Sausage Greens Potato and Mushroom Soup

 

This new creation of mine was inspired by a lizard actually!  I have recently adopted a bearded dragon and their diet consists of mostly greens.  So to use up some collard greens I made this creation and it is absolutely DELICIOUS!  You can use any greens you want like kale, spinach, whatever.  I just happen to have an over abundance of collard greens.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb baby red potatoes quartered (about 7 or 8)

3 links of hot italian sausage baked in water bath

4oz white button mushrooms sliced

1/2 yellow onion diced

1 1/2 cups collard greens ripped into two inch pieces

2 cloves garlic minced

4 cups chicken broth (I love Better than Bouillon)

1/2 cup milk

1 TB all purpose flour

1 TB butter

1 tsp thyme (fresh or dried)

1-2 TB or more as needed Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt and pepper to taste

I bake the sausage ahead of time. Preheat oven to 350.  I like glass baking dishes and I place three links in an 8"X 8" glass baking dish with water to fill the bottom about a half inch.  Bake for 30 minutes.  

In a medium soup pot heat olive oil, once oil is hot sauté garlic and onions until onions are translucent, add mushrooms and thyme and sauté for 4-5 minutes until soft.  Prep the stock by boiling 4 cups of water.  Follow directions on label for making broth, place in pyrex measuring cup.  Whisk boiling water in and once mixed pour into soup pot.  Add potatoes and bring to hard simmer and simmer for about ten minutes.    Add salt and pepper to desired taste.

Slice cooked sausage on the bias (at an angle) in quarter inch thick slices, set aside.  Shred collard greens and set aside.  Once potatoes are cooked, add sausage and greens.  Continue at a medium simmer.  In a small sauté pan heat 1 TB butter, add 1 TB flour and whisk vigorously.  I cook this roux about ten minutes until nice and browned.  Add to soup and then add 1/2 cup milk.  This roux doesn't thicken it hard, just enough to give it what I call "body."  Feel free to make more roux on the side until desired thickness, but personally, the potatoes break down enough that it thickens it perfectly in my opinion.

This recipe can easily be doubled if desired.  I got three big servings out of it which is absolutely perfect for a single person.  It gets better each day you reheat it!