5 strips of bacon (thick cut works best)

1 pound Italian sausage see note

1 medium onion chopped

5 cloves garlic minced

2 cups chicken broth (beef works too)

4 cups water

4 large red potatoes diced (leave skins on)

1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 cup heavy/whipping cream

1 small bunch of kale torn into bite-size pieces (remove stems)

Salt and pepper to taste

Using kitchen shears (or a knife), cut the bacon into small pieces and add it to a pot. Cook for 5 minutes over medium-high heat to give the bacon a bit of a head start before adding in the sausage.

Add the sausage meat to the pot.

Allow the sausage and bacon to get nicely browned and crispy (this can take 15+ minutes). Stir occasionally. There may be quite a lot of fat in the pot (especially if you’re using thick cut bacon), so you may want to spoon some out and discard it, but be sure to leave a few tablespoons in there as it adds flavor.

Stir in the onions and garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes.

Add the chicken broth, water, potatoes, and Italian seasoning to the pot.

Increase the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil, then reduce to medium-low heat to simmer.

Cook for 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.

Add in the cream and kale, and cook for a further 5 minutes or until the kale is soft and wilted. Season with salt & pepper as needed.

Notes

To save prep time, I chop the onion and potatoes while the bacon and sausage cook.

For the sausage, either use ground sausage meat or a pack of Italian sausages take the meat out of the casings. A little more than a pound is totally fine!

Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes would work if you don’t want to use red potatoes. Aim for approx. 1.5 pounds of potatoes.

*adapted from https://www.saltandlavender.com/