Swiss Chard Soup with Sausage

This Swiss chard soup with sausage and squash will quickly become a family favorite. This chard soup is hearty and chunky with Italian sausage simmered in vegetable broth making it a one-pot meal. Loaded with flavor, it’s comfort food at its finest.

When the weather takes a turn for the cold, it’s time to make those winter soup recipes.

You know, hearty homemade soups that include white beans, lentils, kidney beans, and everyone’s favorite escarole and beans!

Today, I’m sharing one of the best heartwarming soups you will ever make. 

Mise en Place

Before assembling this soup, we need to chop and dice some of the vegetables and herbs. 

Prep the butternut squash: Wash thoroughly. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the outer peel. Trim the ends and then trim the neck of the squash. Cut each section again in half. Remove all the seeds with a grapefruit spoon. Finally, dice the squash evenly into ½-¾ inch cubes.

Prep the onion: Remove the outer skin and dice the onion evenly into ¾ inch pieces.

Prep the garlic:  Crush about 6 garlic cloves with the side of your knife. Remove the papery skins and cut off the tips. Please give them a coarse chop and set them aside. Feel free to adjust this amount based on your personal preference. 

Prep the herbs: You will need 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh sage and 1 teaspoon of fresh chopped thyme.  

Prep the chard: Whether store-bought or freshly picked, be sure to rinse the leaves and stems appropriately. Fill a large mixing bowl with water and gently rub off the dirt and sand from each leaf and stem. Remove the ribs from the green leafy part and keep them in two separate piles.  Please give them a rough chop. 

Instructions

Tips

• Cut the vegetables uniformly so that they cook evenly.
• Roast the butternut squash seeds. Not only are they edible, but they are also a great source of plant protein. One-quarter cup of seeds contains almost 3 grams of plant protein.
• Swiss chard can be replaced with spinach, escarole, kale or any other green. 
• If desired, you can easily add other vegetables to this soup (carrot, celery, or even a potato).
• The addition of parmesan rind will add an incredible amount of flavor to the broth. Remove before serving. 
• As the soup sits, the orzo will absorb A LOT of the broth. If making this soup to serve at a later time, do not add the orzo. 
• Use less broth for a thicker bowl of soup.

Another squash recipe

The sweet and nutty flavor of winter squash makes it the perfect ingredient to use in soups. In this butternut soup, roasted butternut is combined with pears and ginger making it a real crowd-pleaser. 

Recipe origins

About a decade ago, I came across this recipe while watching Emeril Live on the Food Network. The episode was called hearty soups and featured some soups that would eventually take their place among some of my favorites.

As usual, I played around with the list of ingredients. I skipped the step to blenderize the soup, added swiss chard, switched up the spices, eliminated the cream and butter, and, of course, drizzled some olive oil just before serving. It is an Italian recipe, after all!

I’m thrilled to add this Italian sausage squash soup to my collection.

Enjoy!

THANKS SO MUCH for following and being part of the She Loves Biscotti community where you will find Simple & Tasty Family-Friendly Recipes with an Italian Twist.

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Ciao for now,

Maria

★★★★★ If you have made this Italian sausage soup, I would love to hear about it in the comments below and be sure to rate the recipe!

Swiss Chard Soup with Sausage

Whenever the weather takes a turn for the cold, I go to my collection of good-for-the-soul soup recipes like this Swiss Chard Soup with Sausage

5 from 4 votes

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Course: Soup

Cuisine: Italian

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 202kcal

Author: Maria Vannelli RD

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Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large onion chopped
• ½ pound Italian sausage mild or strong, casings removed
• salt and pepper to taste
• 6 cloves garlic coarsely chopped
• pinch red pepper flakes optional, or as much as you like
• 1 tablespoon sage fresh, chopped
• 1 teaspoon thyme fresh, chopped
• ¼ cup white wine optional
• 1 medium butternut squash diced into ½-¾ inch cubes
• 6 cups vegetable or chicken broth low fat, low sodium or homemade
• rind of Parmesan cheese optional
• 1 bay leaf
• ⅓ cup orzo
• 3 cups Swiss chard chopped, about 1 bunch
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

To Garnish:

• Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese or Pecorino Romano Cheese

Instructions

• Place a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and sauté the onion, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes or until softened.
• Add the sausage and continue to sauté, all the while breaking up the meat until cooked through.
• Add the garlic and the herbs, and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
• If desired, add ¼ cup of white wine and cook for an additional minute or so.
• Add the diced squash, the broth, the bay leaf, and the rind of Parmesan cheese.
• Turn the heat to high to bring to a boil.
• Reduce the heat, partially cover and allow to simmer for 25-30 minutes or until you can easily insert a knife in the squash. Stir occasionally.
• Add the chopped ribs of the Swiss chard.
• Add the orzo pasta. Cook according to package directions.
• When the pasta is almost al dente, add the Swiss chard leaves.
• Taste and adjust seasonings.
• Remove from heat. Stir in the lemon juice.
• Remove bay leaf and rind of Parmesan cheese.
• If desired, garnish with grated cheese and serve immediately.

Scroll UP for the STEP by STEP PhotosDon't miss the process shots and videos included in most posts. Simply scroll up the post to find them. Those were created especially for you so that you can make the recipe perfectly every single time you try it.

Notes

• Cut the vegetables uniformly so that they cook evenly.
• Roast the butternut squash seeds. Not only are they edible, but they are also a great source of plant protein. One-quarter cup of seeds contains almost 3 grams of plant protein.
• Swiss chard can be replaced with spinach, escarole, kale or any other green. 
• If desired, you can easily add other vegetables to this soup (carrot, celery, or even a potato).
• The addition of parmesan rind will add an incredible amount of flavor to the broth. Remove before serving. 
• As the soup sits, the orzo will absorb A LOT of the broth. If making this soup to serve at a later time, do not add the orzo. 
• Use less broth for a thicker bowl of soup.

Please keep in mind that the nutritional information provided below is just a rough estimate and variations can occur depending on the specific ingredients used. 

*Recipe adapted from Emeril

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 202kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 886mg | Potassium: 644mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 10818IU | Vitamin C: 39mg | Calcium: 81mg | Iron: 2mg

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This post was originally published on November 15, 2015, and republished on October 24, 2020, with an updated recipe, content and photos.