Kale and Apple Soup | www.floatingkitchen.net

Kale and Apple Soup

This post was originally published here on February 4, 2015. I’ve since updated the recipe slightly and added new (and better!) photos. Enjoy!

And just like that, we’re right smack into the middle of January. Seriously, how does this time go by so fast? I feel like I say that as we approach the end of every day/month/year. But it just seems to be true. Time flies when you’re having fun, right?

So how are you doing with your New Year’s resolutions? It’s a damn good thing that I didn’t make any regarding food, because whoa nelly would I have broken them all this weekend. Shattered them, actually.

Kale and Apple Soup | www.floatingkitchen.net

I don’t know what got into me. Well, I know exactly what got into me: a couple of bags of Valentine’s Day candy. Seriously, I don’t know what it is about Valentine’s Day candy, but it’s my favorite and I can’t ever seem to resist it. And with the stores pushing the Holiday’s earlier and earlier each year, I’m doomed from the start of January until mid-February.

Side note: My friend Christina wrote a little Valentine’s Day candy review this past week and it’s a fun read, if you’re into that sort of thing.

So it’s back to soups and smoothies for me for the next couple of days. And this Kale and Apple Soup is one I’ll be enjoying on the regular.

Kale and Apple Soup | www.floatingkitchen.net

Now, don’t go and immediately write this soup off as some weird dieter recipe. Sure, it’s packed full of greens and it can certainly be labeled “healthy”. But it also has a little bacon, which gives it a rich, luscious taste. And it’s not at all thin, watery and one-dimensional. Those are not good characteristics for soup, or otherwise. Nope. This Kale and Apple Soup has body, a touch of sweetness from some maple syrup and a little bit of heat from a heavy sprinkling of red and black pepper flakes to finish it off. It’s a recipe that I’ve been making for a couple years now. And it’s one I always go back too when I feel the need to be a little bit kinder to my body.

Kale and Apple Soup | www.floatingkitchen.net

The soup recipe itself is dairy free. Although I do love adding a little drizzle of heavy cream on top. But you can certainly skip that part, if you prefer. No big deal!

Cheers,

Liz

Kale and Apple Soup

Kale and Apple Soup

At a Glance:
Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

For the Soup:

  • 1/4 cup chopped bacon
  • 1 large bunch of kale (about 10-ounces), thick stems removed
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 4-6 cups chicken or vegetable broth, divided
  • 1/2 yellow onion, peeled and chopped
  • 1 Granny smith apple, cored and chopped
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. black pepper
  • 2 tsp. maple syrup

For Topping:

  • Red pepper flakes
  • Black pepper
  • Heavy cream
  • Maple syrup

Instructions

  1. In a large heavy-bottom pot over medium-high heat, cook the bacon until it’s just starting to brown, about 1-2 minutes. Add the kale, parsley and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, stirring to coat the kale and parsley in the fat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the kale is wilted, about 5 minutes. Add about 2 cups of the broth and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and set it aside to cool slightly.
  2. Carefully transfer the kale mixture to your blender and blend on high until smooth. Be careful when transferring and blending hot liquids, and work in batches if necessary. Transfer the blended kale mixture to a clean bowl and set it aside.
  3. Place the pot back over medium-high heat and warm the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes or until softened. Stir in the chopped apple, salt and black pepper and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Add 2 cups of the broth and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and set it aside to cool slightly.
  4. Carefully transfer the apple mixture to your blender and blend on high until smooth. Be careful when transferring and blending hot liquids, and work in batches if necessary. Add the blended apple mixture and the maple syrup to the blended kale mixture, stirring to combine.
  5. Re-heat the soup as necessary, adding additional broth to thin it to your desired consistency. Lade the hot soup into bowls for serving. Top with a sprinkle of red pepper flakes, black pepper and a drizzle of heavy cream and/or maple syrup, if desired.

Notes

Recipe adapted from The Kitchn.

