Introduce Your Family to Kale!

Whether she meant to or not, we think challenger 2BFitN10 took our go green mini challenge. Kale is an incredibly healthy leafy green vegetable that can be added to meals effortlessly.

A while back, my family had gotten into a rut. We were eating the same foods over and over again. I came across this recipe and decided to try it, because we had never eaten kale before. I remember buying the kale at the store and thinking to myself that there was no way I was going to like all these greens. I made a batch of the soup and it was actually delicious! One suggestion: I tasted the soup before adding the half-and-half. I liked it better without it, although my son begged to differ. You might want to taste it first before adding the half-and-half.

Italian Meatball Soup

Ingredients

• 2 slices bacon
• 1/2 lb lean Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
• 2 large russet potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 4 cups)
• 1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 4 cups water
• 3 1/2 cups Progresso® reduced-sodium chicken broth (from 32-oz carton)
• 4 cups chopped fresh kale or Swiss chard leaves
• 1 can (15 or 19 oz) cannellini beans, drained, rinsed
• 1 cup fat-free half-and-half or regular half-and-half

1. In 4-quart nonstick saucepan or Dutch oven, cook bacon until crisp; drain on paper towel. Crumble bacon; set aside. Remove and discard drippings from saucepan.

2. In same saucepan, cook sausage over medium-high heat 6 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently, until no longer pink. Drain well on paper towels; set aside.

3. In same saucepan, mix potatoes, onion, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, pepper flakes, water and broth. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low; cook uncovered about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Stir in bacon, sausage, kale and beans. Cook 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until potatoes and kale are tender. Stir in half-and-half; cook just until heated.