Zuppa Toscana is an Olive Garden copycat soup that features sausage and potatoes. It’s so comforting and full of amazing flavor from the combination of bacon, Italian sausage, potatoes, and kale. Make a big batch of this creamy and flavorful potato soup right at home with just 15 minutes of prep and an hour to cook!
Check out more of my favorite hearty soup recipes like Chicken Meatball and Orzo Soup and Stuffed Peppers Soup.
Table of Contents
There’s nothing like a big bowl of soup to bring warmth through the whole body and soul! Easy soup recipes are just what we all need for those chilly fall and winter nights. Or, really any time you want food to make you feel good.
Combining both Italian sausage and bacon with potatoes and kale makes this particular soup both a filling and well-balanced meal. It’s perfect harmony of flavors that results of an amazing tasting soup.
This Zuppa Toscana copycat recipe has all the flavor of the original, but you can make it right at home for a fraction of the cost!
Even better, you only need a few simple ingredients to get that rich, mouthwatering taste you know and love. If you’re feeling inspired to make another great Olive Garden copycat soup recipe, check out Olive Garden Gnocchi Soup.
Ingredient Notes
Italian Sausage – Mild Italian sausage is just perfect for Zuppa Toscana soup, but you can also use the spicy version for more heat. If you want something a little leaner, replace it with ground turkey sausage.
Potatoes – Russet potatoes are the best choice because of the soft, crumbly texture. However, you can also use gold potatoes. For a light option, you can even substitute chopped cauliflower florets.
Stock – Try to remember to warm up the stock before adding it to the soup so it keeps the temperature of the ingredients even. Chicken Stock is another good option here.
Kale – Make sure to remove the stem because it’s hard and chewy. Chop the kale leaves before adding it to the soup.
Heavy Cream – If heavy whipping cream is not available, you can use whole milk. The soup just won’t be as creamy with whole milk. If you need a dairy-free alternative, you can use unsweetened full-fat coconut cream, which is the solid portion at the top of canned coconut milk. A lactose-free whole milk alternative is also a good option.
See recipe card for complete information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Zuppa Toscana
Prepare the ingredients. Dice the bacon and set it aside. Then, dice the onion, peel and chop potatoes, and mince garlic.
Cook the bacon. Preheat a Dutch oven or another soup pot over medium heat and add oil. Add the diced bacon and sauté until browned and fat is mostly rendered.
Onions and garlic. Add the diced onion (1) and sauté until softened. Mix in minced garlic and sauté just until fragrant.
Cook the sausage. Add the ground Italian sausage and use a spatula or a wooden spoon to break it up into chunks (2). Sauté until sausage is mostly cooked.
Add potatoes. Mix in diced potatoes and sauté for a few minutes (3).
Add stock and simmer. Slowly pour in the stock (4) while scraping bottom of the pot and the sides. Bring everything to simmer and lower the heat to medium-low.
Cook low and slow. Season with salt and crushed red pepper flakes and stir. Let the soup cook uncovered over medium-low to low heat until potatoes are very tender (about 40 minutes).
Break up some potatoes. Use a wooden spoon to crush and break up a few potatoes for a thicker consistency.
Add the kale. Chop the kale leaves and discard the thick stem. Stir kale into the soup (5).
Make it creamy. Stir in the heavy whipping cream (6) and cook for just about 5 more minutes but don’t let it boil. Take off heat right away.
Recipe FAQs
Prep your ingredients ahead of time so everything is ready to go when it’s time to make this Zuppa Toscana recipe. All of the chopped vegetables, including the kale, can be stored in airtight containers in the refrigerator up to a day in advance. Note, I don’t recommend that you peel and cut potatoes ahead of time because they will get oxidized quickly.
Easily adapt this recipe to a pressure cooker if you’d prefer. Sauté bacon, onion, and sausage just as the recipe instructs on the sauté setting of the pressure cooker.
After you add the stock and seasoning, close the lid, make sure it’s properly latched, and close the steam valve. Cook on manual high pressure setting for 5 minutes and then let it do a 10 minute natural pressure release. Note that it will take a few minutes to the pressure to build up.
Then, add the kale and cream and cook for a few minutes on the sauté setting.
Yes! To make this soup in the slow cooker, you will still need to start on the stove and finish it in the slow cooker. Cook the bacon, onions, sausage, and potatoes through step 6 in a pot on the stove. Once you finished cooking meat and veggies, add the stock to the pot on the stove and scrape the bottom of the pot as you pour. This will help lift all the “fond” (the caramelized bits of meat and vegetables left on the bottom of the pot) and mix it into the soup. It will help the flavor of the soup.
