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Creamy Zuppa Toscana Recipe Easy Homemade Soup Better Than Olive Garden

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A rich and comforting creamy Zuppa Toscana soup featuring spicy Italian sausage, tender potatoes, and vibrant kale in a silky broth, perfect for cozy dinners and easy weeknight meals.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 pound (450g) Italian sausage, spicy or mild, casing removed
  • 4 medium russet potatoes (about 1.5 pounds / 700g), peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 cups (about 100g) kale, chopped (Tuscan kale recommended)
  • 6 cups (1.4 liters) chicken broth
  • 1 cup (240ml) small-curd, low-fat cottage cheese, blended smooth
  • ½ cup (120ml) heavy cream (optional)
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • Salt and black pepper to taste
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • Parmesan cheese for serving (optional)

Instructions

  1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add Italian sausage and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until browned and cooked through, about 7–8 minutes. Drain excess fat if necessary.
  2. Add chopped onion and minced garlic to the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent and fragrant, about 3–4 minutes.
  3. Stir in thinly sliced potatoes and pour in chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.
  4. While potatoes simmer, chop kale into bite-size pieces, removing tough stems.
  5. Blend cottage cheese in a blender or with an immersion blender until smooth and creamy.
  6. Stir blended cottage cheese into the soup along with chopped kale. Add heavy cream if using, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper to taste. Simmer for another 5 minutes until kale is tender but still vibrant.
  7. Ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese if desired. Serve hot.

Notes

Brown the sausage well for best flavor. Blend cottage cheese until smooth to avoid lumps. Add kale near the end to keep it vibrant and tender. Adjust seasoning carefully as sausage and broth add saltiness. If soup is too thick after adding cottage cheese, add more broth or water to loosen.

Nutrition

Keywords: Zuppa Toscana, creamy soup, Italian soup, homemade soup, sausage soup, kale soup, easy soup recipe, Olive Garden copycat

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