Skip making reservations and enjoy Zuppa Toscana at home.
This popular Olive Garden copycat recipe is loaded with juicy Italian sausage, bacon, potatoes, and kale simmered in a creamy chicken broth.
This is a Family Favorite Soup Because…
- This take on Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana had lots of fresh, homemade flavor.
- It’s a one-pot meal for less mess.
- Perfect as a weeknight meal, this soup is made with simple ingredients.
What You’ll Need For Zuppa Toscana
Sausage: Use mild or hot ground Italian sausage. You can also make your own homemade with ground beef or turkey.
Potatoes: You can use any variety of potatoes in this recipe. Russet potatoes are more starchy, while red or Yukon gold potatoes are more waxy and will hold their shape a bit better.
Greens: Use fresh kale in this Zuppa Toscana or swap it for fresh spinach for a milder flavor. PRO TIP: Add spinach at the end since it doesn’t need much time to cook.
Broth: I love chicken broth in this recipe. Garlic, onion, and bacon add extra flavor. Heavy cream is added for richness—you can replace it with evaporated milk if you’d like.
Variations
- For a low-carb version, switch out the potatoes for chopped cauliflower florets.
- Garnish Zuppa Toscana with freshly grated parmesan or Reggiano cheese for the true restaurant experience!
How to Make Zuppa Toscana
- Cook bacon until crisp and set aside.
- Cook sausage and onion until the sausage is browned. Stir in the remaining ingredients (recipe below) except for the cream and simmer until the potatoes are tender.
- Add cream and simmer until slightly thickened. Garnish.
Storing and Reheating
Keep leftover Zuppa Toscana in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days and reheat portions in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Since dairy doesn’t freeze well, remove some of the soup before adding cream and freeze it in zippered bags for up to one month. Add fresh heavy cream or milk to the soup once it’s thawed before reheating.
This Zuppa Goes Great With…
Did you enjoy this Zuppa Toscana Recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Zuppa Toscana
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound Italian sausage
- 1 large onion diced
- 6 slices bacon diced
- 4 cups potatoes peeled and cut into ½" cubes
- 1 ½ cups kale chopped, or fresh spinach
- 5 cups chicken broth
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
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In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate. Set aside.
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Add sausage and onion to the bacon grease and cook until no pink remains. Drain fat.
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Add potatoes, kale, chicken broth, garlic, and crushed peppers (if using) to the pot.
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Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered 12-14 minutes or until potatoes are soft.
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Stir in heavy cream and pepper and let simmer 1 minute. Taste and season with salt & pepper if desired.
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Garnish with bacon.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Appetizer, Dinner, Entree, Lunch, Main Course, Side Dish, Soup
Cuisine American, Italian
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I made this soup last night and we are still raving about it!
Simple and quick! Definitely a keeper.
This soup is delicious. I’ve also made it substituting a small cauliflower for the potatoes making it Keto acceptable.
This is one of my all time favorite soups. Simple and very tasty.
Hi again,
Follow up from earlier day’s post…
Definitely 5 stars!!
Made and my family (some picky eaters) absolutely loved it!
Followed recipe using spinach and wow, so good!
Thank you for another delicious recipe
We love this soup. So tasty and easy. Not really kale fans I use spinach.
Had to download the app because it has the best recipes for any dish. They’re not difficult to make. Sometimes I’ll already have most of the ingredients in my cupboard. Been following you for a couple of years now! Love you, Love it, Love all the recipes!
We hope you love it, Michelle!
Can the sausage be replaced by ground beef as none of my kidslike sausage..
Yes, it can, you’ll want to add some extra seasoning (a bit of Italian seasoning will work!) and a bit of extra garlic.
Wonderful soup! I’m sure it will become one of my favorites. I did use spinach instead of kale.
I love recipes from this site in part because they usually don’t have 42 ingredients and this Grandma appreciates that! I have made this several times with only a few subs such as subbing evaporated milk (prefer brothy to thicker) and spinach. Also use bulk hot Italian sausage. I may omit the spinach when serving the “Grands” as none of them like it (what’s that GREEN stuff?) but can always add it to the leftovers. My approach to recipes is “keep it simple” so thanks, this is YUMMY.
You’re very welcome Susan! So glad you are loving this recipe ;)
I’ve used a lot of recipes from this site mainly because they use common ingredients I usually have on hand so there’s no need for many substitutes and this old school Mom/Grandma appreciates that. I used bulk hot Italian sausage, spinach and subbed evaporated milk for the heavy cream and husband and I both thought it was delicious. ! “grand’ would not touch the spinach though. Ha,Ha! Will make again for sure.
Excellent!!! We love it. Just like Olive Garden version.
Wonderful dinner soup! My husband (who does not exactly love kale) really enjoyed it, too. Thank you, Holly :)
Glad your family enjoyed it Jackie!
I recently made this and my wife thought it was great!! Only a few minor variations (I used Italian sausage in the casing and then sliced it into 5 pieces per link). I found a crusty bread recipe on another site and it went great with this soup. The soup is well worth the effort and I will make it again.
Glad you both enjoyed this recipe Louis!
Yum
Delicious! Used hot Italian sausage and omitted the pepper flakes and used spinach. Omitted onions because I am so sick of chopping them! (Didn’t have pre-chopped frozen ones) I threw in chopped green onions instead. Wonderful flavor!
I make this quite often, and will freeze the leftovers. The potatoes come out mealy on the reheating though, so I will use less on the initial preparation next time. I currently use 2 cans of diced potatoes, so I’m thinking one can in the future. LOVE kale and spinach in this, so I think I’ll increase that next time. This stuff is so stinking good, it’s kind of amazing!
Thanks for sharing your tips on freezing it Sandra!
I put garbonza beans and finely chopped carrots in mine
Delicious additions Roberta!
Just made this and it’s so good! Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome Tina!
When I’m in a pinch, I use box augratin potatoes (like 3 boxes without the seasoning packet) with breakfast sausage, and frozen kale. Plus chicken stock, cream, sage and red pepper for seasoning. But yours makes me want to try a new take.
Yum, thanks for sharing your shortcuts!
I made this the other night and it was perfect . I have celiac disease so I made sure to buy gluten free sausage and chicken broth and we prefer kale over spinach but it turned out great. Nothing left after our family of 4 devoured it.
Do you chop up the sausage?
I would yes! That is how I have had it-I get the links. It doesn’t specify whether you dice the garlic either? I would assume so!
Thank you Cody. The garlic is minced.
I love Zuppa Toscana! I use hot Italian sausage, so no need for crushed red peppers. I usually use kale, but have used spinach. I have not used bacon. Does that change the taste? This is getting me hungry for some, especially since it is starting to get colder now!
The bacon adds a little bit of smokiness to the soup. I love the idea of using the hot Italian sausage, thank you for sharing!