This Creamy Zuppa Toscana is full of sausage, potatoes, and kale, all swimming together in a creamy broth. It makes an easy, hearty, and delicious dinner!
Hey y’all! I’m soooooo happy to be back with you all today! It’s been a long time since my last recipe post, and it feels nice to be back in the kitchen and behind the camera again.
In case you didn’t catch my post from last week, I took a few months off because I’m pregnant (YAY!) but have been dealing with severe sickness. I’ve been feeling much better over the past few weeks, and I’m SO very grateful for that!
This Zuppa Toscana came about because I had an abundance of potatoes in my pantry that I needed to use.
Even though I’m feeling better most days, there are still a lot of foods I haven’t been able to stomach again yet (here’s looking at you, bacon) and there are a few foods that have consistently helped me through on the bad days. Mashed potatoes and baked potatoes have been a solid standby, so I’ve kept them in good supply!
Now, I know this soup is a popular menu item at Olive Garden, but I have to admit that I’ve never ordered it there before! I guess I’m more of a pasta gal, myself. 😉
But, I’ve seen variations of it floating around on the internet before and I love all of the ingredients in it; potatoes, Italian sausage, kale, garlic, onions, etc. So I decided to give it a try and put my own spin on it, too.
My favorite kinds of soups are creamy ones, like Creamy Tomato Basil Soup or Creamy Chicken Fajita Soup, so I decided to do the same with this one.
I added in some softened cream cheese, and also a slurry of milk and flour to help thicken it slightly. I love the velvety texture cream cheese gives to soups, and my family really enjoyed it in this one, too!
Enjoy y’all!
Creamy Zuppa Toscana
Ingredients
- 1 pound Italian sausage, (I used mild)
- 1 large onion,, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic,, minced
- 5 cups chicken broth
- 1 1/2 pounds Russet potatoes,, cut in half lengthwise, then thinly sliced
- 8 oz. cream cheese,, softened
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 Tablespoon flour
- 3-4 cups chopped kale leaves,, stems removed
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, (if you don't like too much spice, you can reduce this or leave it out)
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Brown and crumble Italian sausage with the onions and garlic in a large skillet. Cook until no longer pink, drain fat, and set aside.
- In a large soup pot, bring chicken broth and potatoes to boil over high heat. Cook until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.
- Reduce heat to medium and stir in the softened cream cheese. Stir and cook for about five minutes, until cheese is melted.
- In a small bowl, mix together the milk and flour, then stir into the soup. Cook for a couple minutes more. Season the soup with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and oregano.
- Stir in the cooked sausage/onions and chopped kale and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
If you like this Creamy Zuppa Toscana, then you might also like:
Chipotle Corn Chowder
Catherine says
Yummy! This is just the dish I’ve been craving and your recipe is so simple – Guess whats’s on the menu for tonight!
Cassandra Fulford says
I definitely am on a soup kick this fall, and the ingredients in this one are so comforting! Can’t wait to try!
Monica Simpson says
This is my favorite Olive Garden soup and my favorite soup to make in the fall!
Heather says
This looks absolutely delicious. I’m sure my family would love creamy zuppa toscana! I can’t wait to make it.
Sonal says
This soup looks soooo comforting and an easy recipe to make. Bookmarking it to make it soon.