Sometimes we just crave soup, even if it’s in the dead heat of the summer. P.S. Today it was over 100 degrees AGAIN and super dry AGAIN!! But moving along, Zach and I haven’t been feeling 100%, so tonight we decided to keep dinner easy, clean, and nourishing. This soup turned out just that way. We combined a medley of broth, sausage, potatoes, onions, and many other veggies into a large stock pot and let simmer all evening. Not only did it smell delicious, but it tasted just as delicious as it smelled! It was the perfect remedy for a not so great-feeling tummy, and it filled the house with a comforting aroma!



[sc:adsense1]

We like to think of this soup as an Italian Wedding Soup on steroids. The addition of heavy cream, pancetta, leeks, and potatoes; and the substitution of kale for spinach elevates this Italian Wedding Soup to something new, exciting, and fragrant. The addition of red pepper flakes creates a slight kick that elevates the flavors of this soup even further.

If you haven’t noticed, Zach and I are pretty “obsessed” with Odells Brewing Company right now. Zach found their Imperial Extra Pale Ale Pond Hopper sitting all by it’s lonesome self on the shelf. Of course, we had to try it, since we have to try anything and everything Odell’s. This pairing ended up being just dumb luck. We thought a pale ale would be subtle enough for this soup, so we were unsure about using an Extra Pale Ale. It wasn’t bitter, and the subtleness really brought out the red pepper flake in this dish. In this soup, the red pepper flake almost gets lost with all of the other flavors. With hints of kick here and there, we felt that this dish almost NEEDED the pairing with Pond Hopper. This beer elevated the flavors of this dish so dramatically, that I think we will only ever drink extra pale ales with lighter soup!

Enjoy this recipe when you aren’t feeling so hot, or if you just want a delicious light soup!