Swamp Soup With Turnip Greens
Do you love soup but tired of all the recipes out there with the same ingredients? I took the usual sausage soup and tested it with kielbasa and greens and they made it so much better. Swamp Soup is funny to say, even more delicious to eat, and made in one pot!
Swamp Soup Recipe
Similar to a turnip green soup or southern pea soup, this Swamp Soup recipe is one of the best things that I’ve found for incorporating vegetables into a hearty meal without losing out on any of the flavor.
And aren’t we all looking for ways to get more veggies in us and our families? Not to mention affordable and full of protein!
It will quickly become your new go-to for those cold days. Much like this busy day soup and this spicy lasagna soup.
See recipe card for complete information on ingredients and their quantities.
Ingredient Notes
- Smoked sausage – If you can’t find smoked sausage, swap for polish kielbasa, andouille sausage, or meatballs.
- Knorr vegetable soup mix – You can also make your own vegetable soup mix if need be.
- Chicken broth – This can be substituted with chicken stock, vegetable broth, or beef broth.
- Great Northern beans – Switch out cans of great northern beans for black beans, white beans, or navy beans.
- Seasoned turnip greens – Fresh turnip greens work best for swamp soup, or use frozen spinach or kale instead.
- Short pasta – I personally use Ditalini but any small tube shaped pasta works.
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How To Make Swamp Soup
- Cook pasta al dente, drain and set aside. In a large soup pot over medium heat to medium-high heat, cook diced sausage and onion for 3 – 4 minutes, until sausage brows and onions soften.
- Add in garlic and stir, cooking for 1 minute. Add in soup mix, broth, beans, and greens, stirring to combine. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.
- Simmer over low residual heat until greens are tender and soup mix is rehydrated. Wait to add pasta until 10 minutes before serving.
- Season whole pot with additional salt and black pepper if desired. Serve with hot sauce and a slice of corn bread or hush puppies.
For the full recipe and detailed instructions, please see the recipe card at the end of this post.
Serving Suggestions
This soup has a very Southern comfort feel to it, so I personally like to serve it with other comfort foods like collard greens, corn and rice casserole, and mac and cheese.
For a healthier option, pair it with a salad.
How long does it last?
This swamp soup is just as good the next day as it is when you first make it, so I highly recommend saving your leftovers.
Place in an airtight container and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.
You can also freeze this soup by portioning them into single servings. Then chill in the fridge and let them cool before moving them to the freezer.
Variations
One of the best things to add when I make swamp soup is to add in small cubes of Swiss cheese to each bowl before serving them.
The flavor of the Swiss cheese pairs well with the sausage and soup mix, and provides a nice cheesy touch to this recipe.
You can also serve it with some tortilla chips for dipping because this soup is nice and thick.
Tips For No Leftovers
- Prep the sausage and onions in a little olive oil ahead of time and either freeze or keep in the fridge until ready to use.
- If you’re not a big Swiss cheese fan, you can use Mozzarella instead! They have a similar consistency when melted, so you’ll get the same texture with this swap.
- Can’t find frozen turnip greens? Try canned, seasoned greens from Margaret Holmes. They are a great shortcut.
- Big tomato fan? You can add in some tomato sauce to this recipe in place of the soup mix, which will create a completely different flavor for you to try.
- Replace your beans with ribs celery if you don’t like beans – these will provide a similar consistency and taste, so they’re a good substitute.
- The recipe is based on the one provided by the Fish River Grill in the Gulf Shores and Orange Beach.
If you love this recipe as much as I do, please write a five-star review in the comment section below (or on Pinterest with the “tried it” button – you can now add pictures into reviews, too!), and be sure to help me share on facebook!
This thick, hearty soup recipe is perfect for cold winter nights, with smoked sausage, tender pasta, and delicious vegetables.
Swamp Soup
Ingredients
- 1 pound smoked sausage chopped
- 1 cup sweet onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 packet Knorr Vegetable soup mix dry
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 2 15.5 ounce cans great Northern beans (drained and rinsed)
- 2 14.5 ounce cans seasoned turnip greens (not drained)
- 2 cups cooked short pasta I like ditalini or any other small tube pasta
Instructions
- In a large soup pot, over medium heat, add the diced sausage and onion. Cook 3-4 minutes or until the sausage is starting to brown and the onions are starting to soften.
- Add the garlic and stir. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add the soup mix, broth, beans, and greens. Stir to combine.
- Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
- Simmer over low until the greens are tender and the soup mix is rehydrated.
- 10 minutes before serving, add in the cooked pasta. Season with salt and pepper if desired. (taste before adding salt as the greens and soup mix can have enough)
- Serve with a dash of hot sauce and a slice of cornbread or hush puppies.
Notes
- Prep the sausage and onions in a little olive oil ahead of time and either freeze or keep in the fridge until ready to use.
- If you’re not a big Swiss cheese fan, you can use Mozzarella instead! They have a similar consistency when melted, so you’ll get the same texture with this swap.
- Can't find frozen turnip greens? Try canned, seasoned greens from Margaret Holmes. They are a great shortcut.
- Big tomato fan? You can add in some tomato sauce to this recipe in place of the soup mix, which will create a completely different flavor for you to try.
- Replace your beans with ribs celery if you don’t like beans – these will provide a similar consistency and taste, so they’re a good substitute.
Nutrition
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Not a comment..but a question…where I live we can’t get seasoned canned greens. Can I use frozen chopped spinach or fresh kale..and if so, what extra seasonings/spices would I need to add that would be in the canned?
Thank you
Great question! I would use frozen kale or frozen green if you can find them. Spinach is too tender and will turn to mush in the soup. As far as seasonings go, I like to use a combination of seasoned salt and some chicken bouillon. Just cook the greens in water with these seasonings (or you can use chicken broth with seasoned salt) and cook until tender. Then use in the soup as directed. Hope this helps:)
This is a great base for Swamp Soup aka Turnip Green Soup. I always make a soup my own, and I always use fresh turnip greens. I make numerous additions as well as cook BIG batch for soup all winter long. In addition to your recipe, I replace the canned greens with two bags of fresh, precleaned and chopped turnip greens, and I also add a can of blackeyed peas, two cans of field peas, a can of black beans, a can of light red kidney beans, a can of pinto beans, a can of cannellini beans, two pint jars of home canned corn, two qts of home canned okra, two quarts of home canned tomatoes, all drained and put in a 20 qt pot. I use 2 1/2 lbs of andouille sausage, sliced and browned, and add 10 cups of chicken broth. I also add 5 bay leaves, 5T of Cajun Two Step Seasoning, and 4T of Cooking with Tammy Cajun Seasoning. I cook this on a low temperature for several hours to allow the flavors to meld. I freeze quart bags of soup to enjoy later.
Sounds like you have a great soup recipe.
Oh, and I also add two cans of mild green chilies.
This soup provides a lot of Protein and Vitamins.
Great soup if you are wanting something really good for you!
Thank you!