Kielbasa Soup with Kale & Beans

This kielbasa soup is fantastic for meal prep. For several years now, I’ve been packing lunch on most days. Before this became a habit, I was eating out too often. It was expensive in both money and calories. In order to make it easy, Sean or I will generally make a big batch of something to split up into 8-10 meals for the week. We eat the same thing each day of the week, but week-to-week, what we are eating changes, so it doesn’t get boring. We do soups a lot because they are so easy to make in bulk and if you have stuff in your fridge, you have soup!

I got the idea to try a kielbasa soup after we stocked up on smoked sausage while it was on sale at our local grocery store this summer. I love using sausage as a soup ingredient because sausage tends to be seasoned liberally and all of that great flavor seasons the entire soup.

♥ Related: Instant Pot Vegetable & Chick Pea Soup

I had leftover kale, so it was a given I’d toss it in. And beans are always welcome in by book. I also added barley, carrots, and rutabaga to give a little more bulk and texture to the soup. This kielbasa soup came out great; the kielbasa lends a smoky flavor and the beans helped to thicken it up a bit. The veggies and barley made it hearty enough to keep us full and happy between lunch and dinner.

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Kielbasa Soup with Kale & Beans

High in both flavor and fiber, this kielbasa soup with kale and packs a punch. It's a great recipe for meal prep or just feeding a large crowd.

Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course, Soup

Keyword Barley, Beans, Carrots, Kale, Kielbasa, Rutabaga, Sausage, Soup

Servings 10

Ingredients

• 1 lb Polish sausage (kielbasa) diced small
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ½ onion diced small
• 4 medium carrots diced small
• 1/2 rutabaga diced small
• 1/2 cup dried barley
• 12 cups chicken stock homemade, boxed, or from bouillon
• 28 oz canned petite diced tomato
• 28 oz canned small white beans
• 8 oz kale chopped
• salt & pepper to taste
• grated Parmesan cheese to taste for garnish

Instructions

• Heat a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Add olive oil. When the pan has heated up, add kielbasa. Stir occasionally until the kielbasa is browned. Use a slotted spoon to remove the kielbasa and set aside in a bowl.
• To the hot pan and fat, add the onions, carrots, and rutabaga. Stir over medium-high heat until the vegetables brown a bit and get slightly soft.
• Add the barley, chicken stock and tomatoes, bring to a simmer, and cook for 20 minutes.
• Stir in the beans and kale and simmer for another 20 minutes or until all of the vegetables and barley are tender.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!