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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.
WOW – SO delicious! My family loves this recipe, thanks so much!
This was such an amazing family dinner, we served it with garlic bread and loved it.
We can not get enough! It’s so flavorful and hearty! My kind of comfort food!
I can’t wait to give this a try at home. I always order this when we go out to eat no matter the time of year. Thanks for sharing!
Oh my goodness … even better than the original?!? Sign me up! And thanks for the great tip on adding a bit more heat to the soup, by being more generous with the red pepper flakes – my guys both like their food spicy, so that’s a super helpful suggestion!
Such a hearty and filling soup and perfect for those cold winter days coming soon!
This is sooo good! Way better than Olive Garden in my opinion. I know I’ll be making this all season long. Thanks for sharing!
This recipe is so easy, and tastes even better than Olive Garden’s version! A great fall and winter recipe!
Do you have the calories and fat for this recipe? Thanks.
We don’t. You could probably check it on the Olive Garden website or check a calorie counter online… hope this helps!
Hi! I am wondering if anyone has tried using coconut/almond/soy milk in place of whipping cream. Did you notice a difference? Thank you!
We haven’t, has anyone else?
I love this soup! I order it for lunch all the time with a Peach Bellini tea or the frozen Peach Bellini.