THE BEST ZUPPA TOSCANA SOUP
This is my favorite soup recipe ever. I make it multiple times a month because it is SO good. There are tons of Zuppa Toscana Copycat soup recipes floating around the web, but this is the best one BY FAR. And it’s SO MUCH BETTER than the original! I’ve spent years perfecting this recipe and I’m so excited to share it with you!
Here is our main cast of ingredients: chicken broth, Italian sausage, yellow potatoes, onion, fresh garlic, kale, cream (or half-and-half), and bacon crumbles.
You start by browning your sausage in a big dutch oven or pot. Once it is cooked, remove it from the pan, wipe out the extra oil, and drizzle a little olive oil in your warm pan.
Next, add your onion to the pot and sauté it for a minute. Then, add your crushed fresh garlic and a little salt and sauté until fragrant. Now, grab your favorite white wine and splash a little into the bottom of your pot to deglaze it.
Once the wine has sizzled a little, pour in your chicken broth and potatoes. Bring to a boil, cover with a lid, reduce heat to low, and simmer until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork (10-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of your potatoes). Now, put your sausage back in, add your cream, a dash of white pepper, and some salt. Taste your broth to make sure it has enough flavor, if not, you can add a bouillon cube and/or more salt.
Once you are satisfied with the flavor, remove from heat and gently press your kale under the broth.
Divide soup into bowls and top with bacon crumbles and a sprinkle of shredded romano cheese. Serve with your favorite salad and warm homemade bread.
The Best Zuppa Toscana Soup
serves 4-6
Ingredients
- 4 oz bacon (about 4 slices), diced into small pieces and cooked into crumbles (I buy the precooked stuff from Costco and warm it up)
- 1 lb (spicy) Italian Sausage (casings removed)
- 1 cup chopped yellow onion (about 1 small onion)
- 1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 5 (14.5 oz) cans chicken broth
- 1/8 c white wine
- 8-10 medium sized yellow potatoes, scrubbed and rinsed then cut into 1-2 inch slices
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- Salt, to taste (maybe about 2 teaspoons)
- 1 cup cream (or half and half)
- 1 1/2 cups packed kale, cut into bite sized pieces
- Finely shredded Romano cheese for serving, optional
Instructions
- Cook bacon until crisp and set aside.
- Crumble sausage into 1-inch pieces in a cast iron or stainless steel (heavy-bottomed) pot. Cook sausage, stirring occasionally until cooked through. Drain sausage onto a plate or baking dish lined with paper towels, set aside.
- Add 2 T olive oil to pot and warm on medium heat. Add diced onions and cook for 1-2 minutes, then add garlic and sauté one minute more.
- Pour your white wine into the pan to deglaze (gently scrape the bottom with a wooden spatula). Let simmer one minute.
- Add chicken broth and sliced potatoes and bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover pot and simmer, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are nearly tender, about 10 – 15 minutes.
- Once potatoes are cooked through, return sausage to the pot, stir in your cream, and warm through.
- Season with white pepper and salt. Taste your broth – if more seasoning is needed, add one bouillon cube and/or more salt.
- Remove from heat and add kale by placing it on top and gently pressing it under the broth.
- Serve warm, topped with shredded Romano cheese and bacon crumbles.