Easy Zuppa Toscana Soup

This Zuppa Toscana Soup is creamy and flavorful, bursting with sausage, bacon, potatoes, kale, bone broth, and cream. Made from scratch, it has all your favorite flavors like that classic restaurant soup. This family favorite is satisfying, nutritious, and it’s popular with the kids!

This is such a cozy meal, and I just love how easily it comes together. 

Everyone in my family absolutely loves this super comforting soup, from my pickiest eater to Luke and I (who aren’t picky at all). No one complains and everyone asks for seconds.

Serve this up with some crusty homemade no-knead sourdough bread and, I assure you, everyone will leave happy.

I love this recipe so much, and it is a great way to use our Jersey cow’s cream. If you’ve never had fresh skimmed cream straight from the morning’s milking, you are missing out. It’s luxurious.

Added to the soup, it adds richness like nothing else. Yum. If you love creamy soup, you would also love this chicken and gnocchi soup or this delicious chicken and wild rice.

Zuppa Toscana Soup Tips:

• If you are on a budget, you can easily use half the amount of sausage and save the other half for another meal, like sourdough breakfast strata.
• Substitute spinach for kale if you don’t have any on hand. Just wait until right before serving to add the spinach, so it doesn’t completely dissolve.
• To make this recipe dairy-free, you can either skip adding cream (which is a little sad) or substitute a dairy-free option. Choose one that has a milder flavor and tends to be creamier, like cashew milk or oat milk. It won’t have the same exact texture, but it will still be delicious.
• I like to use yellow or red potato varieties, so I don’t have to peel them, like I would with a russet.

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FAQ

Does Zuppa Toscana freeze well?

While this is best enjoyed within a few days, you can in fact freeze it for up to 2-3 months. Milk-based soups tend to be more challenging to freeze since they have a tendency to separate. To reheat this soup after it has been in the freezer, I would suggest reheating it directly from the freezer in a pot, not letting it thaw first.

Another issue with freezing this recipe is that the potatoes can turn a little mushy after being frozen. It will still taste delicious, but the texture is a little different than the original.

What is the difference between chicken broth and chicken stock?

Broth is usually made with more of the meaty parts, whereas stock is made with bones. To add another layer, bone broth is when bones are cooked in water (and other vegetables and aromatics) for a long period of time to break down the nutrients and collagen in the bones.

Is this Zuppa Toscana soup healthy?

I always feel like this is a loaded question. What one person finds healthy, another does not. This recipe is made from whole food ingredients that are super nutrient-dense without any questionable preservatives or additives. To me, that’s a hearty, nutritious meal.

I start this soup with pastured bacon and sausage, cooked with onions, garlic, potatoes and kale, simmered with homemade bone broth made from organic, pastured chickens, and cream from our own dairy cow is added at the end. Obviously, you don’t have to make this recipe with the exact same quality of ingredients, but I always suggest buying the best quality you can afford. Check the ingredient list to make sure there aren’t any weird ingredients lurking in your products (i.e. nitrates in the bacon).

There are so many vitamins, minerals, and essential nutrients packed into this meal. Might it be a little high in fat for some? Sure, but fat from pasture-raised animals is healthy and can help you feel fuller longer. This leads to less cravings for sugar and other not-so-healthy foods.

Tools you may need:

Large dutch oven or pot

Knife

Cutting board

Liquid measuring cup

Spatula

How To Make Zuppa Toscana Soup

If you are using homemade chicken broth, be sure to start making the broth the morning of or even a few days in advance.

Heat a large Dutch oven, or large stock pot, over medium heat.

Chop up bacon and add to the pot. Stir occasionally, until crispy.

While the bacon is cooking, dice up an onion, potatoes, and mince the garlic.

Strain extra bacon grease off. I like to use a fine mesh strainer and strain it into a jar to use for cooking at a later time.

Place the pot back on the stove and add onions. Sauté for a few minutes until soft.

Add garlic and sausage. Break it up using a spatula, then allow to brown.

Once that is nicely cooked through, add diced potatoes.

Pour broth into the pot and bring to a simmer. 

Allow to simmer until potatoes are soft, about 10-15 minutes.

Remove the stems and chop the kale. Add to the pot along with some cream.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Enjoy.

Find More Soups Straight From The Farmhouse Kitchen

• Split Pea Soup
• Tomato Soup From Scratch
• Homemade Creamy Chicken And Gnocchi Soup
• Chicken Marsala Soup
• Sausage Sauerkraut Soup
• Creamy Chicken And Wild Rice Soup
• Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

If you try this recipe and love it, I would love if you gave it 5 stars! Thank you!