Canning sausage potato and kale soup means you have a delicious comfort food meal in a jar ready to go at a moment’s notice. This particular recipe is similar to Olive Garden’s “Zuppa Toscana” and even better when served with a splash of cream.
Home canned soups are an easy way to store ready-to-heat and eat meals right on your pantry shelf. This particular recipe is exceptionally comforting, especially when served with a splash of cream for extra richness.
This simple recipe for sausage, potato and kale soup is a copycat recipe that’s very similar to Olive Garden’s “Zuppa Toscana,” especially when served with cream and breadsticks.
It can’t be thickened before canning, but you can thicken it to serve if you choose.
It’s also absolutely delicious as is; just heat and eat right out of the jar.
Ingredients for Zuppa Toscana
The ingredients for canning sausage potato and kale soup are quite simple, and the recipe’s name pretty much sums up the ingredient list.
To make a canner batch of 7 quarts (or 14 pints), you’ll need the following:
- 3 lbs (1.4 kg) ground sausage (seasoned or plain)
- 4 1/2 lbs (2 kg) peeled and cubed potatoes (1/2 inch cubes)*
- 1 lbs (450 g) de-stemmed and chopped kale*
- 10 cups chicken broth, vegetable broth, or water
- 1 to 2 tbsp canning salt
- 1 Tbsp ground black pepper
You can use seasoned sausage (like Italian sausage or chorizo) for this recipe, or unseasoned ground pork. The salt in this recipe is designed to account for seasoned prepared sausage with salt added. If using unseasoned sausage, you’ll likely need a bit more salt for flavor, and you might also want to add some dry spices like garlic and paprika.
(Adjust to your tastes. You’re always allowed to add more or less salt to pressure caning recipes, and you’re able to use a reasonable amount of any dry seasoning as well.)
The quantity of potato and kale in this recipe is weighed once prepared. To make about 4 1/2 lbs of peeled potatoes, you’ll need about 5 pounds as purchased. Likewise, for 1 lbs of stemmed kale, you’ll need about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 lbs with stems.
Once canned, this soup can be served as is, or you can add 1/2 cup heavy cream or half and half per quart. For a thickened soup, you can also add a cornstarch slurry made with 1 tbsp of cornstarch per quart.
Keep in mind that cream and cornstarch cannot be added before canning. They’re optional, and if you choose to use them, they can only be added at serving.
Canning Sausage, Potato & Kale Soup
This is a hot pack canning recipe, and all the ingredients will need to be simmered together before adding to canning jars.
Prepare a pressure canner, along with jars, lids, and rings. For most canners, this means adding 2 to 3 inches of water and bringing it up to around just simmering (around 180 degrees F). Follow the instructions on your particular brand of pressure canner.
Once the canner is prepared, you can start making the soup.
Start by preparing your potatoes. You’ll need about 5 lbs of potatoes as purchased to make 4 1/2 lbs of peeled and diced potatoes (1/2 inch dice).
Next, prepare the kale.
Kale stems can be added, but they tend to get tough during canning. I’d recommend just using the leaves and removing the potentially tough and stringy stems. (You can also make this recipe using chard, and in that case, go ahead and leave in the stems.)
It takes about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 lbs of kale as purchased to make 1 lbs of kale leaves (trimmed).
Once your vegetables are prepared, it’s time to brown the sausage. Raw meat tends to lead to poor-quality home-canned soups, and it’s always recommended that you pre-brown the meat.
Brown the sausage over medium heat. This should take about 10 minutes.
Stir occasionally to encourage even browning, but try to leave some small chunks, and don’t break it up too much.
Once the sausage is browned, add in the vegetables, seasonings, salt, and the broth or water. Personally, I like to use homemade chicken broth, but vegetable broth or pork stock also work well.
Some people use half stock and half water, or all water. Using broth will result in a richer stock. If using broth with added salt, be sure to reduce the salt in the recipe accordingly.
Bring the mixture to a simmer on the stove and cook for about 5 minutes until all the ingredients are heated through.
Remove the pot from the heat and ladle into prepared jars (pints or quarts), leaving 1” headspace.
Once filled, de-bubble jars, adjust headspace, and then cap the jars with 2-part canning lids and seal with rings to finger tight.
Load the jars into the canner on your canning trivet and add the lid. Turn the heat up to high.
Allow the canner to vent steam for 10 minutes, then seal the canner and bring it up to pressure.
This soup is canned at 10 pounds of pressure at sea level, but you’ll need to adjust for altitude if you’re about 1,000 feet in elevation.
Process times are 75 minutes for pints and 90 minutes for quarts.
