Easy Family Dinner: One Pot Zuppa Toscana
Inspired by my favorite dish at The Olive Garden, this easy Zuppa Toscana soup is so delicious; it’s an easy family dinner you’re going to have on repeat all fall and winter!
For the longest time I thought that Zuppa Toscana was a tricky soup to make — it looks so fancy! But to my delight, it’s pretty simple to throw together with mostly pantry staples. Even better, my kids love it too. (Okay, half of them just like dipping the bread in it but we’re still calling that a win.)
My favorite thing about this recipe is that you can make it however works best for you. If you want to simmer it on the stove and cook it in one go you can. Want to slow cook it for 8 hours? It’ll be delicious! Want to make up a big batch and freeze some for later in the month? It’s great for that, too!
That’s one of the reasons its one of my favorite soups to make when we’re hosting friends and family. No need to stress about the food when you have guests. Enjoy a game while the everything is simmering and making the house smell amazing!
It’s also a very forgiving recipe, so don’t stress if you don’t have every ingredient or spice.
This is what I make for our family of 9 and we usually have enough left over for two smaller lunch portions the next day. If you want to cook a smaller portion, halve the recipe and you should be good!
If you want to download the recipe to save in your recipe folder, click here for a printable version!
I love to cook this up in my Ninja Foodie — I can make everything right in the pot and then slow cook it for the afternoon without needing to dirty another dish. Easily my most used Kitchen appliance. It comes in two sizes, a 6qt size and an 8qt size. I have the 8qt size; my exactly one is older and not available anymore but this is the newer version which has super high reviews, too.
Our white bowls, perfect for soups, pastas, and stirfry.
I also love using this rotary cheese grater to grate up some fresh Parmesan for topping! Say When? Never!
Enjoy!
Zuppa Toscana Ingredients
2 lbs ground Italian Sausage (mild or hot,)
4 Russet Potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch chunks
2 large yellow onion
1 cup chopped precooked bacon
Measure with your heart to taste:
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1-2 tbsp minced garlic
2 cups kale, washed and chopped
16oz chicken broth
1 qt water
2 tsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tsp water to form paste
1 Cup heavy Whipping Cream (Half and Half works fine too)
Optional but strongly encouraged:
Parmesan Cheese for topping
Crusty baguette
Directions
Chop sausage into small pieces. In your soup pot, brown sausage over medium -high heat till it is cooked through and beginning to get a little crispy.
Add onions, garlic, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to sausage, cooking until onions are clear and everything is nicely blended together.
Reduce heat to medium and place your potatoes in the pot.
Slowly add chicken broth and water. Stir to combine.
Cook on medium heat until potatoes are done. Stirring occasionally. When you can stick a fork into the potato without effort, you’ll know they’re done. (If using a crockpot, you’ll wait to do the following steps until after it’s slow cooked for 6-8 hours)
Once potatoes are done, make your cornstarch slurry and slowly add it to the pot, simmering until the soup has thickened. (This takes about 10-15 minutes depending on amount of soup.)
Reduce heat to your lowest setting and add in the kale and bacon. Slowly pour in the heavy cream while stirring.
You’re now ready to serve the soup!
Grate up some fresh Parmesan cheese and serve with some crusty bread.
