Zuppa Toscana Soup (Printable version)
Hearty Italian soup with sausage, potatoes, and kale in a creamy garlic-infused broth.
# What you'll need:
→ Meats
01 - 1 lb Italian sausage (mild or spicy), casings removed
→ Vegetables
02 - 5 medium russet potatoes, peeled and sliced into ¼-inch rounds
03 - 1 large yellow onion, diced
04 - 3 garlic cloves, minced
05 - 5 oz fresh kale, stems removed and leaves chopped
→ Liquids
06 - 6 cups chicken broth (preferably low-sodium, gluten-free)
07 - 1 cup heavy cream
→ Spices & Seasoning
08 - 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional, adjust to taste)
09 - Salt and black pepper, to taste
→ Other
10 - 2 tbsp olive oil
# Directions:
01 - In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook until browned, breaking it into crumbles, about 6 minutes. Transfer sausage to a plate and set aside, leaving a little fat in the pot.
02 - Add diced onion to the pot and sauté until softened, about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute.
03 - Return the sausage to the pot. Add potatoes and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15–20 minutes.
04 - Stir in chopped kale and simmer until wilted, 3–4 minutes.
05 - Lower the heat and stir in the heavy cream. Heat through but do not boil. Season with salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste.
06 - Serve hot, optionally garnished with grated Parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The creamy broth soaks into the potatoes in a way that makes every spoonful feel like a warm blanket on a cold evening.
- It comes together in under an hour with ingredients you probably already have hanging around your kitchen.
- Leftovers taste even better the next day when the flavors have had time to mingle and deepen overnight.
02 -
- Never let the soup boil after adding cream or it will curdle and look broken instead of silky smooth.
- The soup thickens as it sits overnight because the potatoes release starch, so add a splash of broth when reheating.
03 -
- Slice the potatoes uniformly thin so every piece cooks at the same rate and you never bite into a hard chunk in the middle of a perfect spoonful.
- Use a wooden spoon to break the sausage into irregular crumbles rather than uniform pieces, because the varied texture makes each bite more interesting.