This Gluten Free Italian Sausage and Spinach Cream of Leek Soup has all the flavors that a perfect comfort meal could offer; sausage, potatoes, and spinach in a leek flavored cream base. Mmm, mmm GOOD!
WAHHHHHH!!!
Can I reserve the right to be a baby just for one minute please??? I HURT!!! Like my whole entire body really hurts. Let’s see, where do I start???
Symptoms:
- I have a headache. I NEVER get headaches. Kudos to all you people that deal with these on a routine basis.
- My neck hurts. You know when you sleep on your neck wrong and it’s all stiff and won’t turn in the direction that you intend and you look like an idiot turning your whole body to talk to the person next to you??? Phew, take a breath. Ahhhh. Yeah, that’s my neck right now.
- My throat is sore. Swallow. Ow. Swallow. Ow.
- My nose is runny. I feel like a two year old with a faucet on my face.
- My nose is stuffy. How does that even happen?! I don’t get how you can be congested and simultaneously have a runny nose. It’s a cruel joke indeed.
- I’m tired. Haha! What’s new?! I’m not quite sure this is an actual sign of sickness since this is my day to day reality.
- I’m dizzy, disoriented, cloudy in the head, however the heck you want to describe it. No sudden movements over here or I may pass out face first on the ground. Then my stuffy runny nose could just be broken. But wait, then I would get a nose job and have a perfectly pretty honker and all my troubles would miraculously go away!!! Or not.
Have I complained enough? Okay, rant over. Fact of the matter is that I don’t feel good.
Here’s the ironic part about being sick. Ben’s going to kill me for saying this, but what the hey, who reads this anyway. Haha!
So Ben left to be in Arizona for the next 5 weeks. Wah, wah, I know. As all husbands would agree, he needed some “tender love and care” before a 5 week physical hiatus. However…poor guy got sick a few days before departing and was in the “don’t touch me because you may be contagious” hands and lips free zone.
Me, being the amazing wife that I am (yeah freaking right!), gave him the green light the night before he flew out. Ben being the most thoughtful guy that he is, politely (and heart wrenchingly) declined because he said he would feel too guilty if I ended up sick having to take care of the two girls by myself.
Secretly I was relieved because it was late and I was tired anyway. I got off scotch free! Wahoo!!! Haha, okay I wasn’t that excited…maybe a little.
Anyway, joke’s on me because look who’s got the bug???! MEEEEEEE!!! Wah wah again.
But I still got the better end of the deal. Poor Ben ended up having to go to the minute clinic in Phoenix after waking up with a pink eye. Dude’s got an ear infection that transferred to his eyeball. Why do I find this funny? I do have to say, I’m sure glad somebody else is dealing with my sick hubby and not me. Men are babies when they’re sick. Am I right?
Love you babe!
So now that we have established my sickness and where it may or may not have come from, let’s discuss how to get rid of it. Sleep would be good, but I’m obviously not doing that at the moment. So if I ain’t gonna sleep, how about I eat some soup?! Soup is soothing, right?
Forget chicken noodle and go big with a bowl of this creamy and comforting Gluten Free Italian Sausage and Spinach Cream of Leek Soup. So so soooooooooooo GOOD!
I don’t even need to be sick to crave a bowl of this stuff. Although, in my current state, I am definitely not complaining that I have a bowl in the freezer that I can thaw for tomorrow. But really, this soup is like a comfort food classic.
It’s creamy and we all know comforting creamy food is. Seriously, what doesn’t taste better with a bit of cream?
It’s hearty. Between the bites of sausage and the chunks of tender potatoes, this soup is all out filling and satisfying.
It’s full of flavor. Adding sherry wine to the soup adds a level of flavor that is phenomenal. Plus, with seasonings like sage, paprika, and garlic, there is no way for this soup to be bland.
And with all that yummy flavor going on, I balanced it out with some healthy and fresh spinach leaves. That cancels out the cream, I think. Hehe.
Luckily, as I hinted before, this soup freezes well. Make a batch and inhale it with family and friends, or selfishly save it for yourself by portioning it in the freezer. Nobody will judge. Especially on a day when you’re sick, and tired, and achy, and look like crap like me. Ain’t nobody gonna judge me for pulling that soup out of the freezer. And if you do, you’re messing with the wrong cranky momma.
What food do you crave when you’re sick?
- 1 lb. uncooked Italian sausage
- 1 cup thinly slice leeks (white part of stalk until barely green, about 1 stalk)
- salt and pepper for seasoning
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 qt. chicken broth
- ½ cup sherry cooking wine
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 cups peeled and diced russet potatoes (or 2 cans potatoes, drained and diced)*
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- ⅓ cup white rice flour
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon dried crushed sage
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 2 cups freshly chopped spinach, tightly packed
- ½-1 cup milk (optional)
- In a large pot, cook sausage on medium heat until browned. Remove and place on paper towel to absorb oil.
- Add sliced leeks to pan and season with a few shakes of salt and pepper. Scrape bottom of pan with spatula and cook until tender, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add minced garlic and cook 1 minute more, stirring to not burn garlic.
- Add leek mixture and chicken broth to a blender and blend until completely smooth and no chunks of leeks remain. Return soup to pot.
- Add sherry, bay leaves, and diced potatoes (if raw)* and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
- While potatoes are cooking, whisk together cream, white rice flour, ¾ teaspoon salt, paprika, sage, and pepper. Once potatoes are cooked, whisk cream mixture once more and slowly pour into pot, stirring as you pour.
- Bring mixture to a low boil. Stir vigorously until soup has thickened into a chowder consistency, about 3-5 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Stir in chopped spinach and cooked sausage. Heat an additional 5 minutes until spinach has softened. Add milk for a thinner consistency according to personal preference. Season to taste.
- Serve soup warm with desired toppings. Store leftover soup in an airtight container in fridge for up to 5 days.
