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This Zuppa Toscana copycat recipe from Olive Garden is everything you love about the original but tastes even better! Creamy broth base, loaded with sausage and potatoes, delicious!
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Zuppa Toscana is one of our favorite soups at Olive Garden, and this copycat recipe is spot on. It is the perfect for the cold days of fall and winter, but really it is great any time of the year. The soup is a creamy and hearty with a bit of a kick. If you like some heat in your soup, be generous with the red pepper flakes. For a more mild flavor, a little goes a long way. If you like Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscana soup, you are going to love this (I think it tastes better than Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscana recipe — it is more creamy and flavorful). Serve up big bowls of this delicious soup with Our Version of The Pizza Factory’s Breadtwists recipe.
Ingredients in this Zuppa Toscana Copycat
For our version of Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscana soup, all you need are a few simple ingredients. Pile them all in a large soup pot and you’re good to go! Here’s what you need:
- Broth & Cream – The base of Zuppa Toscana is made with chicken broth and heavy cream.
- Potatoes – You can really use any kind of potato you want in this recipe. Russet potatoes work great but you can also use a waxy potato like a Yukon gold or Red potato. You can leave the skins on or you peel them. Totally up to you. Dice potatoes into bite-size pieces or thin slices and boil until they’re fork tender.
- Italian Sausage – You can use the Italian sausage in the butcher-packed package or the ground sausage in the large link form with the casing removed.
- Bacon – A good thick-cut bacon adds a lot of rich flavor.
- Kale – Pre-packaged, pre-rinsed kale will make your life easier. You can also get kale from the produce department, just make sure you rinse it REALLY well.
- Seasonings: The spices and seasoning in Zuppa Toscana are very simple, just salt, pepper, and red pepper.
Sausage Tip:
Instead of breaking off small pieces of sausage and rolling them in your hands, simply cut the sausage using a knife in a cross-cross pattern. The sausage will roll up into balls as you cook and stir it in the skillet. Break up into more bite size pieces with a metal spatula or wooden spoon if needed.
Is Zuppa Toscana Really Italian?
Zuppa Toscana roughly translated means “Tuscan Soup”, meaning it is from the Tuscany region of Italy. The Olive Garden version of this soup is a roughly Americanized version of Italy’s Minestra di Pane (Bread Soup). In Italy, you are more likely to see more ingredients in this soup, such as tomato, beans, zucchini, carrots, etc… and less cream and sausage. In a nutshell, Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscana is as “authentic Italian” as their Fettuccini Alfredo… or anything else on their menu. But hey, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t taste good! It’s still a family favorite soup, authentic or not.
Optional Add-ins and Preferences
- Roasted Garlic: To add some more bright flavor to this recipe, add 5-10 cloves of roasted garlic, mashed. Or you can add minced or crushed garlic to the sausage as it is cooking.
- Onions: You can add some chopped onion to this recipe if you prefer. Just sauté the onion along with the sausage.
- Parmesan Cheese: Add some fresh grated Parmigiano Reggiano to your soup for more flavor and deliciousness.
- Crackers: This may be a weird family thing, but I also love crunching saltine crackers over this soup. Seriously, don’t knock it till you try it, it’s actually really good!
- Low Carb or Keto Variation: To make this soup more keto friendly with less carbs, simply swap out the potatoes for some cauliflower florets.
Stove Top and Instant Pot Versions
This recipe is made in a Crock Pot or Slow Cooker but you can easily make it on your stovetop in a Dutch oven or soup pot. Follow the same instructions but simply add everything to the pot and simmer (stir often) over low to medium heat until ready to serve. To make Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana, cook the sausage and bacon on the “sauté” function and then add all the ingredients to the pressure cooker except the kale and cream. Cook on high pressure for 5 minutes and slow release 5 minutes. Add kale and cream and simmer until kale is cooked.
Frequently Asked Questions
The popular restaurant makes Zuppa Toscana, Chicken and Gnocchi, Olive Garden Minestrone and Pasta e Fagioli. Try our Pasta e Fagioli copycat recipe too!
Yes! However, make the soup but don’t add the cream. Store in an airtight container for up to three months.
Thaw the soup overnight in the fridge, then warm on the stove along with the heavy cream.
READ NEXT: 60+ Best Potato Recipes Straight from Idaho
More Crockpot Soups to Try
- Crockpot Chicken and Rice Soup: Chicken and Rice Soup warms you up on cold fall and winter days. It is also ideal for busy days. The ingredients go into the Slow Cooker in the morning and a nice, hot meal awaits in the evening.
- Crockpot Split Pea Soup: There are so many different vegetables in this Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup. It is very healthy and hearty.
- Creamy Tortellini Soup: This Cheese Tortellini Soup is a flavorful, easy slow cooker meal. Tortellini, sausage, and spinach in a creamy tomato soup and slow cooked to perfection.
- Crockpot Vegetable Beef Soup: This is one of the easiest soups you will ever make. It is filled with flavorful meat and vegetables. Everyone loves it.
