Zuppa Toscana Soup slow cooker features tender chunks of kale, seasoned Italian sausages, tasty Yukon golden potatoes, and a warm, creamy broth. Top your bowl with crispy bacon and freshly grated Parmesan cheese for the best comfort food.

Pair this delicious soup with a crispy baguette or homemade rolls and a great Italian salad.

<img src="https://www.chelseasmessyapron.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Crockpot-Zuppa-Toscana-Soup-1.jpg" alt="Overhead photo

of finished Tuscany Zuppa soup.” /> Tuscany Zuppa Soup “

Tuscany Zuppa

”

translates to “Tuscan soup” or “Tuscan-style soup” and is full of vegetables, potatoes, beans and spices. So while this isn’t an authentic Tuscan-style soup, it’s a copy of Olive® Garden’s famous Tuscan Zuppa.

This Americanized version adds spicy Italian sausage, bacon, potatoes, and heavy cream. This filling, hearty, and completely delicious soup is quick to prepare. Thanks to the slow cooker, the cooking process couldn’t be easier. 🙂

How

to make Zuppa Tuscany

soup

Above this text, I have presented the steps to make this soup in picture form, and below is a description of what is happening in each of the numbered photos.

Brown the sausage;

1. use hot or soft Italian sausage (whichever you prefer). Tip: Use a cast iron skillet and don’t stir/shred the meat too much as you want it to brown to develop layers

of flavor.

2. Add the sausage to your slow cooker.
3. In the same pan used for the sausage, cook the onions and garlic; this will add a lot of flavor!
4. Add those onions and garlic to the slow cooker with the sausage.
5. Peel and dice the Yukon golden potatoes. Yukon golds are my favorite in this soup!
6. Add the potatoes just above the sausage.
7. Top everything with chicken broth (broth has more flavor than broth) and any additional water if needed. Cook in LOW for 5-6 hours or HIGH for 3-4 hours, until potatoes are tender.
8. Near the end of the cooking time, cut the kale into small, bite-sized pieces.
9. Add kale, heavy cream and seasonings (to taste) to the slow cooker.
10. Stir everything together and serve Tuscan Zuppa with cooked and shredded bacon and freshly grated Parmesan cheese!

<img src="https://www.chelseasmessyapron.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Crockpot-Zuppa-Toscana-Soup-5.jpg" alt="Close-up view

of Tuscany Zuppa” />

Is Zuppa Tuscany healthy?

This soup contains a good serving of kale, potatoes, onions, chicken broth, and garlic, all of which provide your body with essential vitamins and minerals.

Sausage, heavy cream, and bacon aren’t the healthiest additions to soup, but I think they’re fine ingredients to have in moderation. The term “healthy” depends a lot on personal beliefs, preferences, and goals.

To make this soup healthier, you can replace the thick cream with half and half (it won’t be as thick/rich) and leave out the bacon. I do not recommend any substitute for sausage, the flavors are an integral part of the soup.

Side dishes to serve with

this soup a

• good crispy baguette, homemade muffins or soup crackers

some kind of salad – this

• winter fruit salad or cucumber salad would be great to accompany
• extra vegetables try roasted broccoli or roasted Brussels sprouts on the side

Quick tips

1. Not a fan of spicy heat ? Use soft sausages and reduce the amount of red pepper flakes. If you’re a heat lover, use hot Italian sausages and amplify red pepper flakes. We prefer the Tuscan Zuppa soup on the spicy side!
2. Too much fat in the soup? Some fat is very normal from Italian sausage, but you can fix that if you prefer. First, be sure to drain the sausage into a plate lined with a paper towel. Then let the soup cool for 15-20 minutes. The fat will rise to the top and you can gently skim it from the top.
3. Want to make the thickest Tuscan Zuppa soup? This soup is traditionally quite broth. If you want it thicker, I would recommend slightly increasing the amount of potatoes and then pureing some of the potatoes once cooked.