To make the vegan Italian sausage, you're going to combine the thawed plant-based ground “beef” with garlic, thyme, parsley, fennel seeds, rosemary, oregano, basil, onion powder, and red pepper flakes. Stir everything together and place in an airtight container in the fridge to marinate overnight so the flavors come together. (It will probably still work if you didn't marinate it overnight, but I like to really get that Italian sausage flavor in the plant-based ground).

Cook the ground sausage in a skillet over medium heat with a little bit of olive oil until browned and cooked through. Set aside.

Prepare the produce. Peel and chop the potatoes, chop the kale, onion and garlic.

Heat a large dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pot and then add the diced onion. Sprinkle with salt and allow the onion to cook until it starts to soften, then add the garlic and cook for another couple of minutes.

Next, sprinkle the tapioca flour over onion and garlic in pot, and stir to combine, until all the flour is absorbed. 

Pour in vegetable stock, stirring as you pour.  Add the plant milk and then add the potatoes and bring to a boil. The liquid should cover the potatoes. If not, try a smaller pot. Gently boil the potatoes about 15 minutes, or until potatoes are fork-tender. Lower the heat to medium-low.

Add in the cooked “sausage”, nutritional yeast and kale.  Stir and cook over low heat 5-10 minutes until kale is wilted.

Season with salt and pepper and serve!