Creamy Braising Greens Soup
Kitchen Tested 
- Yield 10-14 servings
- Prep 5 mins
- Cook 25 mins
Who says soup isn't for spring? This hearty bacon and sausage soup makes the very best of in-season greens.
Mark Boughton Photography / styling by Teresa Blackburn
On the southern edge of the Northeast Kingdom in Craftsbury, Vt., Pete Johnson grows a wide variety of organic vegetables, specializing in baby greens, root vegetables and heirloom tomatoes. The farm, Pete's Greens (petesgreens.com), uses greenhouses, root cellaring and other season-extending techniques to offer the greatest vegetable diversity for as much of the year as possible, proudly calling itself "Vermont's four-season vegetable farm." Pete's mixed braising greens were the inspiration for this soup.
Ingredients
- 1 slice thick-cut bacon, diced
- 1 large onion, peeled and diced
- 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 pound sausage, dried chorizo or smoked sausage, diced
- 6 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
- 7 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 2 1/2 cups mixed braising greens, such as kale, Swiss chard, mustard greens and dandelion greens, thoroughly washed, stems removed, and cut into very fine strips
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce (optional)
- Coarsely ground black pepper
Instructions
- Sauté bacon in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside, reserving drippings in pan. Crumble bacon when cool.
- Add onion and carrot to pan; cook over medium heat until soft and translucent, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and sausage; cook, stirring frequently, until sausage is lightly browned, 5 to 8 minutes.
- Add potatoes and broth; stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are fork tender, about 15 minutes.
- Add greens, cream and salt and continue to simmer until soup is thoroughly heated, about 5 minutes. Add hot sauce, if using, and black pepper to taste.
- Ladle into soup bowls and garnish with reserved bacon.
Recipe by Tracey Medeiros