Altitude Adjustments
The canning time for this soup remains the same regardless of altitude. Pint jars are processed for 75 minutes, and quart jars are processed for 90 minutes.
Pressure, however, changes based on elevation and the type of canner you’re using.
Altitude adjustments for canning sausage potato and kale soup are as follows:
For dial gauge pressure canners:
- 0 to 2,000 feet in elevation – 11 lbs pressure
- 2,001 to 4,000 feet in elevation – 12 lbs pressure
- 4,001 to 6,000 feet in elevation – 13 lbs pressure
- 6,001 to 8,000 feet in elevation – 14 lbs pressure
For weighted gauge pressure canners:
- 0 to 1,000 feet in elevation – 10 lbs pressure
- Above 1,000 feet – 15 lbs pressure
Note that in general, the USDA suggests canning times of 60 minutes for soup pints, and 75 minutes for quarts, but those recipes have much more liquid in the jars. Their chicken soup recipe, for example, has the jars only half filled with solids.
This recipe uses the times for meat and other dense, full jar recipes developed by the USDA. Be sure to use the full 75 minutes for pints and 90 minutes for quarts for this recipe, rather than the generic soup processing instructions.
Once the canning time is complete, turn off the heat and allow the canner to cool to room temperature naturally.
Once completely cool, remove the jars and place them on a towel on the counter.
Even when the canner is cool, the jars may still be a bit hot, so make sure you let them finish cooling completely on the counter.
Once all the way cool, check seals and store any unsealed jars in the refrigerator for immediate use.
Properly pressure-canned and sealed jars of sausage, potato, and kale soup will maintain peak quality on the pantry shelf for 12 to 18 months.
After that point, the jars are still fine to eat provided they’re still sealed…but the quality will start to degrade.
Refrigerate after opening.
Serving Sausage, Potato & Kale Soup
To serve, empty the contents of a quart jar into a saucepan and gently heat over medium-low heat. This should take about 10 minutes for everything to fully heat through.
If you’d like, you can thicken the soup with a cornstarch slurry made with 1 tbsp of cornstarch per quart. You can also add about 1/2 cup of heavy cream or half and half per quart.
A sprinkling of fresh herbs is really amazing too, and it’s best served with toast or breadsticks.
All of these things are optional, and it’s also perfectly fine as a simple heat-and-eat meal in a jar.
Soup Canning Recipes
Looking for more soup canning recipes?
This canning recipe for Sausage, Potato, and Kale soup is adapted from Angi Schneider’s cookbook, Pressure Canning for Beginners and Beyond. Lovely pictures in this post by Chez LaRae.
Canning Sausage Potato and Kale Soup (Copycat Zuppa Toscana)
Canning sausage potato and kale soup means you have a delicious comfort food meal in a jar ready to go at a moment's notice. This particular recipe is similar to Olive Garden's "Zuppa Toscana" and even better when served with a splash of cream.
Ingredients
- 3 lbs (1.4 kg) ground sausage (seasoned or plain)
- 4 1/2 lbs (2 kg) peeled and cubed potatoes (1/2 inch cubes)*
- 1 lbs (450 g) de-stemmed and chopped kale*
- 10 cups chicken broth, vegetable broth, or water
- 1 to 2 tbsp canning salt (less if using salted broth)
- 1 Tbsp ground black pepper
Instructions
- Prepare a pressure canner, along with jars, lids, and rings. For most canners, this means adding 2 to 3 inches of water and bringing it up to around just simmering (around 180 degrees F). Follow the instructions on your particular brand of pressure canner.
- Chop the potatoes into 1/2 inch dice and weigh out 4 1/2 lbs. Remove the kale ribs and weigh out 1 lbs.
- Brown the sausage over medium heat, stirring occasionally. This should take about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Add the prepared vegetables, seasoning, salt and broth or water.
- Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes until everything is heated through.
- Remove from heat and ladle the soup into prepared jars, leaving 1'' headspace.
- Once filled, de-bubble jars, adjust headspace, and then cap the jars with 2-part canning lids and seal with rings to finger tight.
- Load the jars into the canner on your canning trivet and add the lid. Turn the heat up to high.
- Allow the canner to vent steam for 10 minutes, then seal the canner and bring it up to pressure. (Follow the instructions on your canner.)
- This soup is canned at 10 pounds of pressure at sea level, but you'll need to adjust for altitude if you're about 1,000 feet in elevation. *see notes
- Process jars for 75 minutes for pints and 90 minutes for quarts.
