Rustic and Hearty Tuscan Sausage and White Bean Soup

Are you longing to cozy up with a hearty bowl of soup on a chilly night? This Tuscan Sausage and White Bean Soup (Zuppa Toscana) is packed with sausage, potatoes, beans and kale.

Throw it in the slow cooker and come home to a warm and satisfying meal.

This recipe makes use of a wonderful flavor booster: Parmesan cheese rind.

That hard end piece that is too tough to grate adds "umami", the fifth taste element (salty, sweet, sour and bitter are the other four).

I'm sure Italian grandmothers didn't know scientifically why it worked, they just knew the soup tasted better with that bit of Parmesan. Plus, they probably didn't want anything to go to waste. So, be sure you save your rind from now on to add to your soups and sauces.

Ingredients for Zuppa Toscana

Besides the Parmesan cheese rind, you will need:

• pancetta (substitute with bacon or prosciutto)
• bulk mild sausage (such as sweet Italian, sage, etc.)
• canned cannellini beans
• chicken stock
• fresh garlic cloves
• yellow onion
• Russet potatoes
• fresh kale leaves
• crushed red pepper flakes (omit if you use spicy Italian sausage)
• half and half
• salt and pepper
• freshly grated Parmesan cheese

This works great in an Instant Pot since you can skip the skillet and saute right in the pot before switching to slow cook. Otherwise a skillet and a 5-6 quart stock pot work just fine with one extra dish to wash.

Recipe

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Ingredients

 

• 4 ounce pancetta (cubed)
• 2 pounds bulk loose mild sausage
• 2 cans cannellini beans (15 ounce size)
• 6-7 cups chicken stock (divided)
• 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2-3 cloves fresh garlic (finely minced)
• 1 small yellow onion (finely chopped)
• 2 pounds Russet potatoes (peeled and cut into small chunks)
• 3 inch piece of hard Parmesan cheese rind (optional)
• salt and pepper (to taste)
• ½ cup half and half
• 3 cups fresh kale (finely chopped)
• ½ cup Parmesan cheese (freshly grated)

Instructions

 

• Brown pancetta in large skillet over medium-high heat for 2 or 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add sausage to the skillet and brown, breaking it up into small bite-sized chunks with a spatula while it cooks. Remove from heat and drain excess fat from pan. Transfer pancetta and sausage to a 5 or 6-quart slow cooker crock.
• Puree one can of cannellini beans (undrained) in a blender or food processor. Drain and rinse the other can of cannellini beans and add the puree and whole beans to slow cooker crock.
• Add 6 cups chicken stock, red pepper flakes, chopped onion, potatoes, and Parmesan cheese rind to crock and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-7. 
• Remove lid and scoop out a few tablespoons of hot soup, then mix with the half and half (this is called tempering, so the dairy doesn't curdle when added to the hot soup).
• Add tempered half and half, kale, freshly grated Parmesan cheese and remaining chicken stock, if necessary to achieve the desired consistency.
• Stir to combine and allow 5-10 minutes for kale to soften before serving.

Notes

For less salt, drain and rinse both cans of cannellini beans before pureeing one can with a little water.

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