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This was such a delicious and satisfying soup! True comfort food and so easy!
Sarah
Just a Reminder That Zuppa Toscana Is One Of The All Time Greats.
A few nights ago, Bjork and I sat down for dinner with the girls. It’s pitch black out. Freezing cold and windy.
On the stove: a Dutch oven with browned bits of sausage, tender potatoes, and wilted kale, all wrapped in a a creamy, rich, slurpable broth. House smells amazing, we’re all feeling real cozy.
I ladled steamy zuppa toscana into bowls. Handed out chunk of warm, crusty bread. There’s buttering, there’s soup dunking, and honestly, just silence and clinking bowls and spoons.
And then there’s this moment where we looked at each other and almost started laughing, like, “oh my gosh. this is so good right now.”
Zuppa toscana (the one I’m channeling here) is the Italian-American classic Olive Garden soup that we all know and love. But it hits really different when homemade.
The thing I want you to know most of all is that the broth here is BROTHY. It’s creamy while being highly slurpable. When you dip a piece of bread in there, it’s going to sop, soak, saturate in the best way. (I have a very similar recipe – sausage, kale, and white bean stew – which is highly rated and I love it. But the difference is that one tends to be thicker. This one is truly brothy.)
We’re talking *MINIMAL* ingredients. Humble simplicity. Just the easiest recipe ever, and somehow the end result is just so incredibly delicious.
Wishing you a cozy zuppa toscana night with lots of bread!
Here’s the dutch oven I love, if you’re in the market for one! (affiliate link)
Welcome To My (NEW) Kitchen! Let’s Make This Zuppa Toscana.
1
Brown The Sausage, Onions, and Garlic.
I start with the sausage, then add onions and garlic. Let it cook down for a good 5-10 minutes until super soft.
2
Add Potatoes and Broth.
I add water and then use Better Than Bouillon for my broth base!
3
Add Kale and Cream.
Let it hang out over a low simmer so all the flavors lock in and the kale wilts down.
4
You’re Done!
This is such a great moment. Soup, bread, coziness at its peak.
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Zuppa Toscana
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 5–6 servings 1x
Description
Easy stovetop Zuppa Toscana with browned bits of sausage, tender potatoes, and wilted kale, all wrapped in a a creamy, rich, slurpable broth!
Ingredients
Zuppa Toscana:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lb. ground mild Italian pork sausage
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cubed (about 3–4 cups)
- 6 cups chicken broth (see notes)
- 2 stalks of kale, stems removed, finely chopped (2–3 cups)
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
To Season / Serve:
- salt and pepper to taste
- freshly grated Parmesan to taste, for topping
- 1 loaf crusty bread, with butter (this one is so easy – or just a store-bought take-and-bake loaf!)
Instructions
- Sausage: Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven (affiliate link) over medium high heat. Brown the sausage until fully cooked.
- Onions and Garlic: Add the onions and garlic to the sausage. Sauté for 5-7 minutes until soft and fragrant. FYI your house will smell AMAZING.
- Potatoes and Broth: Add the potatoes and the broth. Simmer for 7-10 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. (Be careful not to let it go for too long, because the potatoes will start to get really soft.)
- Finish with Cream: Add the kale and heavy cream. Simmer for 5 minutes until kale has wilted.
- Serve: Season with salt and pepper, top with Parmesan for even more flavor, and dunk into that glorious broth with hot crusty bread.
Notes
Broth: I always use 6 cups water + 2 tablespoons Better Than Bouillon chicken flavor base. It’s amazing. Highly recommend. If you’re not using this, you’ll probably need to add a bit more salt.
Pork Fat: This soup will have small beads of the pork fat distributed throughout the soup and/or pearling on top of the soup. That’s a good thing – it is a sign of both amazing flavor and a luscious mouthfeel. These will incorporate as it gently bubbles, and they will rise to the surface as it cools. To re-incorporate, just heat it back up again and give it a stir.
Bacon: Hot take, but I don’t think it’s necessary which is why I didn’t include it. You get so much flavor already from the pork sausage. I have never eaten this and wished it had bacon in it.
Potato Peels vs. No Peels: If you want to save a bit of time, use baby potatoes and just cut them into quarters – you don’t have to peel them! It has a slightly different, more earthy taste (as potato peels do), but can confirm, it’s still delicious.
White Wine: For weeks now, I’ve considered adding white wine to this recipe to deglaze the pan after the sausage, onion, and garlic; in my mind, it would add a nice layer of acidity to a very savory, rich broth. However, I have made this so many times and never had white wine in the house on any of the times, and I have loved every batch so much exactly as it is. Let me know if you try it with white wine in there!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Keywords: zuppa toscana, olive garden copycat, soup recipe, creamy soup recipe
Frequently Asked Questions: Zuppa Toscana
You could swap the Italian sausage for white beans, but the flavor won’t be quite the same! If you want to match the flavor profile, I’d recommend using a plant-based sausage like Beyond Meat or Impossible.
Nope! I prefer them peeled for a smoother texture, but you can keep the peels on to save time. If you do choose to keep the peels, I’d do a baby red or Yukon gold potato instead, as the skin isn’t as tough.
Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 4-5 days.
