Long cold winter days require a nice hot meal and this Spicy Zuppa Toscana soup hits the spot every time. It is hearty, full of flavour, and a comfort food favourite among my friends.
Recently I have been asked to make my recipes dairy free more often than not. Sensitivities are on the rise, so this recipe uses coconut milk. The coconut sweetens the profile a bit and changes the overall flavour slightly. Traditionally this recipe calls for heavy cream and I encourage you to use that if possible.
Now no soup is complete without a nice warm bread to serve beside it. The Irish soda bread on my site is quick wonderful accompaniment for this dish. It’s a dense bread perfect for dipping into that yummy broth.
This Spicy Zuppa Toscana soup is worthy of a try. I have it permanently etched into the meal rotation at my house during the winter months. Let me know how you like it.
1 lb Spicy Italian Sausage (For those of you in Edmonton AB area, Popowich Meat Company supplies my sausage meat and it is fantastic!)
6 tsp of minced Garlic Cloves. (Yes. You need this much. Trust me on this one.)
1 medium Yellow Onion diced
5 cups of Chicken Broth (Ideally homemade or at least salt free)
5 cups of water
2 cups of baby Mixed Coloured Potatoes chopped in halves
6 cups of Stemmed Green Kale roughly chopped
1 14 oz can of coconut milk (or one cup of heavy whipping cream)
1 tbsp of Italian Seasoning
Parmesan Cheese (optional)
1 - 2 Tbsp of Chilli Flakes
Fresh Parsley
Instructions
Step one is to gather your Mise en place. (Everything in its place.) So gather your ingredients in the formats specified above.
You will need a large pot, cutting board, knife, paper towel, wooden spoon, large plate, and colander to prepare this dish. Wash your Kale and Potatoes using the colander to house them as you rinse. No need to dry them.
Using the large pot, add your bacon and olive oil and fry bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove from the pot and place on a paper towel lined plate. Drain all but 1 tbsp of fat from the pot.
Now add your sausage to the pot. Break it up using a wooden spoon and fry until no longer pink and slightly crispy. Remove from the pot to a paper towel lined plate. Do not drain the pot drippings from the sausage.
Add the onions to the pot and sauté until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for one minute. Add the potatoes, broth and water. Bring to a boil and cook for 12 -14 minutes until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork. (Check them often. Smaller dices mean quicker cooking times and you don’t want them to become mushy. Everyone cuts their veg differently so every 5 minutes, poke a potato. The minute the resistance is gone, done.)
Once potatoes are cooked, add the sausage and bacon back to the pot. Then add the kale, coconut milk, chilli flakes and Italian Seasoning. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
Serve in a wide mouth bowl and garnish with parsley and parmesan cheese.
adoptedtomato
