Instant Pot Cauliflower, Sausage and Kale Soup Recipe

Put that new Instant Pot you received for Christmas to work and warm up with a big bowl of this Cauliflower, Sausage and Kale Soup.

It took me a long time to actually purchase an Instant Pot. I heard so many rave reviews, but had a hard time justifying adding another appliance to my kitchen.  I already had two “old style” pressure cookers that worked perfectly.

Let me tell you, friends, my instant pot is one of the best kitchen gadgets I’ve purchased in a long time!

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It’s not that the food cooks faster in the Instant Pot than it does in my regular pressure cookers (it doesn’t), but the convenience of it is really what sold me.

With two young kids I don’t have the time (or the memory) to keep track of whistles, I love that with the Instant Pot I can just “set it and forget it.” It automatically releases pressure once it reaches the time I set.

This week, especially, I have been really thankful for my Instant Pot. Although Minnesota winters are always pretty cold, these past few days have been a real doozy. With windchills nearly reaching -40 degrees F –yes, MINUS 40 degrees–we haven’t got out of the house much.

Instead of making the trek to the grocery store, I’ve resolved to using up some of the foods I have in our freezer or pantry. We’ve been enjoying a lot of soups lately, and this recipe has definitely been a favorite!

Piyush said that it reminded him of Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscana soup.  I suppose it is sort of a copy-cat recipe, but having never ordered the Zuppa Toscana I can’t be sure how close it is.

What I am sure of, is that this recipe is very simple and quite customizable. A single serving (just under 325 cals, as written) packs enormous flavor and is really filling. Adding the corn was my son Arjun’s idea, and it was genius. It added a nice texture to the soup and the yellow corn made it look a bit prettier, too.

If you are low-carb or keto, simply leave the corn out, and this soup should fit your plan. It is also a really great gluten-free option! Just be sure to check the labels on your sausage.

[recipe title=”Instant Pot Cauliflower Soup with Sausage and Kale” servings=”6″ cook time=”15 minutes”  difficulty=”easy”]

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp oil or butter (I used bacon grease because I’m a glutton)
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 pound Italian sausage, casings removed and crumbled (I used Trader Joe’s sausages)
• 1/2 tsp (or to taste) red chili powder
• 1 1/2 tbsp garlic paste (can sub 2 or 3 large fresh garlic cloves, minced)
• 1/4 head of cauliflower, chopped into florets (aprox. 2 cups)
• 32 oz. carton chicken stock
• 4 cups–more or less–fresh kale leaves, roughly chopped (discard large, tough stems)
• 1 c. frozen corn (optional)
• 1/2 c. cream, plus a bit more to garnish
• salt, as required
• ground black pepper, as required
• Parmesan cheese to garnish (I did not use the cheese)

Instant Pot Directions:

• Plug in the instant pot and press the “Saute” button. Add the oil or butter* to the pot. Once the fat is hot, toss in the onions. Cook the onions for about a minute and then add the garlic, chili powder and crumbled sausage.
• Saute the sausage for a minute or two and then add the cauliflower, chicken stock and chopped kale leaves to the pot.
• Close the pressure cooker and turn the lid to “Sealing.”
• Change the setting from “Saute” to “Pressure Cook.” Then Cook on high pressure for 5 minutes. Allow the cooker to release pressure naturally for 5 minutes before manually releasing the remaining pressure.
• When safe, open the pot and stir everything to combine. Toss in the frozen corn, if using. Then stir in 1/2 cup cream. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more salt/pepper as necessary.
• Serve garnished with a bit of Parmesan cheese and drizzled with a spoonful of fresh cream.

Notes:

• *I highly recommend using bacon grease (available on Amazon!). If you don’t happen to have any on hand, you could also crumble a few pieces of cooked bacon into the pot when you add the sausage. It really amps up the flavor of the soup.
• Adding corn is optional. Without the corn this soup could be considered “keto,” and low-carb. The corn is a really nice addition though for texture and color.

www.spicedupmom.com

[/recipe]

As always, if you make the recipe, I’d love to hear what you think! Let me know in the comments below.

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