This brothy, meaty soup has great texture and mouth feel. With mini Italian sausage meatballs, sugar pumpkin, lacinato kale, Israeli couscous and swirls of parmesan-egg ribbon, every bite is a flavor bomb! A squeeze of fresh lemon juice makes it pop!
Use the melon baller to portion out equal scoops of Italian sausage. Roll the sausage into balls and set aside.
Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a dutch oven. When the oil is hot, add the sausage and cook, turning occasionally to brown the outside of the meatballs. (Doesn't have to be cooked completely through as they will finish cooking in the soup.) Transfer the sausage meatballs to a dish and set aside.
Add the onion, carrots, celery and pumpkin to the pot. Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onion is tender.
Add the sausage back to the pot along with the chicken stock and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
Add the Israeli couscous and cook for 8-10 minutes until the pasta is starting to get tender, but isn't quite done. Stir the pot occasionally.
Stir in the chopped kale and simmer for 1-2 minutes.
While the kale simmers, In a small bowl, combine the egg and parmesan cheese. Whisk together until well combined. Whisk 2-3 tablespoons of the hot soup broth into the egg mixture to temper the yolks slightly. Pour the egg mixture into the soup, while stirring.
Remove the soup from the heat and stir in the lemon juice. Taste for seasonings, adding more lemon if desired.
Ladle soup into bowls and serve with a slice of fresh lemon.