Classic zuppa toscana soup, in slow cooker form!
Spicy crumbled sausage, silky potatoes, and the best creamy broth… it’s the perfect copycat soup!
As a kid my favorite soup was Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscana, so naturally I wanted to find a way to have it at home (for way less money)! This soup has all the great flavors of the Olive Garden soup, but making at home is much more convenient, and I think it tastes way better! If you’ve never had this soup… it’s a creamy soup with tender potatoes, spicy Italian sausage ( or with kiddos not so spicy sausage) , and fresh kale.
INGREDIENTS:
- 16 oz ground Italian sausage
- 32 oz low sodium chicken broth
- 1 bunch kale ( de stem this and tear up very tiny)
- 1 bag chopped potatoes & onions or 3 medium potatoes peeld and dice
- 1 med white onion diced
- 1 c. heavy cream
CROCKPOT DIRECTIONS
- Heat large skillet over medium high heat and brown sausage. drain grease
- Add potato onion to crock pot, cover with chicken stock to completely cover potatoes and sausage.
- Add in the sausage
- Cover and cook on LOW for 5-6 hours or HIGH for 3-4 (potatoes should be soft)
- Before serving, whisk in the cream, add kale and stir to combine.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for 30 minutes until soup has thickened slightly.
- Taste, season according to your tastes, and serve.
PRO TIPS FOR MAKING THE RECIPE:
Control the heat level by using either mild or spicy Italian sausage. I prefer the spicy variety with the creamy soup, but the girls on the other hand can’t stand spice so we settle on a mild and then Aaron and I can add pepper flakes to our bowl after serving
I like to really de stem my kale and almost need it in a colander as I wash it and rip it up to be sure there are ZERO stems and the pieces are small and easily tenderized into the soup.
Too much grease in your soup? It happens, especially with the Italian sausage, but you can fix it if it bothers you. Let the soup cool for 5-10 minutes, then gently skim off the grease layer.
Want to try this soup but following a low-carb way of eating? Swap out the potatoes for chopped cauliflower florets! Sub the cream out for unsweetened coconut milk this lowers the fat content.
Bree Holland 