Zuppa Toscana is typically a rich soup with pork sausage, potatoes, and heavy cream, which is incredibly delicious. However, I made a more flavorful version without the heavy cream, believe it or not.
I replaced half of the potatoes with butternut squash for additional flavor. Then instead of relying on heavy cream for a thick soup base, I pureed some of the butternut squash, potatoes, and sun dried tomatoes to create a thick, creamy, very flavorful base.
Next I added the sausage and kale to finish the soup. Serve it with some warm, crusty Italian bread for a hearty bowl of soup perfect for fall or winter.
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Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or sun dried tomato oil
- 1 large yellow onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- 10 ounce jar sun dried tomatoes in oil or 2 jars for a strong flavor, see note
- 2 teaspoon Italian seasoning or 1 teaspoon each oregano and thyme
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper or red pepper flakes
- 1 medium butternut squash (about 2 pounds)
- 1 lbs yukon gold potatoes
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 bunch kale curly, flat leaf, or sub with fresh spinach
- ¾ lbs sausage (pre cooked to save time, see note)
Instructions
PREP WORK
- Dice the onions and garlic. Peel and dice the butternut squash. Dice the potatoes (no need to peel). Remove the kale from the stems, then slice into bite-size strips.
SAUTE AROMATICS
- If you have raw sausage, cook it in your dutch oven or soup pot first, then set it aside, leaving the fat behind (to replace the olive oil for sauteing the onions). If you have pre-cooked sausage, you will add it much later in the process.
- Add olive oil (or sun dried tomato oil from the jar) to a dutch oven or large soup pot. Saute the onions until translucent. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant and onions start to turn golden.1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 large yellow onion, 4 cloves garlic
- Add the sun dried tomatoes and spices: paprika, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Stir into onions and garlic until fragrant. (Many of flavor compounds of spices are oil soluble, so this step helps release those flavors).10 ounce jar sun dried tomatoes in oil, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 2 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper
ADD BROTH & SIMMER
- Add 6 cups of broth along with diced butternut squash and potatoes. Bring to a boil then simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the vegetables are soft.1 medium butternut squash, 1 lbs yukon gold potatoes, 6 cups chicken broth
- Once soft, use a slotted spoon and scoop out half of the butternut squash and potatoes. These will be added back in as the chunky part of the soup. Then puree remaining vegetables & broth in the soup pot using an immersion blender. (Alternatively, transfer to a blender for an ultra-smooth base, careful not to fill too full and splatter hot soup everywhere).
FINISH THE SOUP
- Add the reserved butternut squash and potatoes back to the pot, along with the kale and the already-cooked sausage. Return to a simmer and continue until the sausage is warmed back up. Taste and add salt if needed.1 bunch kale, ¾ lbs sausage
- Serve with a side of crusty Italian bread.
Notes
Nutrition
Calorie breakdown by ingredient
A generous-sized, 1.5 cup bowl of this Zuppa Toscana has 394 calories. If you're only eating one cup (8 ounces), it would be 262 calories. I've based all of the nutritional information off of the larger bowl of soup (1.5 cup serving).
The majority of the calories comes from the sausage and potatoes, which contribute 110 and 115 calories per bowl, respectively. In contrast, the same about of butternut squash (by weight) contains about half of the calories (56 per bowl).
The jar of sun dried tomatoes adds about 50 calories per bowl, assuming you've drained them (adding that much oil in would increase the calorie count significantly).
Butternut squash
I grow my own butternut squash and cook through at least a couple dozen each fall and winter, often in different variations of butternut squash soups. I have a few tips to share on using whole butternut squash and buying it pre-cut from the grocery store.
Whole butternut squash
Working with whole butternut squash isn't as bad as it seems. It peels quite easily with one (or maybe two) swipes of a vegetable peeler. From there, cut the longer neck from the rounded bowl end.
The neck is pure flesh and dices as easily as a large potato. The bulbous bowl end has the seed cavity and requires a little extra work. Separate out the seeds (and roast them like pumpkin seeds). Then use a spoon to scoop any stringy flesh away. Slice it up then dice into bite-sized pieces.
A medium butternut squash weighs about 2 pounds and a large one up to 3 pounds. You'll lose about 2-3 ounces from removing the skin and seeds.
This recipe doesn't need an exact amount of butternut squash - a little more or a little less will work out just fine.
Alternatively, you can buy a larger butternut squash, perhaps about 3 pounds (instead of 2 pounds). Peel the neck for the soup and reserve the bottom bowl-like halves for roasting & stuffing for another dinner (no need to peel the bottoms then either!).
Pre-cut from the store
Pre-cut butternut squash saves time if you plan to roast it at whatever size chunks you bought it in. Or if you plan to puree all of it. (Like in this roasted butternut squash soup).
However, the pre-cut chunks are often too big for bite sized pieces in a soup, so I end up dicing the chunks further. It barely saves time, if any, once I have to dice it myself.
Pre cut butternut squash is also not as fresh and can sometimes turn a little mealy if it dries out. But if you find some that look fresh, you can give it a try. They are normally sold in packages of 16 ounce (1 pound), 20 or 24 ounces.
If it's hard to match the recipe size, that's ok. You can use more or less potatoes to accommodate.
Potatoes
While any type of potato will work in this Zuppa Toscana recipe, Yukon Gold will perform the best.
Yukon Gold potatoes are considered 'all purpose' because they are half way between a waxy red potato and a fluffy, starchy russet.
Waxy potatoes are great for chunky soups, as the flesh holds its shape even when simmered for a long time. Russet potatoes will fall apart in a soup, but incorporate into a nice creamy soup base.
Since Yukon Golds are half way between, they puree into the soup broth nicely, while also maintaining their shape for the classic chunky Zuppa Toscana. You could alternatively puree russets into the soup base, then add boiled red potatoes at the end (no need to peel the red potatoes).
Kale vs spinach
I prefer to use kale in hearty fall and winter soups, and this butternut Zuppa Toscana soup fits right into that category. Butternut squash is a staple fall and winter vegetable that plays nicely with kale.
Both the curly kale or flat leaf Lacinato kale work in this soup. Remove the stems by grabbing the leaves at the base and running your hand down the center rib to essentially shuck the leaves off.
A big complaint I hear about kale is that it's too tough. Soups are the perfect medium as they soften up quite well with a quick simmer. Their advantage over spinach, in my opinion, is with leftovers.
Kale holds up well in leftover soup. It may soften but doesn't get mushy. It can even handle the reheating process quite well. Spinach on the other hand can get too wilted and mushy after sitting in the soup overnight. Even with a gentle reheat, it can have an off texture.
That said, if you're eating the entire batch in one sitting, spinach is an excellent option. Add it at the very end, it only needs a minute or two to wilt.
For more ways to use up spinach, try it in a Minestrone or Eggs Benedict Florentine.
Other soup recipes
If you're looking for a more classic Zuppa Toscana recipe, there's a rich, heavy cream version from Tastes Better from Scratch. Or perhaps you're interested in a roasted butternut squash soup with sage croutons or a butternut squash soup with Cajun spices & bacon.
You can also make some fried sage as a garnish for this soup, and a lot of other soups.
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