Creamy Kale and Potato Soup

White and red floral bowl with light blue rim, filled with Kale Soup with Potatoes.

5 from 5 votes

Creamy Kale Soup with Potatoes is a tried and true recipe that's rich and creamy, nutrient-packed, and super satisfying. Warming and comforting, you'll be making it over and over during the fall and winter months.

Prep Time30

Cook Time30

Total Time1

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: fall and winter soups, vegan soups, comforting soup recipes, healthy soup recipes

Servings:

Calories: 191kcal

Author: Valentina K. Wein

Equipment

Ingredients

olive oil for the pan
1 cup red onion, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon garlic, roughly chopped
1½ cups Russet potatoes, peeled, roughly chopped
½ cup marinated, drained sun-dried tomatoes, divided
1 cup roasted red pepper, roughly chopped, from 1 to 2 peppers
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
about 12 ounces curly kale, about 8 packed cups, washed and dried, thick stems removed, roughly chopped
6 cups vegetable stock
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
sun-dried tomato oil for drizzling
chili flakes for garnish only if you want more heat

Instructions

Roast the red pepper if you haven't purchased those in a jar. Place the pepper directly on top of a high flame on the stove. Use kitchen tongs to turn the pepper as it chars. When most of the pepper is charred, put it in a brown bag, fold over the top and let it steam for 10 minutes. When it's cool enough to touch, use your hands to peel off the skin. (You can also steam it in a bowl tightly covered with plastic wrap.)
Cook the Vegetables. Coat a large soup pot with olive oil and place it over medium-low heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion is soft and beginning to brown, about 7 minutes.
Add the potato, ¼ cup of the sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red pepper, paprika, cayenne, and the kale. Cook this mixture until the kale has wilted. All of the ingredients should be starting to brown and sticking to the bottom of the pan -- it will take about 10 minutes.
Add Stock and Simmer. Add the vegetable stock, bring to a boil, cover the pot, and then reduce to a very low simmer. Simmer the soup for about 30 minutes. (At this point the potatoes should be very tender.)
Purée the Soup. Pour half of the soup into a powerful blender and blend on high until it's completely smooth. Once it's blended, pour it back into the stock pot. Then do the second batch and pour it into the pot as well. (This particular soup is much better blended this way than with an immersion blender, because kale is fibrous.)
It's always a good idea to hold down the lid firmly when blending soups. If you don't, the hot liquid, vibration and steam might force the lid off. It's good to use a folded towel to protect your hands from the possibility of hot liquid seeping out of the lid during blending.
Add Vinegar and Season. Add the vinegar and sugar and season very generously to taste with salt and pepper. (Here's How to Season to Taste.)
Garnish and serve. Drizzle a bit of the oil from the sun-dried tomato marinade over the soup -- or individual servings -- and top with a few of the remaining sun-dried tomato pieces and chili flakes (if desired).

Notes

Roasted peppers: to save time, use jarred roasted red peppers.

Kale: any variety works. Lacinato or curly kale are my favorites for this soup.

Sun-dried tomatoes: if yours aren't marinated, soak them in very hot water for at least 15 minutes first.

Vinegar: sherry vinegar, or an even mix of red wine and white wine vinegar, works too.

Stock: low-sodium is best. If your stock is very rich (usually darker in color), use half stock and half water. Chicken stock works too if it doesn't need to be vegan.

Chunky version: skip blending, or blend only partially for a mix of creamy and chunky.

Storage and freezing: refrigerate in a tightly sealed container for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw in the refrigerator for about 2 days before reheating on the stove.

Nutritional information is automatically calculated, so it should only be used as an estimate.

Nutrition