52 comments on “Kale and Apple Soup”

  1. I totally want to make this soup & order fresh flowers stat!! Pinned 🙂

  2. I love succulents; although, I tend to murder them. This kale and apple soup is absolutely gorgeous.

  3. I just love the sound of this soup!

  4. Ohhhhh yooooooou….this soup makes my heart flutter! I’m all about a nutritious smooth soup to enjoy on a cold winter’s day. Put that green on repeat, puh-lease and thank you! Heading to check out Flora’s shop now!

  5. This soup sounds amazing, Liz! I love the combination of kale and apples, so creative! And I love the pretty green color, too!

  6. This soup sounds divine, Liz! I’ve never put apples in soup so this is a must try! Pinning

  7. I have been looking to get some succulents to decorate my dreary apartment! Thanks for letting me know about the Flora Etsy shop! Kale and apple soup sounds wonderful together in soup form! Must try it soon!

  8. Apple soup?? What a great idea!! I love all the flavors going on here!! 🙂

  9. These photos make me so happy! I love that bright green soup with those pretty succulents 🙂 I don’t think I can keep even succulents alive (I have a terrible black thumb) but I’m willing to try. This soup sounds so soul satisfying!

  10. I’m the biggest kale lover, and it’s so delicious with bacon! This soup looks thick, creamy and delicious, and I’m glad there are no succulents in it! haha

  11. Love this soup and those succulents are so beautiful! (Seriously craving some green 🙂

  12. Liz, I love succulents!!! i’ll have to check out Lynn’s stuff. . looks so cool and love the chalk board pieces too! and hey love the soup. . esp the apples!

  13. I saw bacon as the first ingredient and I forgot about the kale. Sneaky lady!!

  14. Oh man, I like everything about this soup. Such a pretty green, too! Looking forward to checking out Flora – love succulents!

  15. This looks amazing! I also love succulents, they’re green, but low-maintenance 🙂

  16. The soup, the succulents… makes one forget about the drab winter weather! My poor succulents are barely getting by right now. I brought them in for the winter, but they’re not lookin too good, sadly. I’ll need to pick some fresh ones for spring and nurse the others back to health! So Lynn swooped in just in time! I just popped in over at Flora and her work is quite remarkable! Thank you, Liz, for sharing your lovely neighbor with us, and this vibrant recipe!

    • So glad you love the recipe and Lynn’s work! She is really talented! And I hope you can find some more succulents to replace the ones that aren’t doing so hot! 🙂

  17. this looks delicious, and so healthy!

  18. The soup sounds delicious…and such a pretty color. The succulents look sooo much better than my feeble attempts at succulent scaping. It just might be time for me to buy them.

  19. I love this flavour! The more green in my soup, the better!

  20. These photos are GORGEOUS!! I love love love succulents, they really are so pretty! Your soup sounds delish, too!

  21. This post made me smile 🙂 Great recipe and beautiful photos!

  22. Such a beautiful green color! Can’t wait for spring – and to try this soup!

  23. Ha, I would have never guessed there was bacon in here just by looking at all the green 🙂

  24. This kale and apple soup is potentially delicious, but from the start I was puzzled by the four cups of stock. Never mind! I made it with exactly the quantities given in the recipe, and the result was not a soup but a very thick puree. In the end i kept adding more stock till I arrived at the consistency of a fairly thick soup; I did not measure exactly how much stock I had to add, but it was probably around 2 – 3 additional cups. Any comments?

    • Thanks for trying the recipe, Michael. It certainly is a bit on the thicker side. Glad you were able to add more liquid to achieve the consistency that you prefer.

  25. I’m all heart eyes with your update, Liz.. (!!) What a difference a year makes, right? And dang it, that V day! For me, it’s not the candy, but cookies and chocolate!! Anything chocolatey and sweet.. IDK what my deal is!? It’s still a month away. OMG!

    • I know, it’s so far away but it’s ALL about the Valentine’s Day candy at the stores right now. Ugh! I need to stay very far away from those aisles! Lol!

  26. Love the new photos!! I love any excuse to add to kale to diet so this beautiful soup sounds incredible. I really love the combination of kale and apple too!

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