Warm up with this delicious Slow Cooker Zuppa Toscana, a hearty soup that's perfect for chilly days! This comforting dish features tender potatoes, flavorful sausage, and fresh kale, all simmered to perfection in the crockpot. Best of all, it's gluten-free, dairy-free, and paleo-friendly, making it a wholesome choice for everyone at the table.
If you love hearty potato based soups, check out my Potato Leek and Bacon Soup, Dairy Free Baked Potato Soup, or my Creamy Hamburger and Potato Soup!
Want to make it ASAP instead of the crockpot? Click here for the stovetop version of Whole30 Zuppa Toscana!
🔍 Quick Look: Slow Cooker Zuppa Toscana
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 15 minutes
- 🍳 Cook Time: 4-8 hours
- 🕒 Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes
- 👥 Servings: 4
- 📊 Calories: ~540
- 🔥 Cook Method: Crockpot
- 👩🍳 Main Ingredients: Broth, Italian Sausage, Potatoes.
- ⭐ Difficulty: Incredibly easy!
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Why You'll Love this Recipe
- .Incredibly Easy: Everything cooks together in the crockpot and doesn't require a lot of hands on activity!
- Gluten and Dairy Free: You can confidently serve this as it meets multiple dietary needs!
- Simple Ingredients: Healthy and paleo, this recipe uses real food you can feel good about.
Needed Ingredients
- Chicken Broth: To really up the nutrition, make your own homemade slow cooker bone broth. It provides a deep flavor you can't get from a box!
- Italian Sausage: Ground or links are both ok! Ground is easier to break up while raw so I recommend that.
- Kale: The recipe traditionally uses regular green curly kale, but I'm also a big fan of dino kale too!
- Coconut Milk: Be sure to use the full fat canned coconut milk. This helps with thickening the soup and increase flavor. You may need to thoroughly mix the contents of the can first, as the fat tends to become solid and separate.
Substitutions and Variations
- Try a red onion instead of a regular yellow one.
- This version is dairy free, but if you tolerate dairy, you can use dairy milk instead of the coconut milk.
- Try a chicken sausage instead of the Italian!
- Use frozen kale to make this soup even easier!
- If you'd like to make a Keto Version, swap in cauliflower for the potatoes, and swap green onions for the onion.
How to Make Slow Cooker Zuppa Toscana
- Step 1: Prep the veggies and add them to the slow cooker along with the sausage and broth, cooking on low for 3-4 hours or high for 7-8 hours.
- Step 2: When the soup is finished, shake the can of milk or mix it to ensure minimal separation. Pour it into the soup while stirring, then serve!
Storage and Freezing Instructions
To store any leftovers, seal them in an airtight container and place in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stove top in a saucepan on medium heat until the desired temperature is reached.
You can freeze Zuppa Toscana as well! Let the soup come to room temperature first then place it in freezer bags or mason jars (leaving room for it to expand) then place in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To thaw, place the bags or jars in the fridge 24 hours prior to eating. Then use the stove top reheating instructions above!
Slow Cooker Zuppa Toscana FAQ's
If you'd like a thicker soup, add in some potato starch! Follow the directions on the package, typically mixing it with water into a roux before adding it to the soup.
I prefer mild Italian sausage! You can do chicken sausage or hot sausage. If you'd like you can also use a pre-cooked Italian sausage.
Yes you can! Cook it on manual for 3 minutes, or hit the soup button.
No you do not! I like to keep this recipe as easy as possible and just throw everything into the crockpot.
More Gluten Free Soups to Try
If you tried this Slow Cooker Zuppa Toscana Soup recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
Slow Cooker Zuppa Toscana
Equipment
- 1 Slow Cooker
- 1 Knife
- 1 Cutting Board
Ingredients
- 1 bunch green curly kale stems removed, leaves chopped
- 4 med-lg potatoes peeled and chopped
- 2 onions chopped
- 5 cloves garlic diced
- 1 lb Italian sausage chopped or broken up
- 4 cups chicken broth
- ½ can coconut milk full fat, mixed.
- salt to taste
- red pepper flakes optional
Instructions
- Rinse and chop the kale, removing the stems. Place in the crockpot.
- Chop the potatoes, onions, and garlic, then place in the crockpot.
- Break up or slice the Italian sausage, and place on top.
- Pour in the broth.
- Close the lid and cook on low for 7-8 hours, or high for 4 hours. It's done when the potatoes are soft and the meat registers an internal degree of 165F degrees.
- Mix in the coconut milk (make sure to mix it if the fat seperates). Salt to taste, and add red pepper flake to taste if using. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Kale: If you're home all day while this cooks, wait to add the kale until the last 10 minutes. This enhances the texture and keeps the color a nice vibrant green,
- Bacon: Want to take it up a notch? Add some cooked chopped bacon!
- Topping: I recently started topping my bowl of soup with parmesan cheese and I love it!
Moira says
We made this recipe on a snow day and it smelled so good cooking all day! Definitely will be making it again!
Paulette says
I’ve got a snow day here and some leftover kale to use up. Going to get this in the crockpot, perfect day for it!
Rachel Rivera says
Perfect day for it then! So yummy, and kid approved too! lol