. Feel free to use any variety of ground Italian sausage, but keep in mind that this will alter the nutrition information.

Feel free to use spicy Italian pork sausage if you prefer.

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

Nutrition