Zuppa Toscana is a deliciously hearty soup of mainly potatoes, kale, sausage and cannelini beans. This one-pot gem is loaded with flavor and is delicious served with crusty bread. The perfect soup on a cold and snowy day. Serves 6 in about an hour.
Hello, favorite soup.
Love for homemade Zuppa Toscana runs deep in our home. It’s one of those hearty soups that we crave when the colder months arrive – or all year, if you’re me.
This recipe is my go-to. It’s rustic and filled with all things delicious in life; like bacon, sausage and potatoes for example. From my experience and depending where you go or who makes it, Zuppa Toscana can be either on the creamy side or more broth-y. I personally like mine to be on the thinner side, however if you want it more creamy and luscious, feel free to make a quick slurry towards the end of the recipe. Don’t worry I’ll leave instructions in the recipe printable.
No matter how you serve it, this soup has the perfect balance of spicy goodness (thank you, hot italian sausage) and earthiness (love you, potatoes and kale!) and BONUS it’s made in one pot.
To Make This Zuppa Toscana You Will Need:
- center cut bacon
- hot italian pork sausage
- yellow onion
- peeled garlic
- kosher salt
- fresh thyme
- russet potatoes
- low-sodium chicken broth
- water
- cannelini beans (not pictured because I forgot 🤦🏻♀️)
- kale
- heavy whipping cream
- freshly ground black pepper
- parmesan cheese, for serving
- crusty bread, for serving
In your dutch oven, add 6 slices of center cut bacon that has been diced. Heat on medium-low, stirring occasionally until crispy.
Transfer the bacon to a paper towel lined plate, leaving any fat in the pot. If using another form of bacon, you may have more grease and will need to drain most of it from the pan.
Next add in 1 pound hot italian pork sausage to the same pot.
With a wooden spoon, break up the meat up into small crumbles and cook until browned. About 12 to 15 minutes.
You guessed it, transfer the browned pork to the plate with the bacon. Drain off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat from the pot.
Then add in 1 diced medium onion and 3 minced cloves of garlic with a pinch of kosher salt.
Stir and cook until lightly golden and tender. Add in the thyme and cook 1 to 2 minutes.
Transfer the onion mixture to the plate with the bacon and sausage.
To the pot, add the 4 unpeeled diced potatoes (about 1/4 to 1/2 inches), 1 quart low-sodium chicken broth and 1 cup water.
Scrape all of the browned bits from the bottom of the pot before covering and bringing to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, simmering for 10 to 12 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.
Once the potatoes are cooked, add 1 can (rinsed and drained) cannelini beans and add the cooked bacon, sausage and onions back into the soup.
Only have dried beans? Here’s how to soak and precook beans before adding them to this soup.
(👆🏻psssst…you’ll need to do this in advance!)
Add in 4 handfuls chopped kale.
Stir until the kale has just wilted.
Pour in 2 cups heavy whipping cream.
Stir and heat through.
Once hot, season with kosher salt (for me it was 2 teaspoons kosher salt) and lots of freshly ground black pepper, to taste.
Give it one last stir before ladling soup into bowls.
Top with parmesan cheese, a few thyme leaves and extra black pepper.
A slightly spicy, earthy and delicious comforting bowl of soup.
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Enjoy! And if you give this Zuppa Toscana recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!
Homemade Zuppa Toscana
Ingredients
- 6 slices center cut bacon, diced
- 16 ounces hot italian sausage
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- kosher salt, to taste
- 1 teaspoon thyme leaves, chopped
- 4 medium potatoes, diced
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup water
- 15 ounces cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
- 4 handfuls chopped kale
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- black pepper, freshly ground, to taste
- parmesan cheese, shaved, for serving
- italian bread, sliced, for serving
Instructions
- Add the diced bacon to a dutch oven and heat on medium-low, stirring ocassionally until crispy. About 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate, leaving the bacon fat in the pot. *see notes
- Next add in the hot italian pork sausage. With a wooden spoon, break up the meat up into small crumbles and cook until browned. About 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer the browned pork to the plate with the bacon. Drain off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat from the pot.
- Add in the onions and garlic with a pinch of kosehr salt. Stir and cook until golden and tender. Add in the thyme and cook 1 to 2 mintues before transferring the onion mixture to the plate with the bacon and sausage.
- To the pot, add in the diced potato, broth and water. Scrape the browned bits on teh bottom of the pan before covering and bringing to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium and cook the potatoes 10 to 12 minutes.
- Then add the (drained) beans, cooked bacon, sausage and onions with handfuls of the chopped kale and stir until the kale is just wilted.
- Pour in the heavy cream and heat through.
- Stir and season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Add the slurry here if using. **see notes
Notes
**FOR A CREAMIER SOUP:
Make a slurry by adding 2 tablespoons of unbleached all-purpose flour in a medium bowl. Ladle a cup of the broth and pour it into the bowl with the flour, whisking or stirring well with a fork. Add this back into the soup, bring to a low simmer, stirring until thickened. Alternatively, you can use 2 tablespoons cornstarch plus 2 tablespoons of water, mixing well. Pour this into the soup while at a low simmer, stirring until thickend.Buy the Cookbook: Simply Scratch : 120 Wholesome Homemade Recipes Made Easy Now available on Amazon »
THANK YOU in advance for your support!
My family and I enjoy this recipe very much!! We go to Simply Scratch most of my time. It is so good to make it at home without going out for food. Thank you so much!!!
This was the first soup that I have ever made and it came out great. I made 6 portions for my family, OMG! They finished all.
DELICIOSA!!!!
What a satisfying soup that warms you up while tantalizing your taste buds.
I’m not usually a ‘hot’ Italian sausage lover but, it is a must in this soup.
Way to go, Laurie