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Zuppa Toscana in a blue stoneware bowl on a marble counter. A red print cloth napkin is to the right of the bowl and a spoon is resting on the napkin.

Delicious Zuppa Toscana


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5 from 1 review

  • Author: Glenda Embree
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 8-10 servings 1x
  • Diet: Gluten Free

Description

Zuppa Toscana is loaded with chunks of potato, Italian sausage and aromatic veggies nestled into a savory and satisfying broth.  Easy to make Whole30 soup that’s loved by kids & adults.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 lb homemade Italian sausage (or store-bought, if that’s what you have)
  • 12 cups chicken broth (Make sure it’s compliant if you’re doing Whole30.)
  • 3 lbs red potatoes, diced to bite-size (leave the skin on)
  • 3 carrots, minced
  • 3 stalks celery, minced
  • 1 small zucchini, minced
  • 1 medium red onion, minced
  • 3 cups chopped kale
  • 1/2 cup canned full-fat coconut milk
  • 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • additional salt and pepper, to taste
  • optional garnish: crumbled Whole30 compliant bacon and chopped parsley

Instructions

  1. Brown and drain the Italian sausage.  Set aside.
  2. Cut the celery, carrots, zucchini and onion into chunks and pulse in the food processor until they are very fine mince.  The goal is to have the flavor and nutrition of the veggies in our soup, without necessarily seeing them.  By mincing them fine, they will melt away into the broth, adding body and wonderful savory flavor.
  3. Put the minced vegetables, garlic, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes and salt into a large stock pot.
  4. Pour 8 cups of the chicken broth over the ingredients in the pan and stir to combine.
  5. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to allow it to continue to simmer.  Simmer for 30 minutes or until most of the vegetables have melted into the broth.  Your broth will have reduced down and the mixture will be thick.  Don’t panic.  We’re adding more stock in a bit.
  6. While the veggies simmer, chop the potatoes into bite-size dice.  (I leave the skins on.)  Set the potatoes aside for just a bit.
  7. Just to appease my picky veggie people, I run my stick blender through the broth and blend in the remaining specks of vegetables.  This also thickens and gives body to the broth.  Which is perfect for achieving restaurant-style creaminess when you add the coconut milk, later.  You decide what you and your family prefer, though — blended or not.
  8. Add the last 4 cups of stock to the pot.
  9. Add the apple cider vinegar and nutritional yeast.  Stir to combine.
  10. Taste the broth and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
  11. Bring everything back to a boil.
  12. Add the bite-size potato pieces and cook until they are tender.
  13. When the potatoes are tender, add the sausage and coconut milk and simmer just one or two minutes until they are warmed by the soup.  (Remember to stir the coconut milk, before measuring, if it has separated in the can.)
  14. At this point, you can stir in the chopped kale and remove the pot from the heat.  If you’re expecting to have leftovers, though, I have another suggestion.  I don’t mix the kale into the soup pot.  I put chopped kale in the bottom of the individual bowls and ladle the soup over it.  Left in the soup, stored in the fridge, the kale would get dark and limp.  But, by using the bowl method, it’s vibrantly green and fresh even in leftovers.  So, it’s up to you.  If you’re going to eat it in one sitting, stir the kale into the pot.  If not, I recommend adding it to individual bowls.
  15. Serve with a garnish of chopped bacon and parsley.
  • Prep Time: 15 min
  • Cook Time: 45 min
  • Category: Main Dish, Soup
  • Method: stove top
  • Cuisine: American-Italian