Sausage and Kale Soup (Copycat Zuppa Toscana Soup)
- Michelle Finethy
- Oct 1
- 5 min read
Please note this post may have links to the items featured, where I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Sausage and kale soup is my cozy, homemade take on Olive Garden’s famous Zuppa Toscana. Honestly, it might be even better, I make this recipe in LARGE quantities! This hearty mix of sausage, potatoes, and tender kale is pure comfort in a bowl, especially in the fall when you’re craving something warm and filling. While it’s easy to whip up on the stovetop, you can also let it simmer away in the slow cooker for hands-off cooking. The best part? Leftovers freeze beautifully! And for those who love to plan way ahead, I’ve even included a bonus option for pressure canning to keep jars of this goodness ready in your pantry.
Video Demonstration
Join the TCKB Community on TikTok!
Did you make this recipe?
I've got my plate ready 🍽️ so be sure to tag me!
Ingredients
This cheese sauce recipe is so simple, it only requires 4 ingredients... Many of which you probably already have!
How to Cook Sausage and Kale Soup On the Stove
These instructions are for Making Sausage and Kale soup and enjoying immediately after. The instructions are slightly different if your using a slow cooker and pressure canning.
Begin by browning your sausage in oil in a large pot on medium heat.
Once cooked all the way through, remove from the pot into a bowl lined with paper towels to collect excess fats and set aside.
In the pot, retain about 2 tbs of juices (fats) from the browned sausage. This is a great flavor base to sauté the vegetables! Use a spoon to remove some of the juices if it is a lot. Different sausage brands will give off varying amount of juices.
Add the diced onion and minced garlic to the pot and sauté until fragrant. about 3-4 minutes. Add the peeled and cubed potatoes stirring to combine and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
Add broth to the pot with vegetables until it just covers the potatoes. Simmer for about 15 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.
Add back to the pot the ground sausage as well as chopped kale. Really mix that kale into the broth so it wilts! It is ok to top off with additional broth at this time (or water if you've run out 😉)
Lastly, on low heat, add cream to the soup just before serving. Mix well to incorporate.
How to Cook Sausage and Kale Soup In a Slow Cooker
Very similar to the stove top but allows you the freedom to walk away from the stove for long periods of time so you can take care of business and still being able to enjoy a home cooked meal at the end of the day! This Recipe is a part of my Fall Slow Cooker Series - click here for more great slow cooker recipes!
You can technically just dump that raw sausage into your slow cooker. It will cook PROMISE! I do recommend browning it on the stove instead . This way, we can control how much oil and fats wind up in our soup as I have found some sausage brands are greasier than others. Brown it on the stove top and transfer it along with 1 table spoon of the left over juices into the slow cooker.
Add onions, garlic, potatoes and broth to the slow cooker. Mix thoroughly to combine, scooping sausage from the bottom so it is well mixed in.
With the lid on, cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours.
Add in chopped kale and cream and replace lid for another 10 minutes just before serving.
Kitchen Tools Needed to Make Sausage and Kale Soup
Your method of cooking will determine your kitchen tool. My recipe makes a large batch of soup (enough to pressure can 7 quarts) so I've included the pot and slow cooker sizes below to accommodate such a large batch!
Storing Leftovers
Even though this is a large batch, you may find it to be just enough food for a lunch time meal prep on top of dinner tonight! This soup will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Freezer Method
Alternatively, this soup freezes and reheats well! I use these silicone soup saver trays to freeze my soups in batches, this way, they are already perfectly portioned to grab and go for lunch at work or school!
How to Pressure Can Sausage and Kale Soup for Long Term Storage
I choose to pressure can soup because the thought of eating soup every day until its gone is giving poverty meal. BUT I DO ENJOY ME SOME SOUP!! The convenience of having soup on hand that I know is full of ingredients that are good for my body is unmatched. Below are the steps I follow to have a bowl (or 2! ) tonight, and to pressure can the rest to enjoy another day. If this is your first time pressure canning, please refer to The National Center for Home Food Preservation for all the best practices ensuring safe to prepare and consume foods.
Begin by browning your sausage in oil in a large pot on medium heat.
Once cooked all the way through, remove from the pot into a bowl lined with paper towels to collect excess fats and set aside. Pat the meat with paper towels to absorb as much fats as possible.
In the pot, retain about 1 tbs of juices (fats) from the browned sausage. Although this is a great flavor base to sauté the vegetables, too much fats present in pressure canned goods can cause bad seals or cause the end result to go rancid quicker (you'll be able to smell if its bad as soon as you open the jar.. trust!)
Add the diced onion and minced garlic to the pot and sauté until fragrant. about 3-4 minutes.
Add the potatoes and broth to the pot until just covering the potatoes. Bring to a simmer.
Simmer for 10 minutes. The potatoes don't have to be cooked all the way through, just sufficiently heated through. They will continue to cook in the pressure canner. Add in kale once finished, they will wilt while you prepare the jars.
Prepare the jars - Hot Pack Pressure Canning Method
Using clean and sterile quart size jars (freshly warmed from the dishwasher is best so they dont crack when putting hot soup in!)
Evenly distribute cooked ground pork into each jar.
Ladle 2 scoops of soup into each jar on top of the sausage. I try to scoop as much potato and kale chunks first for even distribution.
Then go back and top each jar with any remainder broth. If you run out of broth, simply top the jars with water. Please allow for 1" Head Space.
Wipe each jar lid with a paper towel dampened with vinegar - this will clean up the area where the rubber seal on the lids make contact and very important even if you didn't make a mess!
Place lids and sealer rings finger tight on each jar and into the pressure canner they go!
At my elevation, I pressure can pint jars at 10lbs of pressure for 60 minutes or quart jars for 75 minutes. Know your elevation and refer to this chart since the pressure and time will vary depending where in the world you are located ! Crazy, I know!
