Warm up on a cold day with a bowl of Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Soup. This copycat recipe will hit the spot on a cold winter’s day. The soup is bursting with flavor and super simple to make.
This copycat recipe of Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscana soup will hit the spot. This creamy soup tastes just as good and possibly even better than the original and only takes about an hour to make. It won’t take long to have a delicious pot of soup on your table – even for an easy weeknight dinner!
COPYCAT ZUPPA TOSCANA FROM OLIVE GARDEN
This homemade soup is super simple to put together. You can make a big pot in the morning and let it simmer all day long, filling your house with lovely flavors and smells. Since everything in this soup is basically cooked in one pot, the ingredients really get time to come together and develop into bold and powerful flavor bombs.
This recipe has everything you could want. It is loaded with sausage and bacon, filled with veggies like kale and potatoes, and finished off with some heavy cream to give it that smooth finish. If you’re looking for a keto version, try my Low Carb Zuppa Toscana made with cauliflower!
This soup is perfect for any time of the day. Make it for lunch or double the recipe and serve up a big bowl for dinner. The entire family will want seconds or even thirds — it will be that good! Be sure to serve this soup with a side of crusty french bread – it’s perfect for soaking up the last bits! Or, serve it as a side with Olive Garden Chicken Scampi!
Not a fan of this copycat recipe of Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscana? Our potato soup recipe is just as good and a true crowd-pleaser!
INGREDIENTS FOR ZUPPA TOSCANA
- Italian sausage – Remove the casing and cut it into bite-sized pieces.
- Russet potatoes – Use russet potatoes as they will help thicken the soup.
- Onions
- Bacon – Make sure the bacon is nice and thick.
- Garlic
- Kale – Remove veins and cut into small, thin ribbons.
- Chicken broth
- Water
- Heavy whipping cream – Will thicken and make the soup creamy.
HOW TO MAKE OLIVE GARDEN ZUPPA TOSCANA SOUP
1. COOK THE SAUSAGE AND VEGETABLES
Slice the sausage into bite-sized pieces and brown in a large soup pot. When done cooking, remove the sausage from the pot and add onions and garlic. Continue to brown the veggies in the pot.
2. ADD THE LIQUID
When the vegetables are done browning, add in the chicken broth and water and stir. Add the sausage back into the pot along with the potatoes and cook until the potatoes are soft, about 30 minutes.
3. COOK THE BACON
While the soup cooks, cook the bacon in a small skillet.
4. SIMMER THE SOUP
Once the potatoes are soft, add the cooked bacon, kale, and heavy cream to the pot. Season with salt and pepper. Let the soup simmer for about 10 minutes or until everything is fully heated through.
FAQ
IS ZUPPA TOSCANA HEALTHY?
While Zuppa Toscana isn’t unhealthy, it isn’t the healthiest soup option. The bacon and the heavy cream allow it to lean towards the more unhealthy side of things. If you are looking for a lighter option, replace the bacon with turkey bacon and the cream with coconut milk. It will still have the same great flavor without the unnecessary calories.
CAN YOU FREEZE ZUPPA TOSCANA?
While you can freeze Zuppa Toscana, it is better to eat the soup fresh if you can. The cream in the soup, along with the cooked kale, might not hold up as well when frozen. It will still be enjoyable but might defrost on the watery side.
CAN YOU ADD OTHER INGREDIENTS TO THE SOUP?
Yes! Other vegetables and meats will go great in this soup. Add spinach, carrots, or other soup veggies to make it veggie-forward. You can also add meatballs or even tofu to add more protein to the soup.
MORE SOUPS TO MAKE DURING THE WINTER MONTHS
Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Soup
Ingredients
- 1 lb Italian sausage casing removed and cut into bite- size pieces
- 2 large russet baking potatoes sliced in half, and then in 1/4 inch slices
- 1 large onion chopped
- 3 strips of thick cut bacon
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 cups kale veins removed and cut into thin ribbons
- 32 oz can chicken broth
- 2.5 cups water
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Slice uncooked sausage into small pieces and brown in your soup pot.
- Remove the sausage from the pot and add onions, garlic, and cook until browned.
- Add chicken broth and water to the pot and stir.
- Place sausage back in the pot along with the potatoes and simmer for about 30 minutes until the potatoes are soft.
- While the soup is cooking, brown bacon in a small skillet and cut into small pieces.
- When potatoes are soft, add bacon, kale, and heavy cream to the pot.
- Season the soup with salt and pepper.
- Simmer for another 10 minutes or until heated through.
- Serve with crusty bread and/or crackers.
I love this soup. however, I do substitute the kale for spinach and I substitute the the whipping cream for a block of cream cheese. This all tastes just as good but makes the dish a little less expensive to make.
I also add lots of fresh Chop green onion. Sometimes I substitute the potato for tortellini.
If needed, a little bit of shredded parmesan cheese to help thicken the soup as needed.
Thank you for the feedback! We’re so glad you’re able to make it work for you and enjoy the recipe!
This honestly just tasted like milky broth to me and I had to doctor it up with lots of seasonings to make me want to eat it.
Love the recipe. Thank you
Delicious 😋
I omit the bacon though. Having the Italian sausage is enough pork for me in one meal. And I add the kale at the same time as the potatoes to cook longer so it’s a lot more tender. The low carb version, with cauliflower instead of potatoes, is also delicious. I add the cauliflower and the kale in at the same time here too.
This soup is delicious. It is now my favorite soup. I have made it once and now I am doubling the recipe.i am using fat-free half and half to cut down on the fat. It is still delicious. You really should try it.
This is one of my all time favorite soups. I love the Olive Garden so one day I googled the recipe. Then I found a cookbook at Barnes and Nobles that was copycat recipes of popular restaurant fares. I have since tweaked our own version of this soup to make it “my-family” friendly!