Creamy Zuppa Toscana

This hugely popular and easy Zuppa Toscana soup recipe is made with sausage, potatoes, kale, bacon and cream. It’s always a crowd pleaser!

Homemade Zuppa Toscana inspired by Olive Garden. (Courtesy of Lauren Allen)

We can thank the American restaurant Olive Garden for the namesake of this Zuppa Toscana recipe, which translates to “Tuscan Soup”. As usual, the homemade version is fantastic, healthier than what you’d find at a restaurant, and seriously EASY to make!

How to Make Zuppa Toscana

Brown Sausage: Cook and stir it until it’s nice and brown and crumbled into pieces.

(Courtesy of Lauren Allen)

Add Vegetables: Toss in chopped onion, minced garlic, and chopped potato to the pot then add chicken broth and water. Cook until the potatoes are fork tender.

(Courtesy of Lauren Allen)

Finish It: Add some cream, cooked bacon, and chopped kale. Season it to your liking with some salt and pepper, then crushed red pepper flakes (if you like a little bit of heat). Serve the Zuppa soup with homemade artisan bread.

(Courtesy of Lauren Allen)

Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions:

To Make Ahead: Homemade Zuppa Toscana soup can be made 1-3 days ahead of time, stored in the fridge.

To Freeze: Make the soup according to instructions but don’t add the cream and don’t cook the potatoes until tender. Allow soup to cool, then store in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and rewarm on the stove, cooking potatoes until tender, and then stir in cream.

Ingredients

• 1 pound hot ground Italian sausage
• 1 large onion , chopped
• 3 cloves garlic , minced
• 2 large Russet potatoes , or gold potatoes, peeled, quartered, and then chopped in ¼ inch slices
• 5 slices bacon , cooked and crumbled
• 4 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cups water
• 3 cups chopped kale (ribs/stems removed)
• 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• crushed red pepper flakes to taste, if desired

Instructions

• In a large soup pot over medium-high heat, Add the ground sausage and cook, breaking it into small pieces as it cooks, until browned. Remove some of the grease and move sausage to one side of the pan.
• Add chopped onions, garlic, and potatoes and sauté for a few minutes. Pour in chicken broth and water and allow mixture to come to a boil.
• Reduce heat to medium low and cook until potatoes are fork tender, about 8-10 minutes.
• Stir in the bacon, chopped kale, and cream. Season with salt and pepper and crushed red pepper flakes, if using. Cook for 2-3 more minutes or until warmed through.
• Serve with homemade Olive Garden Breadsticks.

Notes

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Kale: You could also use spinach.

Slow Cooker Instructions: Sauté ground sausage, onion, garlic and potatoes in a pan, then add to the slow cooker with water and broth. Cook on LOW for 5 hours or HIGH for 3, or until potatoes are tender. Stir in cream and season to taste.

Instant Pot: Use the Instant Pot to sauté the sausage, onion, garlic and potatoes on sauté setting. Turn pot off and add water and broth. Cook on High pressure for 4 minutes, with a 10 minute natural release. Stir in kale and cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Make Ahead Instructions: The entire soup can be made 1-3 days ahead of time, stored in the fridge.

Freezing Instructions: To freeze Zuppa Toscana, make the soup according to instructions but don’t add the cream and don’t cook the potatoes until tender. Allow soup to cool, then store in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and rewarm on the stove, cooking potatoes until tender, and then stir in cream.

Nutrition

Calories: 460kcal Carbohydrates: 31g Protein: 21gFat: 29g Saturated Fat: 11g Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g Monounsaturated Fat: 11g Trans Fat: 0.2g Cholesterol: 76mg Sodium: 615mg Potassium: 1092mg Fiber: 3g Sugar: 5g Vitamin A: 3619IU Vitamin C: 42mg Calcium: 189mg Iron: 3mg

This article was originally published on tastesbetterfromscratch.com. Follow on Instagram.