Italian Sausage, Roasted Tomato, & Kale Soup

Instruction​​

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees

• Cut 6 plum tomatoes into large chunks and assemble them on a sheet pan

• Season the tomatoes with salt, pepper, and drizzle with a quality olive oil

• Mix together with your hands and roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes 

  • These tomatoes can roast while you prepare the rest of the soup​

• Prepare the meatballs:

  • Cut the tip of the sausage casing with scissors or a knife

  • Squeeze 1" of the sausage link's tip and pull, causing the meat to squeeze out of the casing

  • Roll the 1" section of meat into a ball and set aside

  • Pinch off the next inch and pull it from the casing, then roll it into a ball

  • Repeat this with all 6 sausages, discarding the casings

• Heat a soup pot on medium-high

• Once hot, add the sausage meatballs and make sure they are in one layer, all making contact with the pan

• Sear the meatballs until they are brown on all sides, then scoop out onto a plate and set aside

  • If there is more than 2 tbs of rendered fat in the pot, drain some of it out​

• In the sausage fat, saute the following:​​

  • chopped onion

  • chopped bell pepper

  • sliced garlic 

• Season with pepper and a pinch of salt

  • The stock will add most of the salt for this dish, so go light here just to help the vegetables sweat

• Once the vegetables cook down, add tomato paste and stir this around to cook out the raw tomato flavor

• Add one 16 oz can of tomato sauce and a cans worth of water

• Add one 16 oz can of stock

  • If you have bouillon, just add one extra can of water and use 4 cubes​

• Season with:

  • Chopped fresh bay leaves

  • Chopped fresh thyme

  • Oregano

• Stir and bring to a boil

• Add pasta to the soup

  • Make sure the soup has enough liquid to be absorbed into the pasta​

• ​Once the pasta is el denta, add:​

  • The Italian meatballs that were set aside earlier

  • Fresh Kale

• Stir until heated through, then serve