I can’t call this an Olive Garden copycat because I’ve never had theirs. I use pasta instead of potatoes but if you’d prefer potatoes, I’d recommend about 3 cups of cubed russets, maybe 2 potatoes worth? I’ve also made this with tortellini which is fun!
Time: About 45 minutes
Serves: 4 bowls
This cozy soup is packed with spicy Italian sausage, finely diced fennel, leeks, celery, tender orecchiette, and kale in a creamy chicken broth. Cooking the sausage first gives you plenty of browned bits and rendered fat to use as the base for the vegetables.
Ingredients
1 lb spicy Italian sausage, pork or chicken, casings removed
1/2 medium white or yellow onion, small dice
1/2 medium fennel bulb, small dice
2 leeks, trimmed, thoroughly cleaned, and finely sliced
3 celery stalks, small dice
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
Red pepper flakes, optional
2 cartons chicken broth
1/3 cup dry orecchiette
2 handfuls chopped kale
1/2 cup heavy cream
Olive oil, as needed
Salt + black pepper, to taste
Instructions
Prep the vegetables by cutting the onion, fennel, and celery into a small dice, about 1/4-inch pieces. Thinly slice the leeks and rinse them very well, since dirt tends to hide between the layers.
Heat a Dutch oven or large soup pot over medium heat. Add the sausage and break it into bite-size pieces as it cooks.
Let it sit undisturbed for short stretches so it can develop golden, crispy edges. Once cooked through and nicely browned, transfer the sausage to a bowl and set aside.
Leave about 1–2 tablespoons of rendered sausage fat in the pot. If your sausage is very lean, add a small drizzle of olive oil.
Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the onion, fennel, leeks, and celery with a pinch of salt and black pepper. Add red pepper flakes here if using.
Cook for about 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft.
Add the Italian seasoning and stir for about 30 seconds, just until fragrant.
Pour in a splash of chicken broth and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
Add a carton of chicken broth and bring to a gentle simmer.
Stir in the orecchiette, cover, and cook over low heat until the pasta is nearly al dente, following the package timing as a guide. Stir once or twice so it doesn’t stick to the bottom.
Add more chicken broth until it’s as brothy as you want it to be! Then stir in the cooked sausage and chopped kale. Cover again and cook for another 5 minutes, until the kale is wilted and the sausage is heated through.
Reduce the heat to low and stir in the heavy cream.
Taste and adjust with salt, black pepper, or red pepper flakes as needed. If the soup gets thicker than you want, add a splash more broth or water.
Divide between 4 bowls and serve warm.
Tips
Because orecchiette will continue absorbing liquid as the soup sits, add a little extra broth when reheating leftovers.
If you’re using dry pasta, which I usually am, you’ll need more broth than if you were to use fresh pasta. You can sub in some water as needed but just taste it to make sure it’s not losing flavor. You can always stir in a teaspoon of better than bouillon.
If the sausage renders a lot of grease, drain off the excess before adding the vegetables. You want enough left behind to cook them in, but not so much that the finished soup feels oily.