Zuppa Toscana is Olive Garden’s most popular soup. This one-pot, homemade Zuppa Toscana recipe is hearty and loaded with Italian sausage, kale, bacon, and tender potatoes. It’s on my family’s regular menu rotation!
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Helpful Reader Review
“Soup was delicious! Best copycat Olive Garden recipe ever! Taste so authentic; I thought I was eating at Olive Garden!” – Marianne ★★★★★
Zuppa Toscana Video
Now wasn’t that easy? Serve topped with crispy bacon, extra cheese and generous slices of Sourdough Bread, or crusty French Bread. I hope this Zuppa Toscana becomes a favorite in your home as well.
Zuppa Toscana Copycat Recipe
Some of our most popular recipes are restaurant copycat recipes like Creamy Shrimp Pasta and of course Chicken Madeira! You can make it better at home for a fraction of the price!
We love re-creating restaurant-quality soups at home, like our popular Clam Chowder Recipe. My sister Tanya taught me how to make this Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana from scratch and it has been a family and reader favorite since we first published it in 2010. We have since made it heartier and more flavorful. The classic just got better!
What is Zuppa Toscana?
Zuppa means soup, and Toscana means Tuscan. Tuscan Soup! This American adaptation is classically made with kale, potatoes, onion, and garlic, then served topped with Parmesan cheese or Parmigiano Reggiano.
Is Zuppa Toscana Spicy?
I Use “Hot” Italian sauce, which does give this soup a spicy kick, but you can substitute with medium or mild Italian sausage and make a less spicy version that’s more kid-friendly, then season with salt and pepper to taste. You can spice up individual bowls later with red pepper flakes if you prefer.
Zuppa Toscana Ingