I brought home some kale the other day. I was planning on either making a kale salad, or maybe sauteed kale for a side dish. But somehow I got the craving for soup instead, so I looked up “potato kale soup”, and found this recipe from Pinch of Yum. It seemed easy and pretty quick to make, so I got started.

Simple and comforting.

I decided to skip the milk altogether, and also decided to use my handy immersion blender instead of transferring the soup to a blender… way too much work. Once I got the soup to the puréed stage, it was just so so good! It reminded me of a summer I spent in France. I was staying with a French family, and the mother loved to make soupe de legumes for a simple supper. She would serve it with crusty bread, and put a little pitcher of milk on the table in case anyone wanted to add it to their soup.

Leftovers can be reheated with a little more broth.

There have been a couple of times over the years that I have accidentally made a soup like this, so I decided I better write it down. The thing is, if you don’t like kale, you can use carrots instead (start sautéing when you sauté the potatoes), or some other veggies, but keep it simple. Potatoes and onions are always the base. I think this soup is absolutely dreamy and delicious. Maybe it’s because it’s linked to a food memory? Or maybe it’s just really good. You decide.

Potato Kale Soup

(Adapted from Pinch of Yum’s recipe)

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 3 medium russet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1 inch chunks
• 6 cups chicken or vegetable broth (homemade if possible)
• 3 cups chopped kale, stems removed
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups milk, heated (optional)

1. In a large soup pot or dutch oven, melt the butter on medium heat.
2. Sauté the onions until translucent, about ten minutes.
3. Add the potatoes and sauté for ten to fifteen minutes, or until the potatoes begin to brown.
4. Add 4 cups of broth and the chopped kale, and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about ten minutes more.
5. Blend soup in the pot with an immersion blender until the soup is smooth. Now add in the remaining two cups of broth and bring back to a simmer. Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Serve with a good crusty bread and offer extra cracked pepper, and if you like, have a pitcher of heated milk on the table for stirring into the soup. Enjoy!