Like Zuppa Tuscana? You’ll love the version of this creamy soup made with bratwurst and bacon.

At first I set out to make the hack of Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscana.  But I was tired of Italian sausage having had them so much over the recent holiday season.

Bratwurst was on sale this week, and I always buy them when they go on sale.  Sadly, they didn’t have the cheddar variety, which I LOVE and would have tasted better in this soup, so I bought the plain.

Basically, the soup is the same as the Olive Garden version, except for the flavor the bratwurst impart.

A meal in a bowl

Another great (and different) flavor would be smoked sausage or kielbasa in place of the brats. In fact, that sounds so super, it’s on my rotation in a couple of weeks!

Nothing difficult or time consuming about the prep or cooking of this soup.  It’s any easy dinner.  Only thing I strongly advise is using a very good and flavorful chicken stock.

The chicken stock in the can or the newfangled box probably won’t cut it here for flavor. When I cheat and don’t make my own stock, I find the flavor of Knorr concentrated–the stuff in the little tubs sold 4 tubs to a package–or Swanson’s Flavor Boost to be outstanding.

If you are lucky enough to be in a part of the world that sells OXO liquid, use that as the flavor is outstanding!  My sister supplies me with it each time she visits from the UK.

This is a complete meal in a bowl, so a nice crusty roll or a hunk of Artisan bread is probably the only accompaniment you need here.

EDIT: The flavor of this soup improves 100% if made ahead! The leftovers I reheated 2 days later tasted  much better than when I’d originally served it.  So I suggest making it at least 24 hours before you intend to serve it.

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Bacon & Brats Soup

Like Zuppa Tuscana? You’ll love the version of this creamy soup made with bratwurst and bacon.

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time40 minutes mins

Course: Pork, soups

Cuisine: American

Keyword: bacon, bratwurst, soups

Servings: 6 -8

Calories: 717kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

• 1 lb bratwurst uncooked*
• 1/2 lb bacon diced
• 2 large potatoes diced
• 1 small onion chopped
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 8 cups rich chicken stock**
• 1 cup cream
• 1 cup shredded kale
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Instructions

• *Kielbasa, smoked sausage, Italian sausage or bulk sausage may be substituted
• **8 cups water + 2 little tubs of Knorr concentrated chicken stock may be substituted. Swanson's Flavor Boost Chicken flavor is good too--use 2 pouches + 8 cups water. You can use Herb-Ox (or similar), but it doesn't taste as good, FYI
• Cut bratwurst into 1/4-inch slices.
• Heat a stock pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the bratwurst and cook, breaking up into smaller lumps, until it's brown and no pink remains. If using kielbasa/smoked sausage that's already cooked, brown it well. Remove from pan and set aside. Drain pan of any accumulated fat.
• Add the bacon to the same stock pot/dutch oven. Cook and brown over medium heat. Remove bacon to paper-towel lined tray to drain. Remove all but about 2 tbs of fat from the pan.
• Add the onion, potatoes & garlic and saute over medium-low heat until onion is translucent--about 5 minutes.
• Add the bratwurst, bacon and stock to the pan. Add the salt & pepper if necessary--you may not need it if using Herb-Ox type stock.
• Bring to boil over medium heat. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for approximately 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.
• Add the kale and cook for about 1 minutes.
• Add the cream; heat through.

Nutrition

Serving: 1person | Calories: 717kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 56g | Saturated Fat: 23g | Cholesterol: 145mg | Sodium: 1762mg | Potassium: 1079mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1722IU | Vitamin C: 24mg | Calcium: 103mg | Iron: 4mg

Bacon & Brats Soup

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