You can freeze this, but because of the kale and potatoes, things can start to brown pretty fast! I’d recommend reheating and eating it within three months.
I recommend a really fresh and zippy green salad, and some fresh bread.
In my opinion, you get enough richness and smokiness from the Italian sausage so I don’t add it! But you are definitely welcome to use it for yours – either in the soup itself or as a topping.
Lindsay-100/10. We LOVE this soup! Perfection every time.
So funny this came up today, not only is it delicious it’s also quick. Picked up everything at the store yesterday because wanted this on tonight’s menu, and prepped what I could as we are going to a Home Show today. Will be tired and still able to get this on the table quickly. Another reason we live your recipes, I can prep a lot in the morning and have a lot less to do at dinner time.
Such a simple soup but so delicious! Finding a good sausage is a big part but otherwise, easy and delicious.
Are there any good vegan substitutions for the heavy cream? This looks amazing and I would love to make it for my lactose intolerant family. If anyone reading this has suggestions please drop a reply.
I have personally never tried this but Country Crock makes a dairy free heavy whipping cream in the refrigerated section. Reviews were pretty decent on it though. Might worth looking into.
This sounds amazing. I am going to be making tomorrow. Do you think the addition of some cooked pulled pork shoulder would go well? I have some I need to use.
Definitely!
I deglazed with white wine and honestly, a total game changer in my opinion. Gives it that extra kick in the arse!
I loved this soup! I tried the deglazing with a Pinot Gris and it was fab! So good
Would ground beef instead of sausage work here?
Hi! The sausage really adds a lot of flavor, we wouldn’t substitute.
Wow! You knocked it out of the park with this one! It’s amazing! I subbed half and half for the heavy cream to make it a little lighter and it was still so creamy and delish!
Absolutely delicious!
We can’t have sausage due to high cholesterol, so I used chicken breasts and added smoked paprika, thyme, salt and pepper. I also used my own homemade stock and I added mushrooms. Delicious and healthy, always a bonus.
I meant to make this back in the winter when it was first posted. But we had a very cold day here this week so I knew this was my chance. I made it exactly as written! It was delicious and so easy. I let everything simmer for an hour. Then 20 min before serving I added the heavy cream and kale. Right before serving I squeezed a whole lemon in. I felt like it could have used more tbh. It definitely needs some acidity to lift all the flavors. I didn’t have crusty bread. But I had some leftover cornbread and that did the trick. Definitely making this again! It’s a perfect cold weather meal. It’s just so warm and comforting!
This soup is very delicious. This time I doubled the recipe Not much space left in my large Dutch oven!! Five stars (but I couldn’t find where to put them!)
I would love to make this recipe in my InstaPot or Slow Cooker. How would I adjust the recipe for that? Thank you!
This made a delicious meal. I made it according to the recipe and it turned out perfectly. The parmesan cheese added on top at the the end was a perfect compliment to the soup, adding yet another level to the flavor profile. We used sourdough bread for dipping. Yum! This is a keeper!
Really good! I actually don’t think it needs the bacon either, the pork sausage adds enough fat and salt that it really isn’t necessary. I’ve subbed a variety of dark leafy greens for the kale, and it comes out delicious every time.
Holy shizz. This was sooo good. I didn’t have kale so substituted spinach and it was still delicious. Leftovers for lunch dare I say tasted even better.
Made this today because I needed something to warm me up. It was so good! And so easy. I did add white wine along with the onions and garlic and cooked it down until it was all soaked in. Perfection. I made the no knead bread and that gave me some trouble but I’ll ask you my questions on that post 🙂 Thank you for sharing this with us all!
Wow! Delicious soup! They did not have the mild sausage so I used spicy and it turned out perfect.
Such a great comfort food and soooo easy to make.
Thank you Lindsay, another winner!!
Has anyone made this with spicy sausage? We love the heat but am worried it would take away from the integrity of the soup. Thanks!
Dang! This is gooooood!!!!
I followed the recipe except for a couple slight additions. I added some Calabrian chile for heat in with the sausage and onions when I was browning them. I also put a tablespoon of tomato paste and toasted it in with the sausage as it was browning. Used better than bullion for the broth which turned out amazing and added a little Italian seasoning as well. So flavorful and delicious and EASY! Make this! You won’t be disappointed. I will say it needs a loaf of crusty sour dough bread to dip in it and some fresh grated parm for sure. Will be making again & again!
Every recipes looked delicious!
I loved this. It separates when it chills so the broth and the cream aren’t together anymore. It comes back together when I heat it. Should I have done something different or is that normal?
Hi Melissa! This can be normal if it is was boiled pretty hard. Next time you make it, try to keep it at just a very low simmer after adding the cream.
Excellent soup! I used spinach instead of kale (personal preface) and added 1 tsp of Italian seasoning and 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, which was just enough heat for me. I thickened it with a slurry of cornstarch and water. It was so good I had two bowls right away! This a definite keeper and I will make it often.
Thank you for such a wonderful recipe.
Can’t wait to try this soup! May I ask where the bowl in the photograph is from? I am, unfortunately, obsessed with it.
It was from a local potter many years ago!
This soup was fantastic!! I added some fresh squeezed lemon over top when I ate and it added a delightful little zing and acidity. This will absolutely be in our regular rotation!