Satisfy your Italian cravings without having to travel to Italy with this delicious zuppa toscana recipe! This easy-to-replicate dish is savory, flavorful, and sure to please the whole family. With just a few ingredients, you can make this copycat of Olive Garden's classic dish right in your own kitchen - no reservations required!
This is an Olive Garden's soup that my husband and I love. We started making it at home years ago and love this at-home copycat version. It’s perfect for meal prep as it’s a soup we can prepare ahead of time and eat a few days later. The flavor is even better when it sits in the fridge for a day or two.
Do you love a copycat recipe? So do we! Check out my awesome recipe for copycat KFC potato wedges, or our copycat rice-a-roni recipe.
A Quick Look at the Ingredients
Ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions are on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Bacon - Crispy bacon adds a next-level flavor to this delicious soup.
- Ground Italian sausage - Try spicy Italian sausage for a kick. To make your own, add ½- 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes to the meat. You can also purchase hot Italian sausage or mild Italian sausage, depending on your preference.
- Yellow onion - A nice, mild cooking onion.
- Garlic - Minced garlic is ideal; in a pinch, use garlic powder or freeze-dried minced garlic.
- Chicken broth - A chicken stock concentrate also works great, just measure according to the recipe.
- Water
- Russet potato - Russet potatoes work really well in this recipe, as they will soak up a lot of liquid and slowly lose their shape. Helping to make the soup thicker and creamier.
- Kale - Feel free to sub swiss chard, fresh spinach, or other greens in place of kale.
- Heavy cream - Half-and-half or even whole milk can be swapped out for heavy cream.
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Recommended Tool
This Dutch oven is perfect for soups and stews. With a heavy bottom for even heat distribution and a tight-fitting lid to lock in moisture, it’s ideal for small-batch cooking, braising, and simmering cozy meals.
How To Make Zuppa Toscana Soup
In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, cook the bacon until crispy, about 8 minutes. Once cooked, remove with a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate lined with paper towels. Drain any excess bacon grease from the pot, reserving about 1 Tablespoon in the pot.
Add the Italian sausage to the same pot and cook, breaking it up into small pieces as you go, brown sausage until fully cooked through.
Add the onion and garlic to the pot and cook until softened, about 2 minutes.
Pour in the chicken broth, water, and chopped potatoes. Bring to a boil over high heat then reduce heat to low-medium heat and simmer until the potatoes are fork tender, about 20 minutes.
Add in the kale and heavy cream and simmer for an additional 2 minutes, or until the kale is just wilted.
Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper to taste. Place in serving bowls and top with bacon. Serve warm. Enjoy!
How to store this Zuppa Toscana recipe
This soup is truly so delicious served right away! Often times we don't even have leftovers, it's that good.
To store, let the soup cool to room temperature, and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
Freeze zuppa toscana soup in a freezer safe container, like Souper Cubes! Perfectly portioned for easy thawing and serving.
What can I serve with Zuppa Toscana Soup?
While this zuppa toscana copycat recipe is incredible on its own, serve it with a generous sprinkle of freshly grated parmesan cheese on top.
Soak up this creamy soup with crusty bread or breadsticks like they do at Olive Garden.
FAQ's
The literal translation of "zuppa toscana" means Tuscan Soup. An absolutely delicious traditional Italian soup.
In place of pork sausage use ground turkey sausage or ground turkey with Italian seasoning. Turkey bacon is also a great swap for regular bacon. Using less cream or replacing cream with regular milk should help as well. Cauliflower florets are a great swap for potatoes, making this a keto version. I've tried all of these swaps, and the flavor of your favorite soup has not gone away, still one of the most delicious recipes.
Tanya's Notes
- Feel free to sub swiss chard, spinach, or other greens in place of kale
- For a thicker soup, reduce the amount of chicken broth by 1 cup.
- For a spicy soup, use spicy Italian ground sausage.
Looking for more soup recipes? Try these out:
- Sweet Potato Soup Recipe
- Collard Green Soup
- Creamy Cauliflower Soup
- Creamy Carrot and Lentil Soup
- Pressure Cooker Moroccan Spiced Soup
If you have tried this recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please rate it and let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
Zuppa Toscana Recipe
Ingredients
Equipment
Instructions
- In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, cook the bacon until crispy, about 8 minutes. Once cooked, remove with a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate lined with paper towels. Drain any excess bacon grease from the pot, reserving about 1 Tablespoon in the pot.
- Add the Italian sausage to the same pot and cook, breaking it up into small pieces as you go, until it’s browned and fully cooked through.
- Add the onion and garlic to the pot and cook until softened, about 2 minutes.
- Pour in the chicken broth, water, and chopped potatoes. Bring to a boil over high heat then reduce heat to low-medium and simmer until the potatoes are cooked through, about 20 minutes.
- Add in the kale and heavy cream and simmer for an additional 2 minutes, or until the kale is just wilted.
- Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper to taste. Place in serving bowls and top with bacon. Serve warm. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Video
Notes
- Feel free to sub swiss chard, spinach, or other greens in place of kale
- For a thicker soup, reduce the amount of chicken broth by 1 cup.
- For a spicy soup, use spicy Italian ground sausage.
- Feel free to top with parmesan cheese if you like cheese on your soup.
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