Alton Brown's 'Christmas Soup' Recipe

Alton Brown Makes This 'Christmas Soup' Recipe Every Year

4.3

(4)

4 Reviews

You don't have to wait for the holidays. This is great on any chilly night.

Published on November 25, 2023

Alton Brown on a green design background — Photo:
Dotdash Meredith/Getty Images

A warm bowl of soup during the winter months is always a welcome comfort. This holiday season, one recipe we'll be coming back to time and time again is Alton Brown's Christmas Soup. The host of the Food Network's series Good Eats and Iron Chef knows a thing or two about executing a flawless recipe, and this sausage soup does not disappoint.

"Sausage, potatoes, and kale make a hearty soup for a cold winter night. Without fail, I make this Christmas Soup for the holidays every year. In other words, it's a tradition," Brown writes in the headnote for the soup recipe. "Kids love traditions, so I say, let them make the soup so they can leave a bowl for Santa. Sneaky!"

For the soup, Alton Brown combines kielbasa, fresh garlic, dried red kidney beans, red potatoes, and kale with chicken broth, red wine vinegar, and more for a savory soup that is bound to impress the discerning soup lover's palate. You would also never believe it only takes 30 minutes of active cooking time to prepare.

With only a handful of common ingredients and not too much prep time to pull off this recipe, we feel it will be in our Christmas dinner menu for many years. Get the full recipe on AltonBrown.com, or follow the recipe below.

Love Alton Brown's skills in the kitchen? We've got you covered with these 12 Alton Brown recipes that we can't stop making.

Ingredients

1 lb. kielbasa, sliced 1/4-inch thick, on the bias
Vegetable oil, as needed
8 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. dried red kidney beans, soaked for at least 4 hours or overnight
2 qts. unsalted chicken broth
2 tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 lb. red potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
6 oz. fresh kale, washed, rinsed, and torn into 1-inch pieces
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar, plus more to taste
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Cook sausage:

Start by browning the kielbasa in a Dutch oven over medium-low heat for about 15 minutes. Remove and set aside. Make sure to have at least two teaspoons of fat in the Dutch oven, or add vegetable oil to make this amount.
Cook garlic:

Next, stirring constantly, add garlic to the fat for one to two minutes. (Do not let the garlic burn).
Add beans and broth:

Add the beans, chicken broth, and two teaspoons of salt.
Simmer soup:

Cook covered for 45 minutes.
Add potatoes:

Next, stir in the potatoes and continue cooking for an additional 15 minutes covered, stirring occasionally.
Add kale:

Add kale, cover, and cook for 10 more minutes until it is tender.
Add vinegar and kielbasa:

Finally, add vinegar and pepper. Stir until combined and return the kielbasa to the pot. Heat thoroughly. Add seasoning to taste. Serve hot.

Alton Brown Makes This 'Christmas Soup' Recipe Every Year

Ingredients

Directions

Cook sausage:

Cook garlic:

Add beans and broth:

Simmer soup:

Add potatoes:

Add kale:

Add vinegar and kielbasa:

Related Articles