Now that Spring is finally here, I thought that I was out of "soup" season, although with the cold rain that we had here last week, I was craving something hot and comforting. This soup is exactly that yet is also incredibly healthy. Traditional Zuppa Toscana is made with white potatoes, cream, and spicy sausage. My clean take on this hearty soup adds a little more health but does not lack flavor!
Start by grabbing a stock/soup pot and get it on the stove. Then dice up an onion (or for more of a time-saver, grab the already diced onion next to the fresh herbs.) Next, slice up your sausage into thin slices. (I like using the TJ Organic Sweet Italian Chicken Sausage as there is no added sugar or Nitrates but feel free to use any sausage you prefer. Spicy is good here if your family can handle it!) Finally, roughly chop up a few slices of bacon.
Add a Tablespoon of your oil of choice to your pot and heat to medium to high heat. I like avocado oil, but butter or olive oil works just as well. Throw in the onions, one cube of crushed frozen garlic (or one teaspoon of fresh works excellent as well), and the chopped bacon. Sear up the bacon until crispy, and then thrown in the sausage. Stir the sausage until brown on both sides. Next, toss in your sweet potato ribbons and one teaspoon of Everyday Seasoning, plus a little salt to your taste. Stir to incorporate all the flavors for about a minute. Then pour in one container of Trader Joe's Organic Free Range Chicken Stock.
Turn the temperature to high and let the potatoes continue cooking. They are thin, so it will not take long. While the potatoes are cooking (5-10 minutes), sear up the rest of your bacon and crumble, and roughly chop up your spinach. Then add either one can of coconut cream or just the tops (hardened parts) of two cans of coconut milk. Stir until dissolved, and then remove the pot from heat. Finally, add the spinach. The heat will instantly cook the spinach, so it is ready to serve as soon as it is incorporated into the soup. Top each bowl with a bit of crumbled bacon, and enjoy!
Zuppa Toscana The Clean Way (Serves 4)
Oil of choice (I like Avocado Oil)
1 medium sweet onion
1 frozen cube of crushed garlic or 1 teaspoon fresh
1 package No Sugar Dry Rubbed Uncured Bacon (Or your bacon of choice -- if sugar is not on your naughty list, the Fully Cooked Uncured Bacon makes this soup even easier)
1 Package Organic Sweet Italian Chicken Sausage (Sliced)
1 Container Sweet Potato Ribbons (If regular white potatoes don't spike your blood sugar, the Frozen Shredded Hashbrowns are an incredibly easy substitution--use about 2 cups)
1 teaspoon Everyday Seasoning
Salt to taste
1 can of Coconut Cream or 2 cans of Coconut Milk (only using the hardened part of the milk) (If You can handle cream, heavy cream is delicious in this soup!!)
2 cups of fresh chopped Spinach