Instant Pot Sausage and Kale Soup was inspired by some earlier soup recipes, but this soup uses cauliflower rice to keep it low in carbs! And we loved this with a few generous spoonfuls of grated Parmesan cheese!

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Instant Pot Sausage and Kale Soup shown in serving bowl with Parmesan and Instant Pot in background

Two of my favorite soup ingredients are definitely spicy Hot Italian Sausage and kale, and through the years I’ve made quite a few soup variations that included those ingredients. But a lot of those variations for sausage and kale soup included beans or orzo, something I’m less likely to include in a soup recipe these days.

And we didn’t miss the beans at all in this new Instant Pot Sausage and Kale Soup! This soup starts out with onion, turkey or pork Italian sausage, ground fennel, dried oregano, dried basil, diced tomatoes, and chicken stock. After those cook under pressure for just a few minutes, you add chopped kale and cauliflower rice and simmer a bit longer.

Your house will smell great while the sausage and kale soup simmers to finish it, and the soup will be done quickly. Then serve with freshly-grated Parmesan to add at the table and enjoy!

This recipe was inspired by Italian Sausage and Kale Soup with Whole Wheat Orzo and Sausage and Kale Soup with Tomatoes. Use the links to find the old printer-friendly version of those recipes if you were a fan!

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

  • onion
  • Olive Oil (affiliate link)
  • Minced Garlic (affiliate link)
  • ground fennel (affiliate link)
  • Dried Oregano (affiliate link)
  • Dried Basil (affiliate link)
  • hot turkey or pork Italian Sausage
  • chicken broth
  • canned petite dice tomatoes
  • chopped kale
  • frozen cauliflower rice
  • salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste

Is pork or turkey Italian Sausage best for the sausage and kale soup?

For many years I was a huge fan of turkey Italian sausage, and then suddenly I wasn’t able to find it in the stores near me. So if you can find turkey Italian Sausage for this soup, that would be my preference. But the soup will be delicious with pork sausage too.

Can you make sausage and kale soup with baby kale?

I love making soup with dark green curly kale and don’t really mind the work of cutting the ribs out and chopping the kale. But if you want to make this even quicker to get on the table you can use packaged baby kale. The baby kale is thinner and will be a bit softer in the finished soup.

Want more Soups with Cauliflower Rice?

Check out Low-Carb and Keto Soups with Cauliflower Rice to find more tasty soup recipes like this one.

What Size Instant Pot Did I Use?

I use a 6 Quart Instant Pot (affiliate link) for all my Instant Pot Recipes! You can find more Instant Pot Recipes on my other site, Slow Cooker or Pressure Cooker, and that site got a makeover so it’s easier to use!

recipe steps collage for Instant Pot Sausage and Kale Soup

How to Make Instant Pot Sausage and Kale Soup:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

  1. Heat olive oil in the Instant Pot. Add onion and cook about 5 minutes.
  2. Add garlic and spices and cooker 1-2 minutes longer.
  3. Squeeze sausage out of the links and add to Instant Pot. 
  4. Turn heat to HIGH and brown sausage until it’s well-browned.
  5. Add petite diced tomatoes with juice and chicken broth. 
  6. Lock lid and turn Instant Pot to MANUAL, HIGH PRESSURE, 5 minutes.
  7. The next photo shows how to cut away the ribs and chop the kale. 
  8. While soup cooks, chop the kale and wash in salad spinner if needed. 
  9. When cooking time ends, use QUICK RELEASE to release the pressure.
  10. Add chopped kale and cauliflower rice to the pot.
  11. Set Instant Pot to SAUTE, MEDIUM HEAT, 15 minutes. 
  12. When time ends, check to see if cauliflower rice and kale is done to your preference.
  13. Serve hot, with freshly grated Parmesan cheese to add at the table.

Instant Pot Sausage and Kale Soup in soup bowl with Instant Pot in back

Make it a Low-Carb Meal:

This tasty Sausage and Kale Soup would be great with Almond Flour Savory Bread, Low-Carb High Fiber Savory Muffins, Olive Bread, Flourless Zucchini Muffins, or even Flourless Savory Breakfast Muffins.

More Favorite Instant Pot Soup Recipes:

Weekend Food Prep:

This recipe has been added to my category for Weekend Food Prep where you’ll find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!

Instant Pot Sausage and Kale Soup finished soup in serving bowl
Yield: 6 servings

Instant Pot Sausage and Kale Soup

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Additional Time 15 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes

Instant Pot Sausage and Kale Soup uses cauliflower rice instead of beans to keep it low in carbs.

Ingredients

  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 T olive oil
  • 1 T minced garlic
  • 2 tsp. ground fennel
  • 2 tsp. dried oregano
  • 2 tsp. dried basil
  • one 19.5 oz. package hot turkey Italian Sausage (see notes)
  • 8 cups chicken broth (see notes)
  • one 14.5 oz. can petite dice tomatoes
  • 4 cups chopped kale
  • 1 cup frozen cauliflower rice
  • salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Heat olive oil in the Instant Pot using SAUTE, MEDIUM HEAT.
  2. Add onion and cook about 5 minutes.
  3. Add garlic and spices and cook 1-2 minutes longer.
  4. Squeeze sausage out of the links and add to Instant Pot.
  5. Turn heat to HIGH and brown sausage until it's well browned and all water has evaporated, about 6-8 minutes.
  6. Add petite diced tomatoes with juice and chicken broth or stock.
  7. Lock lid and set Instant Pot to MANUAL, HIGH PRESSURE, 5 minutes.
  8. While soup cooks, chop the kale and wash in salad spinner if needed. (We used about 4 cups of chopped kale, but use as much as you prefer.)
  9. When cooking time ends, use QUICK RELEASE to release the pressure.
  10. Add chopped kale and cauliflower rice to the pot.
  11. Set Instant Pot to SAUTE, MEDIUM HEAT, 15 minutes.
  12. After 15 minutes, check to see if cauliflower rice and kale is done to your preference.
  13. Season soup to taste with salt and fresh-ground black pepper.
  14. Serve hot, with freshly grated Parmesan cheese to add at the table.

Notes

Use hot or mild sausage and turkey or pork sausage, whichever you prefer. Homemade chicken stock would be great in this recipe, but chicken stock from a can or a carton will also be fine.

This recipe inspired by several earlier soups on the blog.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 269Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 96mgSodium: 1999mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 3gSugar: 3gProtein: 28g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Did you make this recipe?

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating (under the PRINT button in the recipe) or share a photo of your results on Instagram! THANKS!

square image of Instant Pot Sausage and Kale Soup in soup bowl with Parmesan in background

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This Instant Pot Sausage and Kale Soup with cauliflower rice is a great dish for low-carb diet plans including Keto, and also for any phase of the original South Beach Diet.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Instant Pot Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This tasty Instant Pot Soup with Sausage and Kale was first posted in 2020. The recipe was last updated with more information in 2023.

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