Flipping through my recipe books that I got for Christmas today, I came across this delicious soup. A classic Tuscan Winter dish, it’s loaded with potatoes and hearty sausage. Just because I cook vegan doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy this seriously cozy meal. With a few small tweaks, I created a just-as-hearty Zuppa Toscana with black bean beyond meat sausage and creamy cashew milk.
Saluti!
Ingredients
- 3 links Beyond Meat Italian Sausage sliced. I found a really nice black bean sausage at my local grocer (soy free).
- 4 – 5 white mushrooms chopped
- 4 golden potatoes sliced into 1/4 inch coins
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 7 cups vegetable stock
- Coconut Oil
- 1 1/2 cups Cashew Milk
- 5 sprigs thyme or dried Thyme
- 1 leaf bay
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 4 cups chopped kale (de-veined) just leaves.
- sea salt to taste
To Make:
- Preheat a pot over medium/high heat. Add the coconut oil and sausage and pan sear for a few minutes until golden brown. Transfer the sausage to a bowl and keep warm.
- Add a little more oil followed by the onion cook a few minutes until translucent. Stir in the garlic, cook until you can smell its fragrance.
- Use a bit of the broth to de-glaze the pot if the onion and garlic are sticking.
- Add the sliced potatoes, mushrooms, thyme, bay leaf and smoked paprika then pour in the veggie stock. Bring to a simmer, add the nutritional yeast and a pinch of sea salt.
- Cook for about 5 to 10 minutes until the potatoes have softened but still hold their shape. Check after 5 minutes and keep a close eye on them.
- A couple of minutes before the potatoes are ready add the chopped kale. Give everything a good stir then mix in the cashew milk. Simmer another minute or so until the kale has wilted and the soup is creamy.
- Add the cooked Beyond sausage back into the soup, adjust seasonings if needed and serve hot with fresh bread.
So good!
We popped of bottle of Prosecco and pulled out the Tuscan inspired dishes.
I made a double batch so that I can freeze some for another cold Winter night’s dinner.
It’s always a challenge to make a recipe that specifically calls for ingredients like sausage and cream (when you’re not eating these things). Cashew milk has been a saviour for soups like this one and my favourite cream of mushroom. It’s just a matter of looking. I’ve been noticing more and more that the mainstream markets are including vegan and vegetarian alternatives. Tomorrow I want to bake some vegan chocolate chip cookies and found non dairy chocolate chips easily. Being a new thing to me (veganism), it’s good to know that I’m not dependant on having to shop at overpriced places like WholeFoods or boutique markets.
Until next time.
Love,
jennifer