Zuppa Toscana
Creamy soup with Italian sausage, tender potato slices, kale and crisp bacon, topped with Parmesan.
Recipe in testing: I'm cooking it in my TM7™ and will update the steps and the photo with my own.
Zuppa toscana is an Italian-American favorite on restaurant menus all over the US: crumbled Italian sausage, thin slices of potato and dark green kale in a light, creamy broth, with crisp bacon, Parmesan and a pinch of red pepper flakes on top. It borrows its name from Tuscany, where hearty soups with kale are everyday food.
The skillet on the stove gives the bacon and sausage their browned, crispy edges. The Thermomix® TM7™ takes care of the rest: it chops and sautés the onion and garlic, then simmers the potatoes, kale and broth on reverse at soft speed, so the potato slices stay whole instead of turning into mash.
Made in the Thermomix® TM7™
Zuppa Toscana
Makes: 4 servings, about 1.7 L (7 cups)
- Prep15 min
- Cook45 min
- Total1 h
- Serves4
Ingredients
Instructions
- In a large skillet on the stove over medium heat, cook the bacon for 6 to 8 minutes, until crisp. Lift it onto paper towels and pour off all but 1 tbsp of the fat into a small bowl.
- In the same skillet, brown the sausage over medium-high heat for 6 to 8 minutes, breaking it into crumbles, until no pink remains. Drain on paper towels.
- Place the onion and garlic in the mixing bowl and chop 4 sec/speed 5. Scrape down the sides, add 1 tbsp of the bacon fat and sauté 4 min/120°C (250°F)/speed 1.
- Add the broth, potato slices, red pepper flakes and salt. Place the simmering basket on the lid instead of the measuring cup and cook 18 min/100°C (212°F)/reverse/speed soft, until the potatoes are tender.
- Add the sausage and kale, push the kale down into the broth with the spatula and cook 4 min/100°C (212°F)/reverse/speed soft.
- Add the cream and cook 2 min/90°C (195°F)/reverse/speed soft. Taste for salt.
- Ladle into bowls and top with the crisp bacon, grated Parmesan and a pinch of red pepper flakes.
Tips
- Hot Italian sausage gives the soup a gentle kick. With mild sausage, add a little more red pepper flakes at the table.
- For a lighter version, use half-and-half instead of heavy cream and cook step 6 at 80°C (175°F), so it does not separate.
- The soup keeps 3 days in the fridge. Keep the bacon separate so it stays crisp, and reheat the soup gently without letting it boil.