After that, transfer everything into the slow cooker, add seasoning, cover with the lid, and cook on LOW for about 5 hours. Add chopped kale and heavy cream, close the lid, and cook for another 5- 10 minutes at the most.
Storing, Reheating and Freezing
To Store: Transfer cooled cooked soup into jars or airtight food storage containers and keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Reheat individual portions in the microwave until just hot enough. You can also reheat the whole pot on the stove, over medium to medium-low heat, until the soup is warmed through.
You can definitely freeze Zuppa Toscana, but you have to leave out the kale and cream. Cream does not freeze well and the texture of kale will become unpleasant when thawed.
To freeze: Fill a freezer-friendly food storage containers about three-quarters full so the soup has room to expand, then freeze for 3 to 6 months. You can also use zip-top freezer bags to portion the soup.
Defrost overnight in the refrigerator and add the kale and cream when reheating.
More Comforting Italian Soup Recipes
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Copycat Zuppa Toscana Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 lb bacon diced
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 1 lb ground mild Italian sausage
- 3 large garlic cloves
- 2 lbs Russet potatoes about 5 potatoes
- 5 cups vegetable stock warmed
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 bunch of kale about 2 cups sliced, not packed
- salt to taste
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes more or less to taste
Instructions
- Prepare ingredients first: dice bacon and set it aside. Dice onion, peel and chop potatoes, and mince garlic.
- Preheat a Dutch oven or another soup pot over medium heat and add oil.
- Add the diced bacon and saute until browned and fat is mostly rendered.
- Add the diced onion and saute until softened. Mix in minced garlic and saute just until fragrant.
- Add ground Italian sausage and use a spatula or a wooden spoon to break it up into chunks. Saute until sausage is mostly cooked.
- Mix in diced potatoes and sauté for a few minutes.
- Slowly, pour in stock, while scraping bottom of the pot and the sides. Bring everything to simmer and lower the heat to medium-low.
- Season with salt and crushed red pepper flakes and mix well. Let the soup cook uncovered over medium-low to low heat until potatoes are very tender (about 40 minutes).
- Use a wooden spoon to crush and break up a few potatoes for a thicker consistency.
- Chop the kale leaves and discard the thick stem. Stir kale into the soup.
- Stir in the heavy whipping cream and cook for just about 5 more minutes but don't let it boil. Take off heat right away.
Video
Notes
- Storing: Transfer cooked soup into jars or airtight food storage containers and keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- Reheat individual portions in the microwave until just hot enough. You can also reheat the whole pot on the stove, over medium to medium-low heat, until the soup is warmed through.
- To freeze: You can definitely freeze Zuppa Toscana, but you have to leave out the kale and cream. Cream does not freeze well and the texture of kale will become unpleasant when thawed. Fill a freezer-friendly food storage containers about three-quarters full so the soup has room to expand, then freeze for 3 to 6 months. You can also use zip-top freezer bags to portion the soup.
- Defrost overnight in the refrigerator and add the kale and cream when reheating.
Nutrition
Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles in April 2014.
Kris Gudahl says
I’ve been making this soup for more than a year and love it! Thank you!
LyubaB says
I am so glad you enjoy it!
Stephanie Garcia says
Just made it , and was so good! My family loved it. Thank you!
Tiffany says
My only go to recipe for Zuppa Toscano soup. I’m greedy and double the sausage in the recipe and use pancetta for the bacon. Our families favorite recipe now. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe,
Mary Perkins says
Love this soup. Made it tonight and it is 97 degrees out but we have air conditioning. My husband really loved it too! He loves soup all year long. Thanks for recipe.
LyubaB says
SO glad you liked it, Mary! 🙂
Vicki Jenkins says
Super easy and delish! I used chicken stock since I did not have veggie stock, yummy!
Left out the salt also and it was perfect.
LyubaB says
Thanks, Vivki!
Rose says
Terrific recipe, thanks for sharing!
LyubaB says
Thank you, Rose! So glad you liked it!
heather @french press says
I cannot wait for soup weather 🙂
Kara says
Have this in a pot on the stove. Smells AMAZING! Can’t wait to try it.
lyuba says
Awesome! I hope you enjoy it 🙂
Kara says
It was really good. Any Idea on calorie count?
lyuba says
I don’t right now but there is a place where I can find out. I will let you know once I know! (I’ll submit tonight)
lyuba says
Hi Kara! I got the nutritional info for you. Go here: http://myrecipemagic.com/recipe/recipedetail/copycat-zuppa-toscana and click on the “nutrition” tab! 🙂