When one season starts to transition into the next my favorite part is that the recipes start to transition as well. As summer gives way to fall and winter temperatures I go from fresh salads, fruit, and BLTs to hearty and warm soups.
My absolute hands-down favorite soup to both cook and eat is Toscana soup. Some popular restaurants serve this soup but a homemade version is leagues above.
I love this soup because the flavors are rich, the soup can be cooked in large batches and consumed for days, and it’s not a soup that takes hours to make from scratch.
Don’t get me wrong I do enjoy Chicken Noodle Soup, but it’s definitely a longer process to get a good broth. It involves cooking a whole chicken, draining the meat fat and bones from the beginning of the broth which is already a couple of hours even before you begin adding in the core soup ingredients.
Toscana soup on the other hand usually takes me less than an hour from the start of prepping to sitting down with the warm bowl in my hands. This is my go-to soup when I’m sick, cold, or need comfort.
Ingredients Needed
- Water
- Potatoes
- Heavy Cream
- Kale
- Sausage
- Bacon
- Butter or Olive Oil
- Chicken Bouillon (powder or paste)
- Onion
- Garlic
- Salt, Pepper, Red Pepper Flakes, Paprika
Tips
Because I cook it so often and usually in a double batch I keep some of the ingredients on hand and pre-prepped. This also works well with my harvesting schedule for the garden. I harvest Kale throughout the entire year including often long into winter since it’s a cold hardy veggie. Everytime I bring a big batch in I wash it, strip it off the main stem, then blanche the leaves and vacuum seal them for later use.
Right as fall is approaching both the garlic and onions are ready to harvest as well. I keep a few sets of garlic and onions fresh from the ground to use in the following weeks, but rest get prepped and stored. The garlic I peel and turn into a garlic paste, then freeze in cubes. Onions get chopped and then either frozen in portions or dehydrated. This makes preparing the soup when I want it even faster since I don’t have to prepare the kale, onions, or garlic for the soup. I simply pull portions from the deep freeze and pop them in the pot.
I don’t have other animals on my property besides my dogs so meat products have to come from outside sources. Side Note–this is where I get frustrated with other people on the internet who have homesteads sometimes. The narrative makes it feel like everyone can do everything they need to live on their own, but we can’t always. I live in an area currently where livestock animals are not allowed so I’m limited in that regard. There are also budget and time restrictions for a lot of people and families. But this makes it easy for me to support another local business by buying their meat products to use. It’s a win-win for both of us.
I buy the bacon and sausage in bulk. I like the soup to have some spice so sometimes I buy half spicy sausage and half regular sausage to mix it together. Then I cook the sausage and bacon all together in large quantities and portion it out once it’s cool and then freeze it for later.
I also prefer using bouillon powder and water rather than stock since I can control the amount of seasoning a bit better without adding excess liquid.
How to Make Toscana Soup
- Start by putting your butter or olive oil into your medium to large stock pot. I personally like to use a mix of butter and oil. Add in your onions and a touch of salt to make them sweat.
- Once the onions have softened halfway. Add in your sausage and bacon and cook until no longer raw and the onions have fully softened. The recipe uses ½ pound of sausage and 4-5 slices of bacon but you can add more or less depending on how meat heavy you like soups. I like to use scissors to cut the bacon so it cooks faster and better with the sausage to save time. Since the meat is within a soup you don’t have to worry about the bacon getting crispy.
- Add the garlic into the pot when the meat is nearly done. Be careful not to add it too early. You do not want to burn the garlic.
- As soon as the meat and onions are done add in the cream, water, and bouillon. And let it start coming to a boil.
- While waiting for the meat and liquids to boil. Prepare your potatoes. You can choose to keep the skins on or take them off. I prefer them off because I find that after cooking and recooking it on the next day the skins just fall off anyways. Once the potatoes are washed and peeled to your liking, cut them into large chunks. For medium potatoes I usually try to get six large chunks per potato. I have found this is the perfect amount for allowing faster cooking time but the potatoes aren’t so small that they begin to disintegrate after cooking (think more like cream of potato soup).
- Once the stock pot is at a boil add the potatoes and continue boiling. (Be careful when adding potatoes to boiling water so they don’t splash the boiling water around. I like to ladle mine in.) Also add in your spices at this time so they have plenty of time to cook into meat, potatoes, and broth.
- Next prepare your Kale. Kale is a large leafy green that has a thick stem running through the leaf. You need to strip the green leafy part off of this stem. I like to just pull the stem through my fist which I have found is the fastest way to separate the stem and leaf. Once separated, wash the kale thoroughly and then rough chop it before adding it to the pot.
- Continue to boil until the potatoes and the kale are done cooking. The potatoes take the longest which is why they are added first. Kale will cook down quickly like spinach does so it only needs around 5 minutes of cooking time. Taste your broth as it cooks and continue adjusting seasons until it meets your liking. I like a rich, spicy soup the most so I go heavy on bouillon, red pepper flakes, and paprika. Remember the more bouillon you use the less salt you need.
- When done cooking, serve in large soup bowls. I love to eat mine with rolls and butter as well.
Storing
- It’s important that sauces and soups are cooled completely before storing in the fridge. Putting them in the fridge too soon or without a way to allow the heat to release can allow it to go sour and grow bacteria.
Recipe
Prep Time: 10-15 min Cook Time: 30-40 minutes Servings: 8-10
Ingredients
- 3-4 tbsp of butter or olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 1-3 cloves of garlic
- ½ lb of sausage
- 4-5 slices of bacon
- 1 cup of heavy Cream
- 4-5 cups of water
- 2-3 tsp of Chicken Bouillon
- 8-10 medium russet potatoes
- 4 cups of Kale (usually around 2 bundles from the store)
- Salt, Pepper, Red Pepper Flakes, and Paprika to taste
Directions
- Add butter or oil to a medium or large stock pot. Add in your chopped onion and a small amount of salt. Cook the onions down halfway.
- Add in your sausage and bacon. Cook until no longer raw. The onions should be fully cooked at this point as well.
- Add minced or pureed garlic and cook only for a minute. Do not let the garlic burn.
- As soon as the meat and onions are done add in the cream, water, and bouillon. And let it start coming to a boil.
- Once the stock pot is at a boil add the potatoes and continue boiling.
- Add in your spices at the same time as the potatoes so they have plenty of time to cook into the meat, potatoes, and broth.
- While the potatoes begin to boil, prepare and then add in your chopped kale.
- Continue to boil until the potatoes and the kale are done cooking. Taste your broth as it cooks and continue adjusting seasons until it meets your liking.
- When done cooking, serve in large soup bowls. I love to eat mine with rolls and butter as well.
Enjoy!
–The Busiest Bee Garden