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HOW TO COOK ZUPPA TOSCANA

Writer: goldenstateservicesj
goldenstateservicesj
Apr 17, 2020
2 min read

Zuppa Toscana. Zuppa for soup, Toscana for the region in Italy it may or may not have originated, but you get the idea. It’s my favorite Olive Garden soup. Basically….potatoes, Italian sausage, and kale soup…a little garlic and cream thrown in for good measure. And this is the closest I’ve come to duplicating that recipe.

A couple tips: Leave the skin on the potatoes and do not overcook them, they tend to get too mushy. You can use whole milk or half and half instead of cream. Also, be sure to remove the ribs from the kale when you chop it, the ribs are just too fibrous for this silky smooth soup. Sure, use onions instead of leeks, but…c’mon…leeks!

Ingredients:

  • 2 thick slices bacon, minced

  • 1 lb Italian sausage, 2 links, casing removed

  • 2 medium garlic cloves, peeled, thin sliced

  • 1 1/2 cup leeks, 1 medium, white and light green parts only, 1 inch chop

  • 2 cups kale, ribs removed, 1 inch chop

  • 1 large russet potato, skin on, sliced in quarters lengthwise, 1/4 inch slices

  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme

  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano

  • 2 cups low-sodium chicken stock

  • 1/2 cup dry sherry

  • Kosher salt and white ore black pepper

  • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

  • 1 cup cream

  • Chopped chives

Directions:

  • Place chopped leeks, garlic, and bacon in a food processor and pulse until minced.

  • Crumble Italian sausage into a large saucepan and brown thoroughly. Remove from pan and set aside. Ad 1 tbsp butter to the pan and add the leeks, garlic, and bacon mixture. Stir to cook for about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

  • Add the stock, sherry and red pepper flakes and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook about 15 minutes.

  • With an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth. Add the chopped kale, cover, bring to a simmer over medium low heat and cook another 20 minutes.

  • Add the sliced potatoes and cooked sausage, cover, and cook on medium low for about 10 minutes until the potatoes are just done, not mushy. Taste and reseason with salt and pepper if necessary.

  • Garnish with chopped chives.

 
 
 

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