Cheesy Potato and Kale Soup
To skip the post and step-by-step instructions and go straight to recipe, click here.Despite still running my air conditioner on a daily basis, the fall vibes are strong in my heart right now, and all I want is a soft sweater and some warm soup! This soup is rich and comforting and easy to whip up on a weeknight for some cozy vibes. It’s also vegetarian, perfect for meatless mondays!
Recipe Notes:
Additions:
This soup is naturally vegetarian, but tastes to me a bit like a zuppa toscana that would typically have spicy ground sausage in it. I think this would be a delicious addition, as would some bacon or other pork product. If you would like to add one of these, I would cook it separately to get it nicely browned and add it in at the end. I would also be careful adding salt into the soup if you have a salty pork product added, and only start with a little and build from there. Almost any vegetable would of course be a great addition as well, make it your own! Celery, carrots, broccoli, peas, and corn would all be tasty.
Ingredients:
Kale - If you’re buying your kale at a typical grocery store, you’re probably getting either curly kale, dinosaur kale, or red kale, all of which are perfect for soup. Spinach would be a tasty substitution if you’re not a fan of kale.
Potatoes - I specified red potatoes for this recipe because I like how thin the skins are and how these potatoes have a lovely soft bite and hold their shape when cooked. Yukon golds would be a delicious substitution. I buy russets a lot of the time because they’re inexpensive and I enjoy the flavor of them, and I think they would also be tasty here, but they do start to fall apart when boiled, so you wouldn’t have those nice chunks of potato in your soup.
Cheese - Colby jack is my absolute go-to for dishes where I need the cheese to be melted and smooth. While a sharp cheddar might offer you more cheese flavor, it might curdle the soup a little more easily or make it slightly grainy. For that really smooth soup, I use well-melting cheeses like monterey jack or even swiss.
Step-By-Step Walk-Through
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Step 1:
Prep Ingredients
Dice ¼ to ½ of a yellow onion, depending on preference and the size of your onion.
Mince 4 cloves of garlic or measure out 2 teaspoons of minced garlic.
Dice 2 large or 3 small red potatoes.
Chop and measure out 2 well-packed cups of kale.
Chop and measure out ¼ cup of fresh parsley.
Shred 1 cup of colby jack cheese.
Step 2:
Saute Aromatics
Heat a large pot over medium heat.
Once preheated, melt 2 tablespoons of salted butter in the pot.
Pour in the onions and saute for 3-4 minutes until softened.
Add the garlic and saute for another 30 seconds until fragrant.
Step 3:
Simmer Vegetables
Add diced potatoes and 3 cups of vegetable broth to the pot.
Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium.
Let the potatoes simmer, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are soft enough to pierce easily with a fork, about 10 minutes.
Stir in your kale, parsley, and ½ to 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper, depending on taste.
Simmer for 2 minutes until greens are wilted.
Step 4:
Add Cream
In a small ramekin, mix together 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with a splash of water.
Mix cornstarch mixture into 1 cup of heavy cream.
While stirring the soup, slowly and gradually pour in cream mixture.
Simmer for a few minutes while constantly stirring until soup is slightly thickened, about 3-5 minutes.
Step 5:
Cool
Take the soup off the heat and let sit to cool down for a full 10 minutes. This helps ensure that the cheese doesn’t curdle when added.
Step 6:
Add Cheese
Add the cheese gradually, about ¼ cup at a time, stirring until it’s completely melted each time before adding more.
Serve!
Cheesy Potato and Kale Soup
Servings: 4 large bowls Time: 1 hour
Difficulty: 🧡🧡🤍🤍🤍
Ingredients
2 TBS. salted butter
¼ - ½ diced yellow onion, depending on preference and size of onion
4 cloves or 2 tsp. minced garlic
3 cups vegetable broth
2 large or 3 small diced red potatoes
2 cups well-packed chopped kale
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
½ to 1 tsp. each salt and pepper
1 cup heavy cream
1 TBS. cornstarch
1 cup shredded colby jack cheese
Directions
Step 1: Prep Ingredients
Dice your onion and potato, mince your garlic, chop your kale and parsley, and shred your cheese so everything is ready to go.
Step 2: Saute Aromatics
Heat a large pot over medium heat. Melt butter in pot. Add onion and saute for 3-4 minutes until softened. Add garlic and saute for another 30 seconds until fragrant.
Step 3: Simmer Vegetables
Add broth and potatoes to the pot. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and let simmer, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are soft enough to pierce with a fork, about 10 minutes. Stir in the kale, parsley, salt, and pepper. Simmer for another 2 minutes until greens are wilted.
Step 4: Add Cream
In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with a splash of water. Stir this mixture into the cream. While stirring soup continuously, slowly and gradually pour the cream mixture into the soup. Continue simmering and stirring until the soup has slightly thickened, about 3-5 minutes.
Step 5: Cool
Take the soup off the heat and let cool for a full 10 minutes. This helps ensure that the cheese won’t curdle when added to the soup.
Step 6: Add Cheese
Gradually, about ¼ cup at a time, add the shredded cheese. Between additions, stir until cheese is completely melted before adding more. Serve!