Rich, Creamy & Comforting: How To Make The Perfect Zuppa Toscana
Dive into a bowl of warmth with this rich and creamy Zuppa Toscana, where every bite is a delightful embrace of flavors. Packed with savory Italian sausage, crispy bacon, tender potatoes, and fresh kale, this hearty soup sits perfectly in the comfort food category. We’ve refined the recipe for an even more luxurious experience, with fragrant sautéed sausage meat and velvety cream melding beautifully with tender veggies.
Watch as we guide you through each step, ensuring the perfect texture and deep flavor profile. Topped with crispy bacon and a sprinkle of Parmesan, it’s as satisfying as a complete dinner—no bread required! Perfect for cold evenings or any day you crave a taste of Italian comfort. Enjoy your culinary adventure!
Watch the video by Kitchen Sanctuary
Recipe Instructions
This rich and creamy Zuppa Toscana recipe is packed with sausage, bacon, tender potatoes and kale in a creamy, flavourful broth. So comforting!
This Zuppa Toscana recipe is one of those gloriously hearty soups that really does feel like a full dinner in a bowl. We’ve got golden sausage meat, tender potatoes, kale and crispy bacon, all in a rich, creamy broth with a gentle kick of chilli and a good sprinkling of Parmesan to finish.
I first shared this recipe years ago, but I’ve been back in the kitchen giving it a bit of a refresh.
I now remove the skins from the sausages and fry the sausage meat directly in the pan. I much prefer the texture this way, you get lovely little craggy pieces that brown beautifully and distribute throughout the soup.
I’m also peeling the potatoes now. It gives the finished soup a slightly softer, more luxurious texture, which works particularly well with that creamy broth.
Now, this soup doesn’t need to be served with bread, it’s filling enough. But I found a rustic loaf with walnuts in Sainsbury’s and it goes with the soup perfectly!!
Free printable recipe is available on our site: https://www.kitchensanctuary.com/rich-and-creamy-zuppa-toscana/
Ingredients:
1 tsp oil I use avocado oil, but other neutral oils such as sunflower or canola work too.
6 strips of bacon, sliced into 1-2cm pieces (I use streaky bacon)
450 g (1 lb) Italian-style pork sausage – ideally something with fennel and garlic in (see notes)
1 large onion peeled and diced
3 garlic cloves peeled and minced
600g (1.3lbs) red skinned potatoes peeled and chopped into 1-inch chunks
1.5 litres (6.25 cups) hot chicken stock I use water + 3 stock cubes
240 ml (1 cup) double/heavy cream
120 g (2 packed cups) chopped kale
¼ tsp of black pepper
Optional cornflour slurry (to thicken)
1 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch in USA), mixed with 3 tbsp cold water – to form a slurry
To Serve:
Grated/shredded parmesan
chilli flakes (red pepper flakes)
Instructions
1. Heat the oil in a large sauce/soup pan, over a medium heat. Add the bacon and fry for 4-5 minutes, until crisp. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon (leaving the bacon oil behind) and place in a bowl. Put to one side.
2. Remove the skins from the sausages and add the sausage meat to the pan with the bacon oil. Fry for 5-6 minutes, until lightly browned, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon or meat masher.
3. Add in the onion and garlic and cook for a further 4-5 minutes, stirring regularly, until the onion softens.
4. Add in the potatoes and stock. Give everything a good stir, scraping any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan from cooking the bacon and sausage (lots of flavour there!). Bring to the boil , then simmer for 10-12 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.
5. Once the potatoes are cooked, add in the cream, kale and black pepper. Give everything a stir and simmer for 2-3 minutes, until the kale is tender. Taste the soup and add a little salt and more pepper if needed.
6. Optional: if you want to thicken the soup a little, stir in the cornflour slurry.
7. Ladle the soup into bowls. Top with the crispy bacon and a sprinkle of parmesan and chilli flakes. I love to serve my soup with rustic bread for dipping.
Notes
Best type of sausage for Zuppa Toscana
USA and Canada: A mild or hot Italian sausage is best for this soup. This is pork sausage with fennel or anise and garlic (plus red pepper/chilli flakes for the hot version). They’re very easy to find in most supermarkets in the USA and Canada.
UK: They’re a little more difficult to find in the UK. I use Sainsbury’s Sicilian style pork sausages. Tesco and M&S also have an Italian sausage with fennel. Lidl had a limited edition version at the time of me writing this, and Asda also had Italian sausage meat – which would work great, as we remove the skin from the sausages anyway.
If you can’t find an Italian-style sausage, use your favourite herby-pork sausage.
Ingredient Swaps and Substitutions
Kale: Cavolo nero is a lovely alternative. You can also use spinach, but add it right at the end as it wilts very quickly.
Cream: Double cream gives the richest result. Single cream can be used for a lighter broth (don’t boil, or it may split), although it won’t have quite the same luxurious texture.
Parmesan: Grana Padano or another similar hard Italian cheese works well too.
Add extra veg: Finely diced carrot or celery can be cooked with the onion.
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Video “Rich, Creamy & Comforting: How To Make The Perfect Zuppa Toscana” was uploaded on 09/29/2026 to Youtube Channel Kitchen Sanctuary