Sausage Kale Soup Blocks

Ingredients

1 Tbs olive oil

1.5 lbs Italian sausage, removed from casing

1 medium onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

3 celery ribs with leaves, finely chopped

1 large carrot, finely chopped

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1/4 cup tomato paste

1/4 cup flour

4 cups chicken broth

2 cups kale or other hearty greens, chopped

Directions

Start by chopping all your vegetables. For the kale, remove the ribs and chop into 1-2 inch pieces.

In a large pot or dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat and cook the sausage, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon, until the fat has rendered and has some crispy edges. Then remove the sausage from the pot with a slotted spoon and add the onions, celery, carrots, garlic, and crushed red pepper flakes to cook in the rendered fat and soften. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan while the veggies are cooking.

Next, add the tomato paste to the pot, stirring until it coats the vegetables and the color of the tomato paste deepens. Then add in the flour and stir for an additional 1-2 mintues. Then add in the broth and stir to scrape up anything that has stuck to the bottom of the pan.

Next add in the kale or other hardy greens to wilt, and return the cooked sausage to the pot. Once the kale is wilted, turn off the heat and allow it to cool before transferring the soup base to a freezer-safe container. Makes 8 cups.

Notes

To use: for each 2 cup block of base, add 2 cups of broth to a pot (double if you want leftovers). Once the frozen cube is broken up and the soup is boiling, add tortellini directly to the pot and allow the pasta to cook. Then add 1/4 cup of heavy cream. Garnish with a teaspoon of basil pesto and shredded Parmesan.

Or: for each 2 cup block of base, add 2 cups of broth to a pot and two cubed potatoes (double if you want leftovers). Bring to a boil, then simmer until the potatoes are tender. Add 1/4 cup heavy cream, shredded Parmesan, and cracked black pepper.