Love the Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana? It's so easy to make it at home. This creamy sausage, bacon, potato, and kale soup is total comfort food!
This post was originally published on September 23, 2015. I've updated it with new photos, text, and a better written recipe.
Easy Zuppa Toscana Soup Recipe
If you haven't tried this soup yet, now is your chance. It's popular for a reason. It's easy to make, very satisfying, and feels like a treat. Probably because it has bacon. And sausage. And cream. And potatoes. The kale totally cancels out the calories from the sausage and bacon so you can feel good about eating this. I wish.
Own an Instant Pot? Try my Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana recipe.
What is Zuppa Toscana?
"Zuppa Toscana" literally means "Tuscan soup", but from an American point of view, it commonly refers to the soup found at the Olive Garden restaurant. It's a fairly brothy (not too thick) soup.
What kind of potatoes to use?
I typically use red potatoes, but Russets (or even other varieties) will work just fine. I don't peel the potatoes, but you definitely can. This soup is pretty forgiving on the quantity of potatoes. I typically use four medium-to-large red potatoes, which I know is really subjective. I'd aim for around 1.5 pounds of potatoes if you're looking for weights.
You may also like my Sausage, Kale, and Gnocchi Soup, Cheesy Potato Soup, or my Lasagna Soup.
How to make Zuppa Toscana (overview):
Sauté the bacon in your soup pot. Give it a few minutes head start prior to adding the sausage pieces. Cook until the bacon is crispy and the sausage is browned. Meanwhile, prep the remaining ingredients. Add the onion and garlic to the pot and sauté for 2-3 minutes, then add the chicken stock and water to the pot, followed by the potatoes and Italian seasoning. Bring the soup to a boil and cook until the potatoes are done. Stir in the cream and kale. Cook another 5-10 minutes or so until the kale is nice and tender. Season to taste. (Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below)
Recipe notes & tips:
- I like to use thick-cut bacon and Johnsonville mild Italian sausages. Feel free to use spicy sausage if you want some more kick.
- Substituting spinach for kale works fine.
- To lighten the recipe up a little bit, you could definitely drain some of the fat from the bacon and sausages. I admit I don't do this. It just makes the soup way more flavorful.
- If you need to, replace the cream with half-and-half. With recipes like this, I prefer to go all out haha. You can't beat real cream in my opinion.
- This is not a thick soup.
- This soup makes yummy leftovers. If you freeze the soup, it can separate a bit when reheating, though, so reheat on a low temperature and stir it well.
Have you tried Zuppa Toscana? Leave a comment below. Questions? Let me know!
Zuppa Toscana Copycat Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 (17.6 ounce) pack Italian sausages
- 5 strips of bacon (thick cut works best)
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups chicken broth (beef works too)
- 4 cups water
- 4 large red potatoes roughly cubed (leave skins on)
- 1 dash Italian seasoning
- 1 cup heavy/whipping cream
- 1 small bunch of kale torn into bite-size pieces (remove stems)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Using kitchen shears (or a knife), cut the bacon into small pieces and add it to the pot. Cook the bacon for a few minutes over medium-high heat. I like to give the bacon a bit of a head start so it gets nice and crispy.
- Take the sausages out of their casings. I lightly slice the sausages length-wise with a sharp knife to make a slit in the casings, and then it's really easy to get them out. I then use my fingers to break the meat into bite-size pieces and add them to the soup pot as I go.
- While the sausages and bacon cook, I chop the onion and potatoes, making sure to give the pot a stir occasionally.
- When the sausages and bacon are nicely browned and getting crispy, stir in the onions and garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the chicken stock, water, potatoes, and Italian seasoning to the pot.
- Bring soup to a boil and then reduce to medium-low heat to simmer.
- Cook for 10-15 minutes or until potatoes and onions are tender.
- Add kale, cream, and salt and pepper and cook for a further 5-10 minutes or until the kale is soft and wilted.
Notes
- If you're worried about calories, you could probably use fewer sausages than I do without changing the taste of the soup too much. You can drain some of the fat too if you wish. I keep it in for flavor!
- Adapted from one of the many copycat Zuppa Toscana recipes out there. I can't remember which one (I did try to find it) - I memorized it and adapted it quite a while ago.
- I use a 5-pack of Johnsonville Mild Italian sausages in this recipe.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Nutrition
Landria Tyler says
I recently started cooking for my father in law who was diagnosed with dementia. I have alot of sausage on hand, and tried this recipe. We all loved it! My FIL just asked me to cook it again. That is a huge compliment! Trust me! Thanks for the recipe!
Natasha says
Aww that's so nice to hear. Thanks for letting me know... I am glad he enjoyed it. And that's so good of you to cook for him! XO
Mick S says
Yum! So delicious!! I tweaked it a bit - used hot turkey Italian sausage, unsweetened coconut milk (can't have dairy), and didn't have kale on hand so I substituted with spinach. Next time, I'm going to add more potatoes and add a bit of potato flakes to thicken it. Also, I love how easy this is to make!
Natasha says
So glad it worked out with the tweaks, Mick!
Cindy C. says
Made this last night (4/25/21), and it was AMAZING!!!! Thank you for the recipe!
Natasha says
Fantastic!! I'm so pleased you loved it, Cindy! 🙂
Teisha Bowman says
Favorite soup recipe. My husband loves it and that’s really all that matters! I use the spicy sausage and it adds a really great flavor to go along with the texture of the kale.
Making soup for Easter Sunday meal. 😋
Thank you for the recipe it’s amazing!
Natasha says
Fantastic!! You're very welcome!!
Cecilia Gonzalez says
I made this for lunch. Everyone even my picky boys loved it! Very flavorful and filling. I used country breakfast sausage because no one liked so I had to get rid of it somewhere. Worked out perfectly. Thanks for recipe.
Natasha says
Fantastic!! That's what I like to hear. So glad the boys liked it too! You're very welcome, Cecilia! 😀
Josh says
They don't add the kale until shortly before serving...kale absorbs grease and oils. The sausage and bacon have plenty and it can give the kale a greasy feel...also the crisp kale gives some variety to the tenderness of the potatoes. Also you don't have red pepper in your recipe...it is placed on the sausage print while it's cooking and stirred in as it is cooked...as for potatoes its russets at the olive garden
Destinee says
I just finished making this soup and it is INCREDIBLE. I used extra bacon and I should have skimmed some grease out, but it doesn’t even matter- I’m in heaven.
Natasha says
Wonderful!! 🙂
Dorothy says
Absolutely delicious. I did drain some of the grease, used evaporated milk instead, Yukon gold potatoes, added potato flakes to thicken up more and it tasted fabulous. Full credit for this recipe. It’s one of my keepers. Thanks.
Natasha says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it!! 🙂
Christine G says
Love love love this! So yummy. I would add that I followed as closely as possibly (added more kale) and it made 11 cups total. Only mention this for anyone one tracking portions.
Thanks for the recipe!
Natasha says
Thank you so much!!