Slow Cooker Zuppa Toscana
If you love this classic favorite soup from a restaurant then you will love making your own at home! Slow Cooker Zuppa Toscana is packed full of juicy sausage, tender potatoes and tons of flavor!
What is zuppa toscana?
Some say Zuppa Toscana is a soup that originated from the region of Italy known as Tuscany. Some say it’s a “tuscan inspired” soup that originated from a popular Italian restaurant chain. Even though it may not necessarily be traditional Italian fare, this Zuppa Toscana is a hearty soup that uses the Italian spice palate. It’s made with sausage, bacon, and veggies that simmer in a cream base.
Ingredients
Is Zuppa Toscana gluten-free? Yep! It sure is!
Can you make substitutions for any of the veggies? You can substitute some defrosted frozen spinach for the kale if you prefer the taste.
Preparation
What’s the quickest way to prep ingredients for Zuppa Toscana? If you enjoy eating soups and make them often, I recommend getting yourself a multi-cooker.
What’s a multi-cooker? A multi-cooker is a handy-dandy kitchen appliance that allows you to use one pot to cook in more than 10 different ways. You can brown meat in the same pot that the soup simmers in. Simply put the meat in, brown it, then toss in the other ingredients and switch the cooking mode.
Pro Tip
How can I make my Zuppa Toscana thicker? Easy! Simply whisk 2 tablespoons of cornstarch or flour with 2 tablespoons of water. Then, add that mixture to the soup and stir. Heat the soup for an additional 30 minutes on high. Your soup with thicken up nicely without sacrificing flavor.
Serving Suggestions
What should I serve with Zuppa Toscana? As with most soups, a hearty side salad usually does the trick! Try one of these: Wedge Salad with Herbed Buttermilk Dressing, Orzo Salad, or Blueberry Salad. Your dinner is sure to be a true crowd-pleaser!
Related Recipes
If you like Zuppa Toscana, give some of my other soups a try!
- Sausage and Potato Soup
- Chicken and Gnocchi Soup
- Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup
- Slow Cooker Sausage and Potato Chowder
- Slow Cooker Cheeseburger Soup
Slow Cooker Zuppa Toscana Recipe
Equipment
- skillet or multicooker
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 pound Italian Sausage
- 1/2 pound Yukon gold potatoes
- 1/2 sweet yellow onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- Red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper
- 1 cup frozen kale
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 pieces thick-cut cooked bacon chopped
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Add sausage to multi cooker or skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it into crumbly pieces and cooking through
- Transfer the sausage to the slow cooker
- Scrub and dice potatoes and add them to slow cooker with diced onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes
- Add kale and chicken broth, cover, and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours
- Finally, stir in cream, cooked bacon, and salt and pepper to taste
Notes
- Store leftover soup in the fridge for 3 days, or in Souper Cubes in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- If you choose sausage links with casing, remove it before crumbling the meat in the skillet.
- To thicken the soup, whisk together a slurry of equal parts water and flour or cornstarch. Add 1 tablespoon at a time to the soup and allow it to heat thoroughly. Repeat as needed until you reach the desired thickness.
Can I use this recipe with leftover baked potatoes in a slow cooker?
Yes. Since everything would essentially be cooked at this point, I’d add it in for just 1-2 hours to heat through and soften the kale.
Do I need to reduce the broth?
Love this soup!! Not a kale lover so I substitute it with choppped bok choy!! Yummy!!!
I’ve made this soup many times on the stove and love it. I’m not the best at following recipes exactly but really looking forward to trying this in the slow cooker. It’s a very addictive soup!
This was very easy to make and very yummy, too! I doubled the potatoes, the onion, and the broth, plus subbed in vegan sausage (and didn’t use bacon) since I’m allergic to pork, but it turned out really good and made a ton of food. Hearty, warm, simple ingredients and prep, and was done in under 4 hours on high!
so glad you loved it!
Hi, Jennifer!
DEFINITELY keep the soup recipes coming. So nice to have them for lunches and winter comfort :0)
Thank you so much Reenie!
Can this soup be cooked on stovetop?
Yes! Unfortunately I haven’t tested it to give you specific instructions, but use your best judgment on adjusting the recipe and let us know if you give it a try!
Made this the other day with spinach, it was AMAZING!!!!! Did not thicken it, but might try that next time (of which, there most definitely will be)!!!!
Thanks for the amazing recipe!!!
We’ve made this three times in the last month!! It’s such an awesome recipe and there are very little leftovers left each time. Two thumbs up!!
Jennifer, I can’t wait to try this recipe! It looks delicious! My Hubs would prefer ground beef and we source from a local grass-fed farm. Since this recipe allows for customization (as all recipes do), the sodium content is totally in our control. Since Hubs has marginal high BP I always know to be mindful of watching the salt when cooking anything. Your recipe is spot on. Thank so much for posting it. I know it will be a fall and winter hit with my Meat and Potatoes man!
I think subbing out the ground beef will be perfect!
The sodium in this recipe is through the roof. I used hamburger instead of sausage and salt free chicken stock adding a dash of salt at the end. Now I can eat this soup.
Hi Chris. So glad you were able to make modifications to the recipe to fit your dietary needs. Hope you enjoyed the recipe.