Zuppa Toscana Recipe (Olive Garden Copycat)
Zuppa Toscana is an Olive Garden copycat potato 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.
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.
How to Make Zuppa Toscana Soup
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 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. Sauté until sausage is mostly cooked.
Add potatoes. Mix in diced potatoes and sauté for a few minutes.
Add stock and simmer. Slowly pour in the stock 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.
Make it creamy. 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.
Recipe FAQs
How can I make it ahead?
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.
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.
- Heavy Whipping Cream – If heavy whipping cream is not available, you can use half and half or 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.
Nutrition
Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles in April 2014.
All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
I made this soup tonite for my family, it is so good they loved it! Am making a big pot and bring it to our ski trip in few weeks. I have tried several of u recepies and liked them all. I love cooking and like to try new things.
Thank you so much, Giovanna! It just warms my heart when I get comments like this 🙂 I’m so happy that you liked it and that you are cooking from my recipes!
well…i have never tasted the original…but your version sure looks tasty. i love soup..even when it is hot out or maybe especially when it is hot out 🙂 thank you for sharing with tuesday night supper club!
THANK YOU so much for sharing your recipe with me at Cast Party Wednesday. I’d like to invite you back this week.
Thanks,
I hope to see you again!
Ooh, this looks so good! Too bad it’s like 100 degrees right now and my husband would call me crazy. But I’m pinning this one for sure. Can’t wait to make it!
That looks soooo yummy!
Looks and sounds mouth watering!Thank you for taking the time to link up to “Made it on Monday”! 🙂
This soup looks delicious. I will have to give it a try. Come visit us. We have wonderful Southern recipes this week.
mmmm I love this soup! I just pinned this to my pinterest board and hope to make this in the near future! 🙂 *I’m your newest follower!
this is my favorite too!!!Thanks for sharing.Following you nowladeedacreations.com
My family can be so picky with foods, but this soup looks SO DELISH! I will have to try it!
I can’t WAIT to try this!! THis is my most favourite soup ever!! Thanks!!
Oh yummy! I love this soup…always order it at Olive Garden. Thank you for posting your recipe. I shall be trying it this week!