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–+ servings
Overhead view of a white soup bowl holding Zuppa Toscana. Floating in the pale yellow soup are spinach, chopped bacon, and chunks of potatoes.

Zuppa Toscana

Rich, creamy, and deliciously hearty, this incredible zuppa toscana will be a favorite in your family, any time of year.
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 45 minutes
Total: 1 hour
Yield:6 servings

Equipment

  • 2 medium bowls
  • Paper towels
  • dutch oven or medium heavy-bottomed pot
  • Slotted spoon
  • Tongs
  • Fork

Ingredients

  • 6 slices bacon cut into ½-inch long pieces
  • 1 pound Italian sausage
  • ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 ½ pounds yellow potatoes cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 1 medium white onion diced; or yellow onion, diced
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic approximately 8 cloves
  • 6 cups chicken stock
  • 1 small bunch kale stems removed, leaves chopped; approximately 6 cups
  • 1 cup heavy cream at or close to room temperature
  • salt to taste
  • freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Line medium bowls with paper towels and set aside. Heat dutch oven over medium heat.
  • When pot is warm, add Italian sausage and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook, breaking up pieces of sausage with spoon, until meat is browned and cooked through.
  • Use slotted spoon to remove sausage from pot, draining any fat, and transfer sausage to one bowl lined with paper towel. Set aside.
    Overhead view of cooked and crumbled Italian sausage in a medium white bowl on a wooden countertop.
  • Add diced bacon to dutch oven. Cook until bacon is crispy, approximately 5 to 10 minutes, turning pieces as needed to prevent burning.
  • Use slotted spoon to remove bacon from dutch oven, leaving rendered bacon fat in pot. Transfer cooked bacon to other bowl lined with paper towels. Set aside.
  • Add chopped onion and minced garlic to dutch oven with rendered bacon fat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and translucent - approximately 5 minutes.
    Overhead view of sautéed, translucent onions and minced garlic in rendered bacon fat in a large dutch oven.
  • Pour chicken stock into dutch oven and increase heat under pot to high. Scrape up any browned bits stuck to bottom of pot, then bring liquid to boil.
    Overhead view of boiling chicken stock in a dutch oven with diced onions and minced garlic.
  • When chicken stock begins to boil, add diced potatoes. Boil potatoes until fork tender, approximately 10 to 20 minutes.
  • When potatoes are cooked through, reduce heat to medium. Let soup cool slightly, then stir in heavy cream and cooked sausage, until ingredients are well incorporated. Cook over medium heat until warmed through.
  • Immediately before serving, add cooked bacon and fresh kale to zuppa. Stir to incorporate and cook only until kale is bright green and softened.
  • Taste zuppa and season with salt and pepper as desired. Serve warm.

Notes

  • Avoid adding cold heavy cream to the very hot soup, or the cream may curdle or separate.
  • Make it Dairy Free: Use a non-dairy heavy cream or coconut cream.
  • Make it Whole30: Use my Whole30 Zuppa Toscana recipe.
  • Make it Keto: Use my keto zuppa toscana recipe.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1serving | Calories: 615cal | Protein: 22g | Fat: 47g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 117mg | Sodium: 1241mg | Potassium: 1026mg | Total Carbs: 26g | Fiber: 4g | Net Carbs: 22g | Vitamin A: 2808IU | Vitamin C: 47mg | Calcium: 129mg | Iron: 3mg
Recipe By:Cheryl Malik