Spicy sausage soup with herbs, peppers, and spinach
This delicious mild spiced hearty sausage soup doesn’t need to simmer for hours to develop great flavour.
With a satisfying combination of mild spicy Poblano pepper, classic herbs, and an interesting blend of spices, this soup delivers deep flavours in just under an hour.
Make this soup recipe year-round as a hearty appetizer or pair with a crisp mixed greens salad and simple olive oil, balsamic dressing for a satisfying light meal.
And it tastes even better as leftovers for lunch the next day!
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 35-40 minutes
Serves: 6
For vegetarians and vegans:
- Swap the chicken stock with vegetable stock.
- Substitute the meat with 1 cup of red lentils, or a mix of red, Le Puy green, and brown lentils. (Pre-cook Le Puy lentils or increase soup cooking time).
- Substitute the cheese with vegan cheese or omit.
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Equipment
- Chopping board
- Chef’s 8″ knife
- Measuring spoons
- Measuring cups
- Strainer
- Large pot
- Long wooden spoon
- Cheese grater
- Soup bowls
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lb. pork, turkey, chicken, or game sausage*
- 1 medium red pepper, diced
- ½ medium Poblano pepper, washed and diced*
- 3 celery stalks, lightly peeled to remove fibre and finely diced
- 1 Tbsp. fresh basil leaves washed and finely chopped, or 1 t. dried basil
- 1 Tbsp. fresh oregano leaves washed and finely chopped, or 1 t. dried oregano
- 1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary leaves finely chopped, or 1 t. dried rosemary
- 1½ t. chilli powder
- 1 t. ground cumin
- ½ t. ground cinnamon
- Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
- 6 c. homemade chicken stock*
- 2 c. baby spinach, rinsed and left to drain
- 1 c. cheddar cheese, shredded*
Garnish with a little extra diced Poblano pepper and fresh basil or oregano leaves.
* Notes:
~ If you are not doing the keto diet, this recipe also tastes amazing substituted with any low-fat sausage such as chicken, turkey, or a game meat sausage.
If you prefer, use ground meat instead of sausage.
~ Keep seeds in the poblano pepper if you prefer a little more chilli heat.
~ Can substitute chicken stock with a vegetable stock.
~Cheddar Jack cheese is delicious with this recipe! Use less if you are on a low-fat diet.
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How to make spicy sausage soup with herbs, peppers, and spinach in 4 easy steps
1. Wash, dry, and finely chop the herbs.
Wash spinach leaves and leave to drain in a colander.
Heat olive oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
Add the sausage of your choice and cook, stirring occasionally, until sausage is no longer pink inside, approximately 5 minutes.
As the sausage cooks, carefully break it into small bite-size pieces with a wooden spoon.
Tips on preparing fresh herbs
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2. Add the red and Poblano peppers, celery, basil, oregano, rosemary, chilli powder, cumin, and cinnamon to the pot.
Generously season with salt and black pepper before stirring to combine.
Cook, stirring occasionally until the vegetables have softened, around 5-6 minutes.
3. Pour in the chicken stock and simmer the soup for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Taste for flavour and season with extra salt and pepper if needed.
Add the spinach and cook for another 4-5 minutes, or until the spinach has wilted.
4. Remove from heat and serve immediately, topped with shredded Cheddar Jack cheese.
Add a little extra diced Poblano pepper and fresh herbs if desired.
I recommend oregano unless everyone loves basil. Take a pass on the rosemary – you have enough in your soup already and it’s an intense herb.
Gift ideas!
These unusual organic coconut soup bowls are re-useable.
Soup bowl holders are ideal for carrying hot soup to the table or for re-heating anything.
Simply pop your bowl inside the cotton holder, pour in the soup, then carry it to the table.
If using a microwave, these holders make cooking safer when it’s easy to remove a hot bowl. Simply pick up the corners.
Perfect for eating from a bowl of freezing ice cream that’s on your lap as well! (Great for kids!)
Spicy Sausage Soup with Herbs, Peppers, and Spinach
Equipment
- Measuring spoons
- Measuring cups
- Chopping board
- Wooden spoon
- Chef's 8" knife
- Large soup pot
- Cheese grater
- Soup bowls
- Colander
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 1 lb pork sausage or substitute
- 1 medium red pepper
- 1/2 Poblano pepper
- 3 whole celery sticks
- 1 tbsp basil fresh
- 1 tbsp oregano fresh
- 1 tbsp rosemary fresh
- 1 1/2 tsp chilli powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
- sea salt and pepper to taste
- 6 c homemade chicken stock no added salt
- 1 c Cheddar cheese
Garnish
- Poblano pepper finely chopped
- basil finely chopped
- oregano finely chopped
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, stirring occasionally, until sausage is no longer pink inside, approximately 5 minutes. As the sausage cooks, carefully break it into small bite-size pieces with a wooden spoon.
- Add the red and Poblano peppers, celery, basil, oregano, rosemary, chilli powder, cumin, and cinnamon to the pot. Season with salt and black pepper before stirring to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally until vegetables have softened, around 5-6 minutes.
- Add the chicken stock and simmer the soup for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the spinach leaves and cook for another 4-5 minutes, or until the spinach has wilted.
- Remove from heat and serve immediately, topped with shredded Cheddar cheese, a little extra diced Poblano pepper and fresh herbs.
Notes
For fewer calories, choose ground chicken or turkey over pork.
Delicious with other ground meats such as turkey, chicken and game.
