From the roundup: 22 Instant Pot Soup Recipes for Easy Weeknight Dinners

A half-used package of Italian sausage in the fridge, one bunch of kale that was two days from turning, and a couple of cans of white beans were what pushed me toward this Instant Pot Italian sausage and kale soup on a Wednesday with nothing else planned. I brown the sausage right in the pot first, which takes about eight minutes and builds enough flavor in the bottom that the broth does not taste flat. The one mistake worth avoiding: add the cream after pressure cooking, not before, because I learned the hard way that cream under pressure comes out curdled and grainy. Kale also holds up better than spinach here, so the leftovers the next day still look like soup instead of a green mush situation, which matters when you are feeding seven people in shifts.

Why you will love this

The sausage browns first, so the fat and spice go directly into the broth without any extra seasoning work.
Potatoes cook under pressure in minutes and naturally thicken the soup without adding flour or cornstarch.
Kale holds its texture after pressure cooking, so the soup reheats well for lunch the next day without going mushy.
Cream and Parmesan go in at the very end, which means you can adjust richness to taste before serving.
One pot from sauté to table, so cleanup is a single insert and a ladle.

Tips for success

Drain most of the sausage fat after browning, but leave a thin film in the pot. Too much fat makes the broth greasy; too little and the broth tastes flat.
Cut potatoes into roughly equal cubes, about three-quarter inch. Uneven pieces mean some turn to mush while others are still firm when pressure releases.
Add cream only after the pressure cooking cycle is done and the pot is off the heat. Adding it before pressure can cause it to curdle and the texture won’t recover.
Stir the kale in during the last minute of the sauté setting or just from residual heat. It wilts fast and you want it tender but still green, not army-colored.

If the soup turns out greasy or bland

Greasy broth: you likely left too much fat after browning. Tilt the pot and skim with a spoon, or lay a paper towel flat on the surface for a few seconds.
Bland broth: taste before serving and add salt in small amounts. The Parmesan adds a lot of salt, so season after it goes in, not before.
Too thick after sitting in the fridge: add a splash of chicken broth when reheating, not water, or the flavor thins out.

Substitutions

Turkey or chicken Italian sausage works well here. Because it’s leaner, add a drizzle of olive oil to the pot before browning so it doesn’t stick. Baby spinach can replace the kale, but stir it in with the heat off so it doesn’t overcook into nothing. For a lighter soup, half-and-half works in place of heavy cream. To skip dairy entirely, leave out the cream and finish with a spoonful of good olive oil and extra Parmesan on top.

Sweet potatoes can stand in for Yukon Golds if that’s what you have. They cook at roughly the same rate under pressure and add a little sweetness that works with the spicy sausage. If you need a gluten-free version, just double-check your sausage label since some brands add fillers.

Make-ahead and storage

This soup keeps in the fridge for up to four days. It thickens considerably as it sits because the potatoes absorb the broth, so add a splash of chicken broth when reheating and stir over medium-low until warmed through. Don’t rush it on high heat or the cream can break.

For freezing, the soup freezes for up to two months but the cream can separate when it thaws. It’s not ruined, just whisk it steadily while reheating over low heat and it usually comes back together. If you know you’re making a batch to freeze, hold the cream out entirely and stir it in fresh when you reheat.

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