How to Make Zuppa Toscana
Zuppa Toscana (Copycat Olive Garden Recipe)
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound Johnsonville mild Italian ground sausage
- 5 ¼ cups (42 ounces) chicken broth
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- red pepper flakes, to taste
- salt and pepper, to taste
- ½ pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 4 cups kale, chopped
- 3 medium potatoes, scrubbed, halved, and thinly sliced
Instructions
- Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat. Form the sausage into little balls. Brown the sausage in the frying pan, stirring frequently. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels to drain off some of the grease.
- Put everything except for the potatoes together in a large slow cooker. Cook on high for 3-4 hours. If you prefer your kale more crisp-tender, wait to add the kale with the potatoes.
- Add potatoes during the last 40-60 minutes of cooking.
- Stir well and serve with breadsticks and salad.
Notes
- Instead of breaking off small pieces of sausage and rolling them in your hands, simply cut the sausage using a knife in a crisscross pattern. The sausage will roll up into balls as you cook and stir it in the skillet. Break it up into more bite-size pieces with your spatula or spoon if needed.
- You can really use any kind of potato you want in this recipe. Russet potatoes work great, but you can also use a waxy potato like Yukon gold or red potato. You can leave the skins on, or you can peel them. Totally up to you.
- Prepackaged, pre-rinsed kale will make your life easier. You can also get kale from the produce department. Just make sure you rinse it really well.
Thank you for posting this. I followed this recipe to the ounce and it was a total success.
Hi, what kind of potatoes did you use? I wasn’t sure whether to use red potatoes, Yukon, or russet!
I use russets
Sometimes I use cannelloni beans instead of, or even with the cut up potatoes. Would use less potatoes if I do that. And I do like a bit of diced toms and parsley in it too. .Wonder what the calorie count would be with this Fab soupI sprinkle with parmesan when I serve it. Also, Trader Joes has wonderful breadsticks, if you don’t want to do it from scratch.
I made this for dinner to night. I did not use a crock pot. From start to finish it was done in less than an hour. It tasted great. My husband who said he was not very hungry because of a big lunch had two bowls.
I agree, Judy. It’s almost easier to do it in the hour than in a crock pot.
Made this in a crockpot tonight while getting ready for Halloween and added the cream at the end. What a great soup recipe! I am officially in love with your website and going to try all the recipes/
I am going to try it in the crockpot, but not add the cream until the last few minutes. I think to freeze it, I would take out half before I add the cream, freeze that portion. When you reheat it, add the cream. I do that with chowders and it seems to work pretty well.
Could this become a freezer meal by any chance and how would I go about that?
Unfortunately, I don’t think this one would do great as a freezer meal.
Absolutely fabulous soup! My finance says it’s the best soup he’s ever tasted. I’ll be making it again real soon! Thanks for the recipe.
Olive garden uses cavallo greens so those can be used if you can find them.
Best soup I’ve ever “made up” . I enjoy cooking and make up all my own recipes. This is a must try soup. Everyone loves it, especially my son. I hope you enjoy it too. 😉
This soup recipe is awesome I loved it. I had never had it before but I will definately have it again. Thank you for sharing this recipe. It was great.
Made this last week and it was amazing! Looked forward to the leftovers the next day for lunch. I didn't have Kale so I used spinach. Making it again tonight with the kale.
I just made your soup and Will and I loved it! Thanks for making me feel like a good cook. 🙂 We miss you guys!
best winter soup ever! My husband loved it too, which is great because he usually isn't a soup guy. (I think it was the sausage that did it for him). Great job! I love your recipes. I made the bread sticks too, and it was delicious!!
best winter soup ever! My husband loved it too, which is great because he usually isn't a soup guy. (I think it was the sausage that did it for him). Great job! I love your recipes. I made the bread sticks too, and it was delicious!!
@ Denise –
Any time! Thanks for the compliments! We will do our best to keep the recipes comin'!
Thanks for your fast response!! I will will add the cream later on in the process, thanks for the clarity! I've made Zuppa before, but with a different recipe, so I want to try this one and compare! You have a very good tasting blog! Thanks for sharing your talents with us!
@ Denise and Nathan –
I know that with cream soups, sometimes they turn out grainy when you add the cream or cheese too soon or if you bring it to a boil. The 20 min. thing was just a suggestion so there is a better chance of it holding it's creaminess. It is a consistency thing. I would say this makes about 4-6 servings.
Good luck and let me know how it turns out!
Thanks!
Erica
Curious how many servings this makes?? Also, saw your recommendation above with adding the cream 20 minutes before. By doing that does it alter the taste, consistency, or what? Looks yummy, thanks for sharing!
Kyrstin– Did you do this in a crockpot? Here is my advice to you.. and I will probably change it here on the recipe.. but add the cream just like 20 minutes before serving. That might make a difference.
No unfortunately it's entirely separated. I've just tried straining out the curdles but no luck. I will attempt to try it again in the future with whipping cream. There is no saving this batch. Thanks for your help!