Soft butternut squash cubes change up classic zuppa toscana into a fall comfort food favorite! This butternut squash zuppa toscana comes together in minutes and is amazing with rustic bread for dipping.
Revamping an Olive Garden soup favorite today! In the direction of butternut squash, naturally, because it’s absolutely the season right now.
Don’t worry, you’ll still find all the classic parts you love about zuppa toscana today in this recipe including tender potato slices, fresh kale, a creamy soup base, and lots of sweet Italian sausage.
A bowl of this soup is a thick slice of bread’s best friend and you’d better have a full loaf on hand for serving, trust me.
You won’t need more than about 40 minutes to pull off this soup which makes it absolutely perfect for a weeknight! Don’t even get me started on how excellent leftovers store for lunch the next day.
This Zuppa Toscana features…
- A creamy soup base
- Tender butternut squash, potatoes, and kale
- Flavorful Italian sausage and lots of Parmesan on top
- Ready in minutes entirely in one pot
Making the Zuppa Toscana
(scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe)
Ingredients You Will Need
- Olive oil
- Sweet Italian sausage
- Yellow onion
- Butternut squash
- Yellow potatoes
- Garlic
- Chicken broth
- Heavy cream
- Kale
Choosing Your Sausage
Go for a ground sweet Italian sausage for this recipe for classic zuppa toscana soup flavors. If you like a little heat, feel free to try spicy Italian sausage or a mix of both.
Tips for Perfect Zuppa Toscana
- Brown sausage and set aside – break up the sausage until no longer pink and transfer to a bowl. This will get added to the soup after cooking.
- Cut vegetables in uniform size – aim for 1/2-inch cubes butternut squash and thin 1/4-inch slices of potatoes.
- Puree part of soup – scoop out 1-1/2 cups soup and blend in a standard blender or immersion blender until smooth. This adds an extra creamy element to the soup.
- Add kale at end of cooking – the kale will only take a few minutes to become tender and adding it at the end keeps it from overcooking.
Recipe Variations
Try these ideas for a different twist on this soup.
- Make it vegetarian – replace the Italian sausage with a vegetable and swap out the chicken broth for vegetable broth.
- Use a different squash – try acorn, delicata, or even sweet potatoes in place of the butternut squash.
- Try a different green – use baby spinach in place of the kale.
- Swap out meats – try cubed chicken, ham, or turkey in place of the Italian sausage.
Storing and Freezing Soup
This soup stores well in refrigerator up to 6 days. Reheat leftovers in individual servings in microwave 2-3 minutes or over medium heat on stovetop for larger portions.
To freeze soup, allow to cool completely then store in a freezer-safe container and freeze up to 2 months. Thaw completely in refrigerator before reheating or reheat from frozen over low heat on stovetop.
Every spoonful of this soup is just pure comfort food! The creamy base paired with all that tender kale, squash, potato, and sausage offers so much texture and flavor in every bite.
Olive Garden who??
Save this recipe using the ‘save to recipe box’ button below. If you make it, please let us know! Leave a comment + star rating below, or take a photo and tag it on Instagram with #wholeandheavenlyoven.
Try these other hearty butternut squash soups next!
- Roasted Red Pepper Butternut Squash Soup
- Sausage Butternut Squash Tortellini Soup
- Crockpot Butternut Squash Soup
Butternut Squash Zuppa Toscana
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Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 lb sweet Italian sausage
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 3 cups butternut squash, cubed into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 lb baby yellow potatoes, thinly sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
- 3 medium cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 5 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 cups firmly-packed chopped fresh kale
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Grated Parmesan cheese for garnish and crusty bread for dipping
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a medium pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add sausage and break up with a wooden spoon until sausage is no longer pink. Transfer sausage to a bowl and set aside.
- Heat remaining pan drippings over medium-high heat. Add onion, squash, and potatoes and stir 3-5 minutes until onions are translucent. Add garlic and flour and cook 1 additional minute until fragrant.
- Add chicken broth to pot and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and allow to cook 10-15 minutes until squash and potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally.
- Scoop 1-/2 cups of butternut squash and potatoes out of pot and puree in a blender or food processor until smooth.
- Add pureed mixture back to pot with sausage, heavy cream, and kale and allow to simmer over medium heat 3-5 additional minutes until kale is tender.
- Season soup with salt and pepper to taste. Serve soup with grated Parmesan on top with bread for dipping. Enjoy!
Sara C. says
LOVE this recipe!! The butternut squash gives just a hint of sweetness that melds beautifully with the potatoes and cream. I made it with Trader Joe’s Italian chicken sausage so it felt a little lighter without sacrificing any flavor or richness. I also used regular chicken broth (not low-sodium) and didn’t need to add any salt. This is going on the favorites list! Sooooo good!
Sarah says
That’s so wonderful to hear, Sara! Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback. 🙂