Kale and Italian Sausage Soup

Ingredients

• 4 ounce bacon, or pancetta
• 1 pound Italian sausage
• 1 onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 medium red potatoes (or sub sweet potatoes for a paleo-friendly dish) Review
• 3 cup kale
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• 6 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup half and half

Directions

1. Dice pancetta. Remove sausage from casing. Chop the onion; mince the garlic and cut the potatoes into thick match sticks. Strip fibrous stalk from kale and mince.
2. Heat a large stock pot to medium high and add the pancetta, cooking until starting to crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes and sausage to the pot; breaking sausage into small pieces with a wooden spoon and cook until browned.
3. Add the onions and garlic to the sausage; cook until translucent.
4. Add chicken stock to the pot, followed by the potatoes. Bring stock to a boil then turn down to a simmer. Cook until potatoes are tender, about 8-10 minutes. Add the kale and cook just a couple of minutes until wilted and bright green.
5. Stir in the optional raw cream. Season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Serve hot.