This Zuppa Toscana Soup is a hearty soup with bacon, sausage, potatoes, kale all simmered in a creamy, flavorful broth! Serve with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and fresh parsley as garnish!
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The Best Zuppa Toscana Recipe
Come soup season, I am always looking forward to making some super hearty and comforting soups for chilly nights! If you have ever been to Olive Garden, you might have heard of Zuppa Toscana.
Zuppa Toscana is a Tuscan-style soup that has Italian sausage, potatoes and kale along with flavorful spices and a creamy broth. Everything about this soup is so delicious and comforting. The whole family is going to absolutely love this soup recipe!
ingredients Needed
The ingredients you need for zuppa toscana soup may seem long, but these ingredients are super simple and mostly pantry staples! Here’s what you’ll need:
- Bacon: Cooking the bacon first starts to build lots of flavor and adds a crunchy texture!
- Italian Sausage: I used hot Italian sausage, but you can use mild sausage if you prefer.
- Onion & Garlic: For aroma and flavor!
- All-purpose Flour: All-purpose flour helps to thicken the soup up. For a gluten-free soup, use 1 tablespoon of cornstarch whisked with 1 tablespoon of water and add at the end! Add more for a thicker soup, if desired.
- Chicken Broth: If you use low sodium chicken broth, just make sure that you season the soup with salt to your taste!
- Worcestershire Sauce: For added umami flavor!
- Hot Sauce: Add a few dashes of hot sauce if you like it slightly spicy!
- Italian Seasoning: All you need to season this to perfection is Italian seasoning!
- Bay Leaves: Make sure to use bay leaves that are not expired for the most flavor.
- Potatoes: You can peel them if you want, but it isn’t necessary. Just make sure to scrub them well and then dice them into bite-sized pieces.
- Heavy Cream: To make the broth super creamy!
- Kale: For added nutrition and texture.
- Parsley: For garnish.
- Parmesan Cheese: For extra flavor as garnish!
- Salt & Pepper: To taste!
How to Make This Recipe
- Sauté Bacon: Heat a large dutch oven or pot over medium high heat. Add in diced bacon and cook for 4-5 minutes or until the bacon is fully cooked. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel lined plate and set aside.
- Cook the Sausage: Remove the bacon grease from the pot and set aside, don’t throw is away! Add the sausage to the same pot, breaking it up as it is cooking. Once the sausage is fully cooked, remove it from the pot and set aside with the bacon.
- Sauté Aromatics: Add 2 tablespoons of bacon grease back to the pot. Add in the onions and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add Spices & Liquids: Pour in the chicken stock, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, Italian seasoning, bay leaves, potatoes and heavy cream.
- Add Meat Back: Add the bacon and sausage back to the pot. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
- Add Kale: Add in the kale, and stir until wilted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve & Enjoy: Serve immediately with parmesan cheese and fresh parsley for garnish! Enjoy!
Tips for Success
- Adjust the spice in this recipe by choosing hot or milk Italian sausage and adding your desired amount of hot sauce!
- For a low carb soup, swap out the potatoes for cauliflower!
- Serve your zuppa toscana soup with homemade crescent rolls, an Italian grilled cheese, or easy focaccia bread!
Frequently Asked Questions
What is zuppa toscana?
Zuppa toscana translates to “Tuscan Soup”. It is an Italian-style soup that has become popular in other parts of the world for its hearty, comforting flavor!
Is zuppa toscana soup spicy?
It’s up to you! This tuscan soup recipe is slightly spice since I used hot Italian sausage and added a few dashes of hot sauce. You can change the spice level by using mild Italian sausage and skip the hot sauce if you want!
How should I store leftover tuscan soup?
Store any leftover soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
More Comforting Soup Recipes to try
Zuppa Toscana Soup
Ingredients
- 6 slices uncooked bacon, diced
- 1 lb mild or spicy Italian sausage
- 1 large onion, diced
- 6-7 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tbsp all purpose flour
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- couple dashes of hot sauce
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 5 cups kale, chopped
- 2 tbsp parsley, chopped
- parmesan cheese, for garnish
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat a large dutch oven or pot over medium high heat.Add in diced bacon and cook for 4-5 minutes or until the bacon is fully cooked.Using a slotted spoon transfer the bacon to a paper towel lined plate and set aside.
- Remove the bacon grease from the pot and set aside (don't throw away!)Add the sausage to the same pot breaking up the sausage as it is cooking.Once the sausage is full cooked remove it from the pot and set aside with the bacon.
- Add 2 tablespoons of the reserved bacon grease back to the pot. Add in the onions and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.Stir in the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Pour in the chicken stock, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, Italian seasoning, bay leaves, potatoes and heavy cream. Add the bacon and sausage back to the pot. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
- Add in the kale and stir until wilted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve immediately with parmesan cheese and fresh parsley for garnish!
Nutrition Information
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Shatina Cureton
Excellent recipe. I will be making this soon. Although, I never tried kale but, this looks so good. Thanks for the recipe