Notes
Ingredient Notes
You can use seasoned sausage (like Italian sausage or chorizo) for this recipe, or unseasoned ground pork. The salt in this recipe is designed to account for seasoned prepared sausage with salt added. If using unseasoned sausage, you'll likely need a bit more salt for flavor, and you might also want to add some dry spices like garlic and paprika.
(Adjust to your tastes. You're always allowed to add more or less salt to pressure caning recipes, and you're able to use a reasonable amount of any dry seasoning as well.)
The quantity of potato and kale in this recipe is weighed once prepared. To make about 4 1/2 lbs of peeled potatoes from 5 pounds whole as purchased. Likewise, for 1 lb of stemmed kale, you'll need about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 lbs with stems.
Altitude Adjustments
The canning time for this soup remains the same regardless of altitude. Pint jars are processed for 75 minutes, and quart jars are processed for 90 minutes.
Pressure, however, changes based on elevation and the type of canner you're using.
Altitude adjustments for canning sausage potato and kale soup are as follows:
For dial gauge pressure canners:
- 0 to 2,000 feet in elevation – 11 lbs pressure
- 2,001 to 4,000 feet in elevation – 12 lbs pressure
- 4,001 to 6,000 feet in elevation – 13 lbs pressure
- 6,001 to 8,000 feet in elevation – 14 lbs pressure
For weighted gauge pressure canners:
- 0 to 1,000 feet in elevation – 10 lbs pressure
- Above 1,000 feet – 15 lbs pressure
Serving Notes
To serve, empty the contents of a quart jar into a saucepan and gently heat over medium-low heat. This should take about 10 minutes for everything to fully heat through.
If you'd like, you can thicken the soup with a cornstarch slurry made with 1 tbsp of cornstarch per quart. You can also add about 1/2 cup of heavy cream or half and half per quart.
A sprinkling of fresh herbs is really amazing too, and it's best served with toast or breadsticks.
All of these things are optional, and it's also perfectly fine as a simple heat-and-eat meal in a jar.
Variations and Changes
The most common question I get asked on this recipe is about adding onions or garlic, and those can be added safely provided you don't overpack the jars. Remove a cup or two from the total amount of potoes and you can substitute an equal amount of diced onion (or add an extra jar to the batch).
Pressure Canning Recipes
Keep that pressure canner running with these pressure-canning recipes:
Linda
Looks delicious! Can more kale be added without creating a problem canning?
Ashley Adamant
Yes, you can add more kale. Reduce the potatoes a bit so you don’t overpack the jars. Enjoy!
Tai
I made this last night. I added onion and garlic as well, but otherwise, followed the direction. With the extra veg, I had half a jar left over for lunch today. What I pressure canned though, the color drastically changed. It looks like it has tomatoe added it’s so red. I have the uncanned soup to compare so I see the night and day difference. Any idea why that happened?
Ashley Adamant
You’ll often get color changes when canning, depending on the exact constitution of your ingredients. Sometimes garlic will turn blue/green in the canner…and sometimes not. This recipe could end in a number of colors when it comes out of the canner, as some varieties of potatoes turn brown when canned (usually sweeter varieties with more sugar) and some sausage will have seasonings that change color in the canner. Color aside though, that’s a cosmetic thing, and I’m sure your soup is still delicious.
DEDE BUSH
What kind of potato would you recommend? I have yukon gold and russets on hand
Ashley Adamant
Both yukon gold and russets are great for canning generally, and it’s up to you.
Russets are a bit more starchy, which works well in this soup, but can be a cosmetic issue sometimes.
Yukon gold tend to be “sweeter” which you barely notice when you cook them regularly, but when pressure canned occasionally they’ll darken a bit as the natural sugars carmelize. This is not a common problem, but it does happen sometimes.
I’ve canned with both though.
Jerilea
I can’t wait to make this. This is my favorite soup. I’ll have to make it this summer when my kale is ready. Thanks!
Karina
What is exactly canning salt? I usually use redmond real salt (unrefined sea salt). Can I continue using that for canning purposes or what salt is recommended?
Ashley Adamant
Yes, Redmond’s salt works great. Canning salt is a type of salt without any additives (Redmond’s is like that too, which is great). Most iodized salt has anti-caking agents and other things in it, so it’s not just salt. Look at the ingredients list, and if it doesn’t have any other stuff in it, then you can use it for canning. It needs to be just salt.
Ashley Adamant
I wrote up a little guide for you to help: https://creativecanning.com/pickling-canning-salt/
Pam M
Hi there – love the recipe. I followed instructions, and I ended up with 7 quarts AND 8 pints (had to run two batches in the canner). Not complaining, just telling you the quantities are off for the amount of ingrdients….
