The Best Zuppa Toscana

A warm, flavorful and simple soup. This recipe for Zuppa Toscana is the best one out there! It’s so easy, quick, and it’s a lot healthier than most recipes since our’s uses milk instead of cream, giving it the perfect balance.

We love soup. Soup has always been a family favorite! It’s quick, easy, healthy, and so comforting on a rainy day (although it’s great for those warmer days too!) And served with a homemade crusty bread, it really is the perfect meal.

Step-By-Step Video:

What is Zuppa Toscana?

Zuppa Toscana is a pretty broad term meaning, “Tuscan Soup.” You probably know it from Olive Garden, but in Italy they call it “Minestra de Pane” which translates to “Bread soup.” Traditionally, it’s made with cannellini beans, kale, zucchini, and Italian bacon, and tomatoes.

The version we are making today is based off the popular soup at Olive Garden. (But better because it’s homemade!)

The Ingredients:

Bacon: We made sure that this soup has enough bacon in it (because well… bacon). It adds so much flavor and deliciousness! 

Italian Sausage: A good soup should have lots of meat in it! (well mostly, unless it’s a vegetarian soup…) You can use hot Italian sausage too, if you like it spicy. 🔥

Onion: You’ll need 1 medium sized white onion.

Garlic: 8 garlic cloves. Sounds like a lot? Well, it really makes this soup so flavorful!

Yukon Gold Potatoes: Most recipes for Zuppa Toscana use russet potatoes, but we like using Yukon Gold potatoes because they hold up better.

Chicken Broth: Use low sodium chicken broth.

Seasonings: We are keeping the seasonings super simple since the bacon, sausage, and parmesan add some saltiness and flavor. So all you’ll need is some salt and oregano.

Milk: Ok, so cream is usually used in Zuppa Toscana, but we wanted to make this soup lighter (without having to sacrifice on flavor) sooo, we made it with milk, and well it was perfect! Not too creamy and it didn’t overpower the other ingredients!

Parmesan: Adding 1/2 a cup of grated parmesan really takes this soup up a level! It’s so good! You can also save some for serving.

Kale: Ah yes, kale. One of our favorite greens! We recommend chopping the kale up pretty thin, so that way there aren’t big leaves in the final product.

The process to making this soup is very simple! Anybody can do it. Start off by cooking the bacon in a large dutch oven until crispy. Remove the bacon along with the all the grease.

Next brown the sausage, add in the chopped onion + garlic, then potatoes, seasonings, broth + water, and cook that.

Once cooked, pour in the milk, add in the parmesan and kale, and simmer that for 5 minutes. Finally add in the crisp bacon that was cooked earlier. Then all you have to do is serve! So simple!

Lastly, if you try this recipe, tag us on instagram @corrigansisters. Or leave us a comment down below! We love hearing from your guys! 🙂

Other Savory Recipes You'll Love:

Chicken Tikka Masala: If you love Indian food, you are going to LOVE this!

Creamy Alfredo Sauce: A classic!

Rosemary Lemon Salmon Sheet Pan Dinner with Potatoes: So pretty and delicious!

Cheesy Garlic Herb Spaghetti Squash with Meat Sauce: Healthy, cheesy, flavorful, and pretty easy to make!

Print
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The Best Zuppa Toscana


Description

A warm, flavorful and simple soup. This recipe for Zuppa Toscana is the best one out there! It’s so easy, quick, and it’s a lot healthier than most recipes since our’s uses milk instead of cream, giving it the perfect balance.


Ingredients

-6 oz. diced bacon

-1 lb. Italian sausage

-1 medium white onion, chopped

-8 garlic cloves, minced

-1.5 lbs. Yukon gold potatoes, washed and chopped

-1/4 tsp. salt (or to taste)

-1 tsp. dried oregano

-3 1/2 cups chicken broth (2, 14 oz. cans)

-3 cups water

-1 cup milk

-1/2 cup parmesan, grated

-1 bunch kale, chopped (roughly 4 cups)


Instructions

1. In a large dutch oven over medium high heat, cook 6 oz. diced bacon until crisp. Transfer bacon using a slotted spoon to a bowl lined with a paper towel and save for later. Also discard all the grease from pan.

2. To the pot, add in 1 lb. Italian sausage breaking it up into bite sized pieces, and cook for about 3 minutes until browned.

3. Add in the onion, and garlic stirring occasionally. Cook that for another 3 minutes until the garlic is fragrant.

4. Add the potatoes to the pot along with the salt, oregano, chicken broth, and water.

5. Cover and let that come to a boil. Once boiling cook for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are done.

6. Pour in the milk and add in the grated parmesan cheese with the chopped kale. Stir and let that simmer for 5 minutes.

7. Lastly, add in the crisped up bacon and stir to combine.

8. Serve with some parmesan cheese and crusty bread. Enjoy!

  • Prep Time: 10 mins.
  • Cook Time: 25 mins.
  • Category: Savory
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Italian

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 bowl
  • Calories: 365

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