I was invited to tasting and tour at the Bob Evans headquarters with Ohio Pork Farmers. We got to spend time talking to the farmers over lunch as we learned more about what life is like as a modern day farmer who helps provide the pork that we find at our local grocery stores which reminded me of my visit to meet Ohio pork farmer “Uncle Squeals.” We learned so much from the farmers and we also tried lots of amazing foods created by the Bob Evans team with pork products. I was given the challenge to make one of those recipes when I got home.
Cooking for me is always an adventure because it’s not intuitive to me…but my family still wants me to feed them every day so I’m not getting out of it anytime soon. I asked readers to vote on the recipe that I should recreate and the Potato and Kale soup with zesty sausage was the winner of the votes and also at the dinner table.
How do I know that?
My husband ate 3 bowls. One bowl is always a courtesy when I cook but 3 bowls mean that he REALLY LOVED it!
What I liked about the recipe
The ingredients were simple and easy to find at the grocery store and there wasn’t a lot of intimidating prep work… the only chopping was the jalapeno and the onion. I found the kale easier to tear instead of chopping it and I was grateful that I didn’t have to peel potatoes thanks to the premade mashed potatoes from Bob Evans. I used the simmering time as an opportunity to multitask on a few other projects that I could accomplish in short bursts.
Bob Evans Potato and Kale Zoup with Zesty Sausage Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb. Bob Evans Zesty Hot Roll Sausage
- 2 tablespoons Butter, unsalted
- 1 Small red onion, finely chopped
- 1 Jalapeno, seeded and minced (I included the seeds because I LOVE spice)
- 4 cups Chicken broth
- 1 pkg. Bob Evans Sour Cream & Chive Mashed Potatoes
- 1/2 cup Heavy cream
- 1 bunch Kale, washed, tough stems removed, leaves coarsely chopped
- To taste Salt and black pepper
- Garnish Sour cream dollop and diced sliced chives (optional) (I bought chives but forgot to use them)
How much time do you need?
-
-
- Prep 20 min
- Cook 50 min
- Total 1:10 hrs
-
How many does it serve?
- Serves 6
The Steps
STEP 1
Cook the zesty sausage in a medium-sized frying pan over medium heat using a potato masher to break into crumbles. When fully cooked, drain sausage and place on paper towels to absorb grease. Allow to cool and set aside.
STEP 2
Melt the butter in a heavy stockpot over medium heat. Stir in the onion and sauté until translucent, about 3 minutes.
STEP 3
Stir in the jalapeno and continue to stir and cook for 2 minutes.
STEP 4
Pour in the broth, cover the pot and allow the mixture to simmer for 20 minutes.
STEP 5
Add mashed potatoes and stir in until fully incorporated. Simmer for an additional 10 minutes.
STEP 6
Puree the soup with an immersion blender until smooth. (I skipped this step and it still turned out great)
STEP 7
Stir in the sausage and heavy cream to fully incorporate, bring soup back up to a simmer.
STEP 8
Stir in the kale, cover the pot and turn off the heat. Allow kale to wilt, about 8 minutes.
STEP 9
Season with salt and pepper to taste and garnish each bowl with a dollop of sour cream and sliced chives.
The Takeaway
This is definitely a recipe that I would make again. One thing that I did learn is that I would have made a double batch because we had zero leftovers.
You can find more great pork recipes from the Bob Evans website.
Thanks again to Ohio Pork for sponsoring this conversation. All opinions are my own.
Save this recipe for later.
Pin the image below.