Ashley Adamant
Thank you for the heads up! I’ll re-make the recipe to double check the yield.
Terry
H Ashley.
What did you find out? I’m going to make this today. Also, can I add carrots and green beans? If so, do I need to adjust anything (Time, ingredients, etc.)?
Kindly,
Terry
Stacia
I agree. Same for me.
Felice
Can chicken sausage be used instead of pork sausage?
Ashley Adamant
Yup!
Deb Howard
Thanks for providing the purchase weight of the veg. Very helpful!
Ashley Adamant
You’re welcome!
Connie
I was wondering if I could use linked sausage cut into bites and browned?
Ashley Adamant
Yes, that should be fine. Just make sure you look at the ingredients on the sausage links to be sure they don’t contain flour or bread crumbs, or anything else that’s not canning safe. Most don’t, but occasionally you do find link sausage that has fillers.
Krissie
All my broth is gone after the canning process. It looks like the potatoes may have soaked everything up. Is that to be expected, or did I do something out of order?
Ashley Adamant
It looks like your jars siphoned during the canning process. The potatoes will “soak up” a small amount, but no more than a tablespoon or so. If you’ve lost that much liquid, it came out of the jars. Here’s some info on what can cause siphoning, and how to determine if your jars are still ok:
https://www.healthycanning.com/loss-of-liquid-during-home-canning/
Jill Parsons
Can onions be added to the recipe?
Ashley Adamant
Yes. Quite a few people have asked that question, so I’ve added this to the notes on the recipe:
The most common question I get asked on this recipe is about adding onions or garlic, and those can be added safely provided you don’t overpack the jars. Remove a cup or two from the total amount of potatoes and you can substitute an equal amount of diced onion (or add an extra jar to the batch).
Donna
What do you think about subbing turnips for the potatoes? I know it will probably change the flavor/texture a bit. Looking for options to accommodate a restricted diet.
Ashley Adamant
That actually should be just fine. The canning time for turnips is actually ever so slightly less than canning potatoes, and it’s a lot less than this soup is canned for given that it has meat in it. The main thing to watch is that they stay firm in the jars and don’t fall apart to create a creamy/thick soup. They really need to stay as distinct pieces in the jars so that it’s cubes and broth, rather that a smooth soup. That will ensure even processing.
Turnips are pretty durable in canning, and they hold up really well, so I don’t think that should be a problem. Just keep a eye on the texture and be gentle with them as you pack everything.
Enjoy!
Carey
Should I have drains the fat off? mine look way orangeier than yours.
Ashley Adamant
You can drain the fat or leave it, either is fine for canning this recipe and it’s up to your personal preference.
Terry
I love love love this soup! I swap the kale out for Swiss Chard and add carrots. Should I change anything and is this a safe swap?
Ashley Adamant
That is a fine swap, just make sure you add a bit more broth if you add more than a small amount of carrots to make sure there’s enough liquid in there. Pack the jars loose, but yes, both kale in place of chard is fine, as is adding a reasonable amount of carrots if you also add broth or liquid to keep it soupy.
Terri
Would it still be safe to add chopped onion?
Ashley Adamant
Yes. Quite a few people have asked that question, so I’ve added this to the notes on the recipe:
The most common question I get asked on this recipe is about adding onions or garlic, and those can be added safely provided you don’t overpack the jars. Remove a cup or two from the total amount of potatoes and you can substitute an equal amount of diced onion (or add an extra jar to the batch).
Terri
I am curious as to why you opt for the 90 minutes processing time recommended by Ball instead of the 75 minute time requirement in the NCHP chart above? Since NCHP is from US Dept of Agriculture do you feel their commendations are not trustworthy? Just trying to decode all the details. Thanks
Ashley Adamant
I’m so sorry about that, I put the wrong table in this recipe and I really apprecitate you catching that. The instructions were right everywhere, I just inserted an image of the generic soup guidelines and that was incorrect. Here’s what I’ve edited the post to add:
Note that in general, the USDA suggests canning times of 60 minutes for soup pints, and 75 minutes for quarts, but those recipes have much more liquid in the jars. Their chicken soup recipe, for example, has the jars only half filled with solids.
This recipe uses the times for meat and other dense, full jar recipes developed by the USDA. Be sure to use the full 75 minutes for pints and 90 minutes for quarts for this recipe, rather than the generic soup processing instructions.
Teril
Could spinach be subbed for the kale?
Ashley Adamant
Yes, you can use any cooking green here, including spinach, bok choi, chard, etc. Enjoy!