Name: Creamy Zuppa Toscana (One Pot)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 6 slices bacon, diced; 1 lb Italian sausage, mild or hot, casings removed; 1 large onion, diced; 4 cups potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (russet or Yukon Gold); 1 1/2 cups chopped kale (or fresh spinach); 5 cups chicken broth; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional); 1 cup heavy whipping cream; Salt and black pepper, to taste

Four cups of potatoes cut into 1/2-inch cubes go into this Zuppa Toscana, and they turn soft in 12 to 14 minutes with the lid off. That short, open simmer is what keeps this Zuppa Toscana a weeknight soup.

Bacon starts the pot. I crisp it, lift it out, and brown the Italian sausage and onion right in the fat it leaves behind.

The step I never skip is pouring off the extra grease before the broth goes in. A slick of orange fat on top of the finished bowls is the one thing I don’t want.

Then it’s potatoes, kale, garlic, and chicken broth at a steady bubble. A cup of heavy cream goes in last for a single minute, and the crisp bacon waits on the side for the top.

Prep: 15 minutes · Cook: 30 minutes · Total: 45 minutes · Serves: 6

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How long do you simmer potatoes for Zuppa Toscana?

Simmer the 1/2-inch potato cubes uncovered for 12 to 14 minutes after the broth comes to a boil. They’re ready when a fork slides into a cube with no resistance. Then stir in the cream and give it just 1 minute more so it heats through.

Why It Works

Cutting every potato to 1/2 inch lets the cubes cook through in 12 to 14 minutes uncovered, so the potatoes and the kale finish together.
Browning the sausage and onion in bacon fat builds flavor in the bottom of the pot, and draining the extra keeps the broth from turning greasy.
The cream goes in at the very end and simmers for only 1 minute, enough to heat it through in the hot broth.

I check the potatoes with a fork at the 12-minute mark. If the fork still catches in the center of a cube, I give it the extra 2 minutes.

Why I Keep Coming Back to This One

One pot carries the whole soup, from crisp bacon to the final swirl of cream.
It’s on the table in about 45 minutes, which makes it a real weeknight dinner.
The ingredients are supermarket basics: sausage, bacon, potatoes, kale, broth, and cream.
The recipe makes 6 bowls, so there’s often enough for a second dinner.

Grab These Ingredients

6 slices bacon, diced
1 lb Italian sausage, mild or hot, casings removed
1 large onion, diced
4 cups potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (russet or Yukon Gold)
1 1/2 cups chopped kale (or fresh spinach)
5 cups chicken broth
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Salt and black pepper, to taste

Ingredient Notes and Swaps

The potato you pick changes the soup, a difference Spend With Pennies points out. Russets break down a little at the edges and make the broth creamier, while Yukon Gold cubes hold their shape and stay firmer.

Italian sausage comes mild or hot, and both work in this pot. With hot sausage I usually leave out the red pepper flakes, because the heat is already there.

Kale is the green I use, chopped small so it softens in the simmer, and fresh spinach works as a swap (Once Upon a Chef uses baby spinach in its version). Spinach is far more delicate, so it goes in right after the cream and needs only a minute or two.

How to Make Zuppa Toscana

Crisp the bacon. Cook the diced bacon in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, stirring now and then, until it’s crisp and the fat has melted out. Lift it out with a slotted spoon onto a paper-towel-lined plate, leaving the fat behind.
Brown the sausage. Add the sausage and onion to the bacon fat. Break the sausage into small crumbles with a wooden spoon and cook until no pink remains and the bits are browned, with the onion soft and see-through. Ground pork sausage is safe at 160°F, the USDA minimum for ground meat.
Drain the fat. Tilt the pot and spoon off the extra grease, leaving just a thin coating on the bottom. The meat should look browned and glossy, with no pool of fat collecting at the low side.
Add the potatoes. Stir in the potato cubes, kale, chicken broth, garlic, and red pepper flakes, if using. Raise the heat and bring the pot to a full boil, with bubbles breaking across the whole surface.
Simmer uncovered. Lower the heat to a steady simmer and leave the lid off. Cook for 12 to 14 minutes, until a fork slides into a potato cube with no resistance and the kale is soft and dark green.
Stir in the cream. Pour in the heavy cream and simmer for 1 minute, stirring once or twice. The broth turns pale and creamy, and small bubbles return around the edges of the pot.
Season and serve. Taste and season with salt and pepper, keeping in mind the bacon on top adds its own salt. Ladle into bowls and scatter the crisp bacon over each one just before serving, while it still crackles.

Good to Know

Don’t cover the pot during the simmer. Leave the lid off for the full 12 to 14 minutes, and the potatoes cook through in that window.
Save the bacon for the very end. If it sits in the broth, it goes soft, so I keep it on the plate until the bowls are filled.
I don’t level the red pepper flakes. A loose 1/4 teaspoon is close enough for me, and I’m not about to start measuring that.
If you swap in spinach, add it after the cream instead of with the potatoes. It wilts in a minute or two.
Once Upon a Chef thickens its version with 3 tablespoons of flour. This one skips the flour and lets the cream and the potatoes do that work.

Storing and Reheating

Leftover soup keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. The soup also keeps in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Store the crisp bacon separately in the fridge so it doesn’t turn soft in the broth. The soup thickens as it chills, since the potatoes keep soaking up liquid.

When you reheat it on the stove, stir in a splash of chicken broth or cream until it loosens back to a soup. Warm it gently over medium-low heat, stirring now and then, until it’s steaming.

Then top each bowl with the bacon.

On the Side

Crusty bread or garlic bread, for dragging through the creamy broth at the bottom of the bowl.
A green salad with a sharp vinaigrette, since the acid cuts the richness of the cream and sausage.
Breadsticks warm from the oven, which give a dry, crisp bite next to a brothy soup.

Special Equipment

A large pot or Dutch oven with a heavy bottom, big enough to hold 5 cups of broth plus the potatoes and sausage without crowding.
A slotted spoon for lifting the bacon out while the fat stays in the pot.
A wooden spoon for breaking the sausage into small crumbles as it browns.
A sharp chef’s knife and a cutting board, so the potato cubes come out an even 1/2 inch.

Your Questions, Answered

What kind of potatoes are used in Zuppa Toscana? Russet or Yukon Gold both work. Russets break down a little and make the broth creamier, and Yukon Gold cubes stay firmer.

Can you use spinach instead of kale in Zuppa Toscana? Yes. Use fresh spinach and stir it in at the end, where it wilts in a minute or two instead of simmering with the potatoes.

Why is my leftover Zuppa Toscana so thick? The potatoes keep soaking up broth in the fridge. Stir in a splash of chicken broth or cream as it reheats until it loosens.

How long does Zuppa Toscana keep? Up to 2 days in the fridge in an airtight container, or up to 3 months in the freezer.

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