Zuppa Toscana Soup (Printable)
Creamy Italian sausage and kale soup with tender potatoes in a rich, comforting broth.
# What You Need:
→ Meats
01 - 14 oz Italian sausage (mild or spicy), casing removed
→ Vegetables
02 - 1 medium yellow onion, diced
03 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 4 medium russet potatoes, scrubbed and thinly sliced
05 - 3.5 oz curly kale, stems removed and chopped
→ Broth & Dairy
06 - 4.25 cups chicken broth
07 - 1 cup heavy cream
→ Oils & Seasonings
08 - 2 tbsp olive oil
09 - 1 tsp dried oregano
10 - 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional, for heat)
11 - Salt and black pepper, to taste
→ Garnish
12 - Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
13 - Chopped fresh parsley (optional)
# How-To:
01 - Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the sausage, breaking it apart with a spoon, and cook until evenly browned, about 5 to 6 minutes.
02 - Add the diced onion and sauté until translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
03 - Add the sliced potatoes, dried oregano, red pepper flakes, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 12 to 15 minutes.
04 - Stir in the chopped kale and simmer until wilted and bright green, about 3 to 4 minutes.
05 - Lower the heat and stir in the heavy cream. Warm through gently without bringing to a boil. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
06 - Ladle into bowls and garnish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley if desired. Serve hot.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The creamy broth mixed with crumbled sausage and tender potatoes tastes like something you would pay eighteen dollars for at a trattoria.
- It comes together in under an hour with ingredients you probably already have hanging around your kitchen.
- The kale adds just enough green to make you feel virtuous while the cream keeps things deeply comforting.
02 -
- Never let the soup boil after adding the cream or you risk curdling and a grainy texture that no amount of stirring can fix.
- Slice the potatoes thinly and uniformly so they all finish cooking at the same time instead of ending up with a mix of crunchy and disintegrated pieces.
03 -
- Use a potato with high starch content like a russet because the edges break down slightly and naturally thicken the broth without any flour or cornstarch.
- Brown the sausage in two batches if your pot is not wide enough because overcrowding leads to steaming instead of caramelization and you lose all that deep brown flavor.