Spicy Zuppa Toscana
This is my favorite soup. I could happily eat this soup every day. It’s my ideal balance: mostly broth-based with just enough cream to make it decadent, a lingering warmth from the red pepper, soft melt-in-your-mouth pieces of potato, savory bursts of sausage, and a generous handful of leafy greens so you can squeeze some real nutrients into every bite. I just can’t get enough, ask my husband - if I make one more pot of this glorious soup, he might leave me.
Colder days have officially arrived, so now I spend most of my time bundled in front of a space heater researching political agendas so I can cast as educated a vote as possible this year. It’s not work I find enjoyable, but knowing a bowl of this truly magnificent soup is waiting for me on the stove gives me the strength to carry on.
When you go look at the recipe, you might notice something slightly different about my version of this classic: I don’t add kale to the pot. I feel very strongly about this: I don’t like slimy overcooked greens drowning in my soup. There are still plenty of greens involved, but I don’t add them until I serve and then the hot soup can wilt the greens to perfection in the bowl without any worry for overcooking and you will be spared from green gloopy globs that were once kale.
Trust me, adding the greens at the very end is a game changer - and it’s a strategy you can use with any soup that incorporates a leafy green!
So go forth, and may your stove never be without Spicy Zuppa Toscana again! Ooo and maybe serve it with my Brown Butter Garlic Bread (yes, it’s as mouthwatering as it sounds!)