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This rich and creamy Zuppa Toscana recipe is packed with sausage, bacon, tender potatoes and kale in a creamy, flavourful broth. So comforting!
“Love it! I’ve been making this recipe for 2 years now and everyone who I make it for, loves it.”
Nicky’s Notes
This Zuppa Toscana recipe is one of those gloriously hearty soups that really does feel like a full dinner in a bowl. We’ve got golden sausage meat, tender potatoes, kale and crispy bacon, all in a rich, creamy broth with a gentle kick of chilli and a good sprinkling of Parmesan to finish.
I first shared this recipe years ago, but I’ve been back in the kitchen giving it a bit of a refresh.
- I now remove the skins from the sausages and fry the sausage meat directly in the pan. I much prefer the texture this way – you get lovely little craggy pieces that brown beautifully and distribute throughout the soup.
- I’m also peeling the potatoes now. It gives the finished soup a slightly softer, more luxurious texture, which works particularly well with that creamy broth.
Now, this soup doesn’t need to be served with bread – it’s filling enough. But I found a rustic loaf with walnuts in Sainsbury’s and it goes with the soup perfectly!!
Table of Contents
📋 Ingredients for Zuppa Toscana
***Full recipe with detailed quantities in the recipe card below***
Best type of sausage for Zuppa Toscana
- USA and Canada: A mild or hot Italian sausage is best for this soup. This is pork sausage with fennel or anise and garlic (plus red pepper/chilli flakes for the hot version). They’re very easy to find in most supermarkets in the USA and Canada.
- UK: They’re a little more difficult to find in the UK. I use Sainsbury’s Sicilian style pork sausages. Tesco and M&S also have an Italian sausage with fennel.
- Lidl had a limited edition version at the time of me writing this, and Asda also had Italian sausage meat – which would work great, as we remove the skin from the sausages anyway.
- If you can’t find an Italian-style sausage, use your favourite herby-pork sausage.
🧑🍳 Abbreviated Recipe
***Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card below***
Fry the bacon until crisp, then remove from the pan. Cook the sausage meat until browned, then add the onion and garlic and cook until softened. Add the potatoes and stock and simmer until the potatoes are tender. Stir in the kale and cream and cook for a few more minutes, then finish with the crispy bacon, Parmesan and chilli flakes before serving.
Recipe Tips
- Get some of colour on the sausage meat. Let it sit against the hot pan for a little while before stirring. Those browned, caramelised bits add loads of flavour to the finished soup.
- Cut the potatoes evenly so they cook at the same rate. Keep them bite-sized so you get potato, sausage and creamy broth together in each spoonful.
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Pin ItMake ahead and Leftovers Guide
- Make the soup, quickly cool it, then cover and refrigerate for 2–3 days. Reheat gently in a saucepan until piping hot throughout.
- The potatoes will continue to absorb a little liquid while the soup is stored, so add a splash of stock when reheating if you’d like to loosen the consistency.
- I don’t recommend freezing this soup, as it can effect the texture of the cream and potatoes.
📺 Watch how to make it
Zuppa Toscana Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tsp oil I use avocado oil, but other neutral oils such as sunflower or canola work too.
- 6 strips of bacon, sliced into 1-2cm pieces (I use streaky bacon)
- 450 g (1 lb) Italian-style pork sausage – ideally something with fennel and garlic in (see notes)
- 1 large onion peeled and diced
- 3 garlic cloves peeled and minced
- 600g (1.3lbs) red skinned potatoes peeled and chopped into 1-inch chunks
- 1.5 litres (6.25 cups) hot chicken stock I use water + 3 stock cubes
- 240 ml (1 cup) double/heavy cream
- 120 g (2 packed cups) chopped kale
- ¼ tsp of black pepper
Optional cornflour slurry (to thicken)
- 1 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch in USA), mixed with 3 tbsp cold water – to form a slurry
To Serve:
- Grated/shredded parmesan
- chilli flakes (red pepper flakes)
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large sauce/soup pan, over a medium heat. Add the bacon and fry for 4-5 minutes, until crisp. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon (leaving the bacon oil behind) and place in a bowl. Put to one side.1 tsp oil, 6 strips of bacon, sliced into 1-2cm pieces
- Remove the skins from the sausages and add the sausage meat to the pan with the bacon oil. Fry for 5-6 minutes, until lightly browned, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon or meat masher.450 g (1 lb) Italian-style pork sausage
- Add in the onion and garlic and cook for a further 4-5 minutes, stirring regularly, until the onion softens.1 large onion, 3 garlic cloves
- Add in the potatoes and stock. Give everything a good stir, scraping any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan from cooking the bacon and sausage (lots of flavour there!). Bring to the boil , then simmer for 10-12 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.600g (1.3lbs) red skinned potatoes, 1.5 litres (6.25 cups) hot chicken stock
- Once the potatoes are cooked, add in the cream, kale and black pepper. Give everything a stir and simmer for 2-3 minutes, until the kale is tender. Taste the soup and add a little salt and more pepper if needed.240 ml (1 cup) double/heavy cream, 120 g (2 packed cups) chopped kale, 1/4 tsp of black pepper
- Optional: if you want to thicken the soup a little, stir in the cornflour slurry.1 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch in USA), mixed with 3 tbsp cold water – to form a slurry
- Ladle the soup into bowls. Top with the crispy bacon and a sprinkle of parmesan and chilli flakes. I love to serve my soup with rustic bread for dipping.Grated/shredded parmesan, chilli flakes (red pepper flakes)
Video
Notes
Best type of sausage for Zuppa Toscana
USA and Canada: A mild or hot Italian sausage is best for this soup. This is pork sausage with fennel or anise and garlic (plus red pepper/chilli flakes for the hot version). They’re very easy to find in most supermarkets in the USA and Canada. UK: They’re a little more difficult to find in the UK. I use Sainsbury’s Sicilian style pork sausages. Tesco and M&S also have an Italian sausage with fennel.Lidl had a limited edition version at the time of me writing this, and Asda also had Italian sausage meat – which would work great, as we remove the skin from the sausages anyway. If you can’t find an Italian-style sausage, use your favourite herby-pork sausage.
Ingredient Swaps and Substitutions
- Kale: Cavolo nero is a lovely alternative. You can also use spinach, but add it right at the end as it wilts very quickly.
- Cream: Double cream gives the richest result. Single cream can be used for a lighter broth (don’t boil, or it may split), although it won’t have quite the same luxurious texture.
- Parmesan: Grana Padano or another similar hard Italian cheese works well too.
- Add extra veg: Finely diced carrot or celery can be cooked with the onion.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This zuppa toscana was first posted in June 2015. Updated since with recipe improvements and for housekeeping reasons.
🍲 More cosy-and-filling soups
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Love it! I’ve been making this recipe for 2 years now and everyone who I make it for, loves it.
What a fabulous looking soup, so hearty and comforting. Gorgeous bowl of comfort food.
I heart soup. Especially hearty soups full of flavor. Pinned!
This looks delicious! Sausage and bacon whew!
Sausage and bacon works with everything 😀