Clean Living
Creamy Greens and Sausage Soup with Gnocchi
Well, who knew??? It’s National Gluten Free Day today!! Anything can be a thing. In honor of this day, developing a path to cleaner living and healthier eating, I wanted to share this delicious, decadent and hearty soup recipe with you all. This non-dairy, gluten and grain free soup is loaded with greens and will disappear before you know if so double up for leftovers! It is a family favorite here in the Snow Happy house and will leave you feeling all warm and cozy.
Let’s take a quick minutes to talk ingredients:
I always buy organic greens (lettuce, kale, spinach, you name it) because heavy pesticides are used when growing this type of produce. Typically, farmers use a lot of pesticides to grow anything not super disease resistant or produce that bugs love. I highly recommend checking out the Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 lists as a great place to start when evaluating what’s most important to buy organic.
Gnocchi is a really fun way to involve the kids in cooking if you have the time. But, when you don’t, and you need grain and gluten-free pastas, I highly recommend Cappello’s. The gnocchi is an amazing stand-in for the real deal and their almond flour based pasta is fresh and takes like homemade egg noodles. Need I say more?
When buying coconut milk, be sure to read the label (well, really, read the label on anything that didn’t come directly from a tree, bush or the dirt) to make sure the ingredients include coconut cream and coconut water. Many brands add fillers and gums for consistency and to keep it from separating, but I prefer it as nature intended!! Separation? No problem. Stir well if you need a small amount and if you don’t just dump the whole thing in!!
And finally, beware the ingredient list on any store bought stock. Look out for words like “natural” and “flavoring” and sugar. I know, don’t even get me started on why there is sugar in the stock. The organic stocks are typically okay, but give that box a read nonetheless. I try to keep homemade on hand, but you know, sometimes you just need things to be easy!
Just a note on gluten-free eating…it’s not for everyone for sure. We definitely practice eating in moderation around here and love a crusty loaf of sourdough and pasta, but we are working on gut-healing and for now, avoiding gluten is part of our plan. You can most certainly modify this recipe with ingredients that suits your family’s dietary needs and tastes (sub high-quality organic milk for coconut milk and/or pasta for the gnocci or almond noodles). I love soups because they are flexible and forgiving!!
Hope you enjoy!!!
Creamy Sausage and Greens Soup with Gnocchi
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp extra olive oil or ghee
- 1 small diced onion
- 1 lb italian turkey sausage Ground turkey works well, too. Just add a couple teaspoons of italian seasoning to taste.
- 4 cloves minced garlic
- 4 cups chicken broth or stock
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning blend
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 2 bunches kale, chard or spinach chopped or torn Any greens will work. Frozen is great, too! If using fresh kale or chard, remove from stem before chopping
- 2 cups coconut milk (1 can)
- 2 tsp dijon mustard Or 1 tsp mustard powder
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 12-15 oz gnocci or pasta
Instructions
- Heat oil or ghee in a large stockpot and saute onion until translucent. Then add sausage and cook until browned.
- Once meat is browned, add garlic and saute a few minutes (you will start to smell it). Add stock, remaining seasonings and bring to boil. Once boiling, reduce to simmer.
- Add greens and stir in coconut milk, mustard and vinegar. Bring back to a simmer.
- In the last few minutes of cooking, add gnocchi or pasta. Simmer until cooked through (the fresh pastas will only take a minute or so; dried longer). If planning leftovers, some prefer prepare gnocchi or pasta separately and add to each bowl so it doesn't break down too much when storing).
- Season with salt and pepper to taste!
