Description
Soul-warming zuppa toscana soup brings hearty Italian comfort right to kitchen tables. Creamy potatoes, spicy sausage, and tender kale combine in a luxurious broth that welcomes hungry diners with rich, satisfying flavors you’ll crave.
Ingredients
Scale
Meat and Protein:
- 1 pound (454 grams) Italian sausage (mild or spicy)
- ½ cup cooked bacon (crumbled, for garnish)
Vegetables and Produce:
- 4 cups russet potatoes (sliced thin or cubed)
- 1 small onion (diced)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 3 cups kale (stems removed, chopped)
Liquids and Seasonings:
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional, for spice)
- Salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
- Grated Parmesan cheese (for serving)
Instructions
- Render the sausage meat in a spacious Dutch oven, fragmenting it into rustic crumbles over medium heat until golden brown, approximately 6 minutes. Transfer the caramelized protein to a separate vessel.
- Utilize the residual renderings to sauté diced onions until translucent, then introduce minced garlic and allow its aromatic essence to permeate the pot for roughly 60 seconds.
- Cascade chicken broth and water into the vessel, incorporating cubed potatoes. Elevate the liquid to a vigorous boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer, allowing root vegetables to tenderize for 12-15 minutes.
- Reintroduce the previously prepared sausage fragments and verdant kale ribbons into the simmering liquid. Allow the greens to wilt and meld with the broth for an additional 4-5 minutes.
- Stream rich, velvety cream into the soup, stirring methodically to integrate. Warm thoroughly without permitting the mixture to reach a rolling boil.
- Calibrate the seasoning with judicious pinches of salt, cracked black pepper, and optional crimson pepper flakes to amplify the flavor profile.
- Ladle the steaming soup into waiting bowls, embellishing with crisp bacon fragments and delicate Parmesan cheese shavings for a luxurious presentation.
Notes
- Customize meat choice by swapping spicy Italian sausage with mild version or ground turkey for lighter protein profile.
- Reduce cream calories by substituting half-and-half or whole milk, maintaining rich texture without heavy fat content.
- Maximize flavor intensity by allowing soup to rest 15-30 minutes after cooking, enabling ingredients to meld and deepen taste complexity.
- Enhance vegetable nutrition by adding extra leafy greens like spinach or Swiss chard alongside kale for varied texture and additional nutrients.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Appetizer
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 400
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 900 mg
- Fat: 30 g
- Saturated Fat: 15 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 25 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 15 g
- Cholesterol: 80 mg