Tuscan Soup in the Crockpot
Tuscan soup is easy to make, is low carb, and is a warm and comfy delight on cool fall and winter days.
This soup is a go-to recipe when I’m batch cooking myself lunch for busy work-at-home days. It takes less than 10 minutes to get it into the crockpot and then the flavors meld together into a warm and cozy delight that help me stay healthy during the cold months.
It’s also easy to customize Tuscan Soup to your flavor preferences.
I’m always harping about how cooking at home has the great advantage of letting you make things the way you like it. Do you like more grapes in your chicken salad? Add them! You like less salt in something? Use less! You want to use a different sausage flavor than what my recipe calls for? Go for it! When you use a recipe as your basic frame, it’s easy to customize it from there.
For this soup I used mild Italian sausage. Sometimes I’m in the mood for half mild sausage and half hot sausage. Some of you might like to use just hot sausage. Use whatever you like and use about a pound of it.
I start by getting my sausage crumbled and into a skillet with some garlic and chopped onions. Today it’s particularly fun because my garlic and onion is from my garden! That always makes me smile.
Get that sausage, garlic and onion going in a skillet until the sausage is cooked through and browning and the onions and garlic are soft.
While that’s going, get the rest of the recipe into the crockpot.
Into the crockpot you want to add:
6 cups of chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried oregano
4 cups of chopped kale
4 oz. sun dried tomatoes in oil (include a bit of the oil)
salt and pepper to taste (I use a lot of salt because I use unsalted homemade broth. Store bought broth already has sodium so you’ll want to taste it before you add the cream at the end)
Once the sausage and veggies are done, add it to the crockpot.
This is when it all comes together. Add the skillet stuff to the crockpot. Set it on low for 2-3 hours. Let those flavors get a chance to mingle. One time I just heated this through in a pot on the stove thinking it would be close to the same. It was good, but not as good as letting it all hang out for a while in the crockpot. It’s hard to describe the difference, but it was quite noticeable.
After it has cooked through, you’re almost ready.
Add about a half cup of half and half or heavy cream to the soup and mix it in.
Then serve! I like top mine with parmesan and fresh chopped parsley.
What if you don’t care about low carb and you want to stretch it?
I hear ya. Sometimes cooking for a crowd or large family means making something stretch to make it more affordable or more filling. Add potatoes or white beans! Both fit a Tuscan flavor profile and are a delicious addition to this soup.
What if I want to make it in the Instant Pot?
No problem! Sauté the sausage, garlic, and onions directly into the instant pot. Then add the broth, oregano, tomatoes, kale, and salt and pepper. Cook on high pressure for 5 minutes and let it release naturally. Add the half and half and serve with parm and parsley on top.
If you like soup recipes with sausage you might like this sausage, pesto, white bean soup!
| Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Passive Time | 2-3 hours |
| Servings |
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- 1 pound mild Italian sausage crumbled
- 1 large onion chopped
- 5 whole garlic cloves minced
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 4 cups chopped kale
- 4 oz sliced sun dried tomatoes in oil
- 1/2 - 1 cup half and half or heavy cream
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup shredded parm for serving
- 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley for serving
Ingredients
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- Brown the sausage with the onion and garlic in a skillet.
- White the sausage is browning, add the broth, oregano, kale, sun dried tomatoes, and salt and pepper (think about how much salt is in your broth before adding) to the crockpot.
- When the sausage and veggies are browned, add them to the crockpot and set on low for 2-3 hours.
- Right before serving add a half cup of half and half to your soup and mix it. Add a bit more if you like. Taste and adjust for seasonings.
- Serve warm with shredded parmesan and chopped fresh parsley on top.