This lemony chicken sausage and farro soup is an easy, healthy, cozy recipe to make after the holidays and throughout winter, so that you feel nourished even on your busiest or laziest days. Chicken sausage and farro make this soup hearty and high in protein!
SOUP! The answer is soup. That is, the answer to the question of what you should make for the week between Christmas and New Years, because you've just exhausted your energy on holiday food prep and socializing with family and friends. Now you just need something cozy and healthy and hearty and nearly effortless, right?? ME TOO.
I don't know about you, but I always associate the week between Christmas and New Years with low key living, being cozy, and being around family and friends. Although Christmas Day has officially come and gone, I like to really slow down and enjoy the extra time I have off from work, complete with unstructured days and rest and no worries. All that coziness -- that, and the chilly midwest winter air -- really puts me in the mood for soup. And also melted cheese. Are we on the same page?? I thought we might be.
And just for that, I made you some Italian, bread-dunking goodness also known as lemony chicken sausage and farro soup to warm you up this between-holidays week, and all winter long. (Because let's face it -- and I mean this with a sense of embrace, not doom -- winter has only just begun).
What You'll Need for Chicken Sausage and Farro Soup
For this soup, you'll need the following ingredients:
- Chicken sausage. There's room for flexibility here, though I strongly recommend something nitrite and/or preservative free. I chose a sweet Italian flavored chicken sausage (the pre-cooked kind that you just heat up), but I'm sure any flavor would work.
- Farro. Farro is an Italian grain that's high in nutritional value, and it's very similar to barley or wheat berries in both texture and flavor. I found a kind at Trader Joe's that cooks in ten minutes, but usually farro takes about 30 minutes to cook.
- Mirepoix. Also known as chopped onions, celery, and carrots -- your typical soup starter base. You can buy mirepoix pre-chopped to save time, but I usually just chop up my own veggies. You'll also need a bit of olive oil or butter for sautéing these guys.
- Broth. Chicken or veggie.
- Garlic. A few minced cloves for flavor and extra nutritional value.
- Lemons. One or two will do. The fresh-squeezed lemon juice MAKES this soup. Well, that and the parmesan 😉 We'll squeeze the juice of one lemon into the broth while cooking, and then save one more for serving.
- Kale. This is soup is a lot prettier with some dark greens to balance it out 🙂 I didn't chop up the kale very much because it cooks down a TON in the soup. We'll add this as our last step in the cooking process.
- Parmesan. Sprinkle on a generous amount of grated or shaved parmesan just before serving. And, if you're fancy and want a ridiculously delicious flavored soup broth, throw a parmesan rind in the soup while it's simmering.
- Salt, pepper, and Herbes de Provence. If you don't have Herbes de Provence on hand, just use a blend of dried Italian herbs such as rosemary, oregano, and/or basil.
How It's Gonna Go Down
Okay. Soup. What I love about it, is that it pretty much always starts the same way, with a bit of olive oil or butter and your onions, garlic, celery, and carrots (mirepoix).
As such, you'll heat some olive oil or butter (a tablespoon or two) in a large pot or dutch oven, and sauté the garlic, onions, celery and carrots, which you so finely diced up. While those are sautéing, slice the chicken sausage into coins, or cut each sausage in half lengthwise before slicing them crosswise into little semi-circle chunks.
After about seven minutes or so, the veggies should be softened up. At this time you'll add in the broth with a bit of water, plus the farro. Crank the heat and bring that whole mixture to a boil before you add in the chicken sausage, and then reduce everything to a simmer. Now we'll throw in some flavors like a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, just a dash of salt for now (later you can adjust to taste), pepper, Herbes de Provence, optional bay leaf, and a parmesan rind if you have one on hand.
Cover the pot and let all of that simmer for about 30 minutes. If the farro has absorbed too much liquid, feel free to add in more broth or water by ½-1 cup -- more/less based on the thickness you like. I made this batch thicker, more like stew.
After 30 minutes, turn off the heat and toss in a few large handfuls of kale. Cover the pot and let it sit for a few minutes while the kale cooks down. Then, remove the lid and give everything a good stir to get the kale all up in there.
Finally, get out bowls, parmesan, lemons, bread and butter, and friends ;). Serve each bowl with some quality parmesan, a squeeze of lemon, some freshly cracked black pepper, and your favorite bread on the side. I like sourdough 🙂
It makes a BIG batch so you can have it all week, and you can always double for a large family or extra freezer meals.
I hope you find this cozy chicken sausage and farro soup to be just what you need for a healthy comfort food fix.
xoxo!
PrintLemony Chicken Sausage and Farro Soup
This lemony chicken sausage and farro soup is an easy, healthy, cozy recipe to make after the holidays and throughout winter, so that you feel nourished even on your busiest or laziest days. Chicken sausage and farro make this soup hearty and high in protein!
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 45
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 6-8 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- A healthy swish of olive oil or pat of butter
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 1 cup celery, diced
- 1 cup carrots, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 cups chicken or veggie broth
- 2 cups water
- 1 package pre-cooked chicken sausage (nitrite free, if possible), sliced into coins
- 1 cup dried farro (or 2 cups cooked)
- 2 tbsp Herbes de Provence
- 2 lemons, halved
- 1 parmesan rind (optional)
- 5 cups chopped kale
- salt and pepper
- Shaved or grated parmesan, for serving
Instructions
- Heat olive oil or butter over medium in a large pot or dutch oven. Add onion, garlic, celery, carrots, and a pinch of salt, and sauté until softened (about seven minutes).
- Add broth, water, chicken sausage coins, farro, Herbes de Provence, juice of 1 lemon, a few shakes of pepper, and parmesan rind (if using). Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and let cook for 30 minutes, or until farro is completely cooked.
- Turn off heat and remove lid from pot. Add in kale, a dash each of salt and pepper, and place lid back on pot for five more minutes to wilt kale. After five minutes, remove lid from pot again and give the soup a few good stirs. Add more salt and/or pepper to taste.
- Serve each bowl with a generous amount of shaved parmesan, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, and freshly cracked black pepper. It's also delicious with warm bread and butter or olive oil.
Notes
*This soup freezes well for 3-4 months.
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