Zuppa Toscana with Hot Italian Sausage is the perfect dish to use that sausage you got lying around in your freezer. Roasted potatoes and fried prosciutto bring a unique taste to this dish that usually contains bacon and boiled potatoes.
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Like any other soup, zuppa toscana is perfect for the colder months and makes for a hearty meal you could almost eat with a spoon. Making this recipe, I choose to roast the potatoes before placing them in the pot which gave the soup a slightly roasted flavor.
If you like soup, then you'll want to try Italian Wedding Egg Drop soup, Roasted Tomato Soup or a Quick and Easy Butternut Squash soup.
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Here's Why You'll Love this Dish
Filling - this soup is filled with nutrients and protein to keep you going all day long.
Easy to make - not fancy and easy to make soup ready in 40 minutes or less.
Tasty - tastes so good that even your fussiest eater will like it.
Customizable - make it dairy free and healthy or use mild sausage
Ingredients You'll Need to Make Zuppa Toscana
You will need the following ingredients to make Zuppa Toscana: spicy hot sausage, potatoes, onion, prosciutto, seasoning, garlic, kale, broth, corn starch, heavy cream.
Spicy Italian Sausage is the star of this dish but you can swap out the spice for a mild sausage
Potatoes add starch to the soup for double duty making it calorie dense and acting as a thickener
Prosciutto not only adds a salty bite but a crispy delight
Kale makes for the perfect leafy green to be added to this soup boosting the nutrient content
Heavy cream adds creamy richness to the soup bringing all the flavors together in one bite.
See recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Zuppa Toscana with Spicy Sausage
Preheat oven to 400℉. Prepare a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cut and season the potatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes. (this is optional, you could also just place cut potatoes in pot after you add broth)
Remove sausage meet from casing and place in a fry pan.
Remove sausage meet from casing and place in a fry pan. Brown until golden. Use a wooden spook to break down the large pieces.
In another frypan, fry prosciutto until crispy. Set aside.
Chop Kale and set aside.
In a saucepan, fry garlic and onion in olive oil until fragrant. Add browned sausage.
Add broth to saucepan until the contents are slightly submerged but not totally.
Add potatoes and add the kale and then the cream a little at a time.
Storage: if you have any leftovers of zuppa toscana, place them in an airtight container once cool and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat in a saucepan or a microwave.
Meal Prep Tips
Instead of cutting the sausage, squeeze the meat out of the tubing right into your frying pan to brown it.
Possible Ingredient Substitutions
This soup is perfect on it's own, but here are a few ways you can change it up:
- Spinach - instead of kale, use spinach or beans.
- Heavy Cream - use coconut cream to make this soup dairy free.
- Healthy version - eliminate the cream all together for a healthy version.
The perfect recipe isn't that far away. I'd love to know how you substituted ingredients to fit your dietary needs. Drop a comment below and let me know!
Answers to Commonly Asked Questions
The most popular soup at the Olive Garden is Zuppa Toscana with kale, potatoes and bacon. It's a hearty one-pot soup.
You can make zuppa toscana healthy by eliminating the cream.
You can make Zuppa Toscana Dairy free by swapping the heavy cream with coconut cream.
Related Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Recipe Details
Zuppa Toscana with Hot Italian Sausage
Ingredients
- 1 lb Spicy Italian Sausage
- 14 oz russet potatoes 2 medium potatoes
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4 oz red onion 1 medium onion
- 2 oz prosciutto 4 slices, fried til crispy
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp sage
- dash ground pepper
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 cups kale chopped
- 16 oz chicken broth
- 2 tsp flour or you can use corn starch
- ½ cup heavy cream
- parmesan cheese shavings
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400℉. Prepare a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cut and season the potatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes. (this is optional, you could also just place cut potatoes in pot after you add broth)
- In another frypan, fry prosciutto until crispy. Set aside. Chop the kale and set it aside as well.
- Remove sausage meet from casing and place in a fry pan. Brown until golden. Use a wooden spook to break down the large pieces.
- In a saucepan, fry garlic and onion in olive oil until fragrant. Add browned sausage.
- Add broth to saucepan until the contents are slightly submerged but not totally.
- Add potatoes. If the potatoes are raw, bring contents to a boil and let simmer until the potatoes are tender.
- If you roasted the potatoes then you can add the kale and then the cream a little at a time.
- Make a slurry with the flour and about 2 tablespoons of water, add it to the pot stirring quickly. Repeat this step until you get the thickness you prefer.
- Serve in bowls and place prosciutto pieces and shaved parmesan in each soup bowl. Serve immediately.
Notes
Meal Prep Tips
Instead of cutting the sausage, squeeze the meat out of the tubing right into your frying pan to brown it.Nutrition
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Food Safety
Note that the storage guidelines provided on this page and site are estimates from personal experiences. We are all adults and as an adult you are responsible to ensure that the food you eat is safe to eat. Since, I'm not a food safety expert, you are responsible to review your local guidelines on food storage prior to storing any food left-overs.
Remember to:
- Not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
For Canadian Guidelines check the Government of Canada Food Safety Guidelines or see more guidelines at USDA.gov.
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