This zuppa toscana is one of my favourite soups ever. It’s both flavourful and colourful, a real treat to eat! With juicy pork mince, tender potatoes, and fresh kale in a beautifully seasoned broth… this is a must try.
The broth for this zuppa toscana is crafted from chicken stock and coconut cream, giving it a delicious savoury and luxurious taste, without leaving you feeling heavy. Jam packed with umami goodness, this is a great healthy soup for when you’re feeling under the weather – or if you just want a big bowl of comfort food.
Fun fact: zuppa toscana translates to Tuscan soup. In Italy it is known as ‘minestra di pane’ which translates to bread soup.
Key Ingredients
Fresh:
- Kale: is a popular superfood. It’s a great addition to the soup due to the amounts of vitamins A, B6, C, K, folate, fibre, carotenoids and manganese it contains. It adds a beautiful green colour to the soup, and is a nice texture combined with the other ingredients. Much tastier than raw kale, this is a great way to incorporate your greens!
- Potato: this beloved starchy carb adds to the zuppa toscanas creaminess. Cooked until tender – not mushy – it absorbs the soup’s flavour while adding a delectable texture.
- Aromatics: onion and garlic help build the base for the flavour of this zuppa toscana, adding a sweet and savoury depth to the dish. The onion is finely diced to blend in with the texture of the pork mince, and the garlic is crushed for optimal flavour.
- Pork mince: typically zuppa toscana is made with the meat from Italian sausages. However, I prefer to use pork mince and add the seasonings for a great flavour combination. It is also less effort to use pork mince, rather than going through the process of removing the casing of the sausages.
Pantry:
- Chicken stock: compliments the flavour of the pork sausages. Using chicken stock as the base for the broth gives it a delish umami flavour, contributing to this indulgent soup’s richness. Chicken stock is perfect for adding flavour, but also is enhancing the taste of the other ingredients as well.
- Coconut cream: by using this over regular cream it helps keep the soup light. It also means that those with dietary intolerances, such as dairy, get to experience the creaminess as well. It adds a slight nutty and sweet flavour, that balances out the savoury elements of the zuppa toscana.
- Seasonings: in this zuppa toscana are paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and Italian herbs. Paprika gives the soup a light smokiness to add depth, which makes up for the flavour that could have come from the Italian sausages. Garlic and onion powders are great flavour enhancers for that savoury flavour. And of course, Italian herbs for that classic Italian flavour. If you were wanting to give the soup a slight kick, you could also add chilli flakes.
How to make this zuppa toscana
Preparation for zuppa toscana.
Remove the outer layers of the onion and garlic. Finely dice the onion into small pieces. Peel the potatoes, and cut into bite size chunks. Wash the kale and remove the stalks. You could keep the stalks if you’d like, I just prefer the softer texture so I remove them.
Cook the pork mince.
Add the pork mince to a large pot with olive oil. Cook the mince until it has browned. Use a spoon and remove any excess fat, otherwise the soup will feel and taste greasy… yuck.
Sauté the aromatics.
Once the pork mince has browned and any fat has been disregarded, add the onions and garlic. Sauté these in with the pork mince until the onion begins turning translucent.
Add the potatoes.
Pour ½ cup of chicken stock to deglaze the bottom of the pot, scraping off any flavour left over from the fat of the pork mince. Add the bite size pieces of potatoes to the pork mince.
Season the zuppa toscana.
Sprinkle in the seasonings (paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, italian herbs). Stir everything to ensure all ingredients are coated. Leave this for a minute to cook the spices.
Simmer the soup.
Pour in the remaining 3 ¾ cups of chicken stock, to make the zuppa toscana soup. You want it so that everything is submerged. Place a lid on the pot, leave to simmer for 15 minutes – until the potatoes are tender.
Final touches for the zuppa toscana.
Place the roughly chopped kale into the soup after 15 minutes. Mix in the coconut cream, leave to simmer for a further 5-10 minutes. Then serve while hot!
Storage
Let the zuppa toscana cool to room temperature, the transfer to an airtight container. You can keep it in the fridge for a couple days, I would not leave it too long as the kale could get too soggy. If you would like to freeze the soup, it should keep for up to 2 months.
More for soup lovers
- Roast Veggie Soup
- Miso Satay Noodle Soup
- The Best Quick Chicken Soup
- Thai Red Curry Soup
- Lentil Soup
- Golden Chicken Soup
Alrighty, let’s take a step into Tuscany… not really but let’s give you a Tuscan flavour experience in the comfort of your own home. Trust me, this is not a recipe to miss out on. This zuppa toscana is sure to become a favourite, so time to get cooking!
Zuppa Toscana
Ingredients
- 1 bunch kale
- 2 potatoes
- 1 brown onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 750 grams pork mince
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 350 mL coconut cream
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp italian herbs
Instructions
- Add the pork mince to a large pot. Cook the mince until it has browned, and remove any excess fat.
- Whilst the pork mince is cooking, finely dice the onion and garlic. Then add them to the pork mince.
- Sautè the onion and garlic until they begin turning translucent.
- Add ½ cup of chicken stock to deglaze the bottom of the pot, scraping off any flavour left over from the fat of the pork mince.
- Chop the potatoes into bite size pieces, then mix in with the pork mince.
- Sprinkle in the seasonings, stir to ensure everything is coated.
- Pour in the remaining 3 ¾ cups of chicken stock, so that everything is submerged.
- Place a lid on the pot, leave to simmer for 15 minutes – until the potatoes are tender.
- Roughly chop kale into bite size pieces, then add them to the zuppa toscana.
- Mix in the coconut cream, leave to simmer for a further 5 minutes. Then serve while hot!
