Italian Soup

There’s nothing like a delicious bowl of soup to wrap up a cold day on the North Shore. My sweet friend Courtney from @alifefromscratch is regularly featuring hearty pots of soup and her recipe for “Zuppa Toscana” (Italian Soup) is one that will be on repeat in my house. It comes together quickly and is a light dinner that has you leaving the table feeling full. This recipe serves 4.

What You Need

• 1 pound mild or spicy Italian sausage
• Olive oil
• 2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes (I tripled the number of potatoes to give this soup a little more heft for my boys. I swapped the russet potatoes for sweet potatoes and it was amazing! I think a mixture of both would be good, too.)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• Red pepper flakes
• 8 cups chicken stock
• Salt & pepper
• Few big handfuls of fresh kale, chopped
• Splash of half and half or cream, for richness
• Parmesan cheese and crusty bread for serving

What You Do

1. Get a little bit of olive oil going in a soup pot over medium heat. Brown Italian sausage, crumbling it into little pieces. Drain any extra fat.
2. Add in onion and sauté for a few minutes. Add in garlic. Season with salt, pepper, and a pinch of red pepper flakes if you’d like.
3. Stir in chicken stock and bring to a boil. Lower the hit and simmer until potatoes are softened, roughly 10 minutes or so.
4. Before serving, stir in chopped up kale and swirl in a bit of the half & half (heavy cream works, too, or if you want this to be dairy free, you can just leave this out and you won’t miss it).
5. Pour into bowls and top with Parmesan cheese. Serve with crusty bread for dipping.

Enjoy! And be sure to check Courtney’s instagram account daily for easy and delicious recipes you can make for your family!

xo,