Jump to Recipe

Have you shifted into soup mode yet? I’ll be honest, I could eat soup year round and be totally pleased about it. It’s mostly because my office is kept to a balmy 55 degrees or so (I’m joking but I feel like I’m not far off with this guess either) during the summer months, so by the time lunch rolls around I want something hot because what’s more comforting than a hot, delicious, heathy bowl of soup?! Pretty much nothing, that’s what. I also love that, with soup, you cook once and then you have at least 4 meals out of it, if not more. And don’t even get me started on how delicious soup leftovers are.

Did you notice I started this blog post with a Seinfeld reference? I’ve never actually watched a single episode of that show but I see the meme all over the internet these days. I noticed Seinfeld was just added to Netflix so it’s possible I’ll give it a try. I really hate starting new shows though. I’m one of those people who prefer to watch the same show over and over and over again. I pretty much always rotate between Gilmore Girls and Friends. They’re the best. But sometimes I throw The Office and Sex and the City into the mix, just for good measure. I’m currently watching Gilmore Girls through for probably the 87th time in my life. Mike is so excited about it. I’m lying, obviously. But also listening to his commentary on the show as a whole is hilarious. Anytime there’s any kind of issue he sarcastically exclaims something like: “Oh no, it’s a crisis in Stars Hollow!” I think maybe this time through I’m appreciating his commentary more so than the actual show.

Speaking of Mike, our great southern road trip begins ONE WEEK from today! I can’t believe it’s crept up as quickly as it has. Right now we’re scheduled to leave New Orleans on a Tuesday, but we don’t have to return our rental car until the following Sunday night. I’m not saying we have to use all five of those days to get home, but we do have some options with what we want to do. So…any suggestions of awesome things to see between New Orleans and Connecticut? I’m not really coming up with much, but if you have any ideas for must-see attractions I am all ears!

thehungryhungryhiker

Zuppa Toscana

Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Soaking Time 2 hours
Total Time 3 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American, Italian
Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients
  

  • ½ cup raw cashews heaping, soaked for at least two hours in filtered water and then rinsed
  • 1 tbsp avocado oil
  • 1 white onion, medium diced small
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 lb ground pork
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  • sea salt
  • fresh ground black pepper
  • 6 cups chicken broth or stock
  • 2 Russet potatoes, large sliced in half along the length, then sliced into half-moons about ¼" thick
  • 6 ounces kale destemmed and ripped to bite size pieces
  • 1 cup unsweetened almond milk from a carton

Equipment

  • High speed blender

Method
 

  1. Place a large soup pot on the stove over medium heat. Add 1 tbsp avocado oil. When hot, add the diced onion and sauté for 5 minutes, until fragrant and starting to soften. Stir in the garlic and sauté 3 minutes more.
  2. Add the ground pork to the pot. Season the pork with the Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, sea salt, and fresh ground black pepper. Cook and break up until the pork has browned all over.
  3. Once the pork has browned, add the chicken broth to the pot. Turn the heat up to high and cover the pot. Once boiling, turn the heat down to medium low and add the potatoes to the pot. Loosely cover the pot and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in the kale.
  4. Add the almond milk, cashews, and a hefty pinch of sea salt to a high speed blender. Blend for 30 seconds until combined and frothy (I use "Soup" mode on my Blendtec for 30 seconds). Pour into the soup and stir in. When heated through, ladle the soup into bowls and top with fresh ground black pepper if desired. Serve hot and enjoy!