Tuscan Sausage and Kale Soup

Name: Tuscan Sausage and Kale Soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1 yellow onion, chopped; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 1 pound Italian sausage; 1 1/2 pounds potatoes, cubed; 1 bunch kale, chopped; 1/2 cup almond cooking milk; 1 tablespoon cornstarch; 8 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth; 1 15-ounce can cannelini beans; Salt & pepper, to taste

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Why I love this sausage and kale soup

I’ve been going a little soup crazy over the past few weeks. I know I’m completely ready for fall to hit, and I wanted to get my fall recipes in order so you guys have lots of options when you’re ready.

Last week, I shared a new healthy favorite – white turkey chili – and this week, I’m revamping two soup recipes from archives. This sausage and kale soup (aka zuppa toscana) and my minestrone soup.

I swapped the evaporated milk in this recipe for my favorite almond cooking milk to make it completely dairy free, and I’ve added white beans for a little extra protein and texture.

This recipe is a great option for meal prepping, since the ingredients hold up well in the fridge, and you can even substitute turkey sausage for a healthier meal. In fact, I normally do make it with turkey sausage, I just didn’t have it this time.

Dairy Free Product Guide

Don’t waste your money trying a bunch of products. I’ve already tried them all, and I’m sharing my tried-and-true favorites.

sausage and kale soup (dairy free recipe)

Here’s what you’ll need to make it

Equipment

Ingredients

This recipe calls for almond cooking milk. It is a shelf stable product and can be found in near the evaporated and condensed milk at your grocery store. If you can’t find it, you can easily substitute canned coconut milk and achieve a similar result.

To make this recipe gluten free, you’ll need to make sure you broth and sausage are also gluten free.

How to make sausage and kale soup

Sauté the sausage and vegetables. Heat a large pot to medium and brown the sausage, breaking it into pieces as you go.

Next add the onion and garlic, and continue cooking until the onion is translucent.

Simmer the kale and potatoes. Add the broth, potatoes and kale. Increase the heat and bring it to a boil.

Cover the pot and allow the kale to wilt and the potatoes to soften.

Thicken the soup. Mix the cornstarch and almond cooking milk together and stir it into the soup.

Add the beans and let the soup simmer until the broth has thickened.

FAQs about zuppa toscana (sausage and kale soup)

Can you use kale stems in soup?

You can use kale stems in soup, but I would avoid any of the really large stems because they are unpleasant to eat. The stems are best used with making broths, when you would remove them before eating. Small pieces of stems should be fine in this recipe.

Can you freeze zuppa toscana?

You can absolutely freeze this soup. As with all freezing, you can lose some of the texture when reheat. If you’re planning on freezing the whole thing, leave out the almond milk/thickener and add it when you reheat.

How long will homemade soup last?

This soup should last for about 1 week in the fridge. That is assuming you used fresh ingredients. Always use your best judgment before consuming anything.

What’s the best container to freeze soup in?

I like to freeze soup in large plastic containers (because that’s what I have), but you can use mason jars, ziplock bags, etc. Anything that is freezer friendly will work. Just be sure not to overfill them since the soup will expand when frozen.

More dairy free soup recipes:

More fall favorites: