Healthy Zuppa Toscana (Whole30, Paleo, Dairy Free)
40aprons.com/whole30-zuppa-toscana/With tender potatoes, kale, easy homemade Italian sausage, and bacon, this Whole30 soup recipe is loaded with flavor. The perfect one-pot meal!
Recipe Makes (Approximate): servings
Ingredients
- 4 slices Whole30-compliant bacon (sliced into ½-inch pieces)
- 1 pound Italian sausage (made from below recipe or storebought)
- ½ teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
- 4 medium yellow potatoes (about 1 pound 3 ounces, diced into bite-sized pieces)
- 1 medium white or yellow onion (diced)
- 2 tablespoons garlic (minced, about 4 cloves)
- 4 cups chicken stock
- ½ bunch kale (stems removed and leaves chopped, 4 cups)
- 1 13.5-ounce can unsweetened, full-fat coconut milk
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
Homemade Whole30 Italian Sausage
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley (or 2 teaspoons dried)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon ground fennel seed (optional)
- pinch dried oregano
- pinch dried thyme
Instructions
- If making Italian sausage: combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Alternately, combine all ingredients in the saucepan and stir well when browning.
- In a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed medium pot over medium heat, add Italian sausage and sprinkle crushed red pepper flakes over. Use a spoon to break up the pieces. When browned and cooked through, drain and set aside.
- Cook the bacon pieces in the same Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, about 5-10 minutes. Remove the crisp bacon and set aside - don't get rid of the bacon fat! Stir in the onions and garlic; cook until onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Pour the chicken broth into the Dutch oven with the onions and garlic, and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the potatoes, and boil until fork tender, about 10-20 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the coconut milk and the cooked sausage; heat through. Add the bacon and the kale into the soup just before serving and cook 'til the kale is bright green and softened. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Recipe Notes
Leftovers: Refrigerate leftovers up to 4 days in an airtight container. Reheat gently on the stove over medium-low. This soup doesn't freeze well.
Cooking the kale: I've found adding it right at the end just to wilt in the soup is the best way to preserve it's vibrant green color. If you cook it for too long in the soup it will turn brown.
Cooking fat: If you don't get enough fat out of the pork and bacon, add a splash of oil. Obviously in an ideal world I don't want to add any additional cooking fat to the pot but if it is the difference between skipping the oil and getting burnt onions, a light, neutral cooking oil like avocado oil is the best choice.
Slow cooker version: Brown the sausage and bacon on the stove first, then add everything except the coconut milk and kale to the Crockpot and cook on LOW for 5 to 6 hours. Stir in the coconut milk and kale in the last 15 minutes.
Nutrition Information (Approximate)
Serving Size: 1servingCalories: 394calProtein: 13gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 14mgSodium: 765mgPotassium: 1235mgTotal Carbs: 35gFiber: 5gSugar: 5gNet Carbs: 30gVitamin A: 4775IUVitamin C: 74.2mgCalcium: 138mgIron: 7.1mg
https://40aprons.com/whole30-zuppa-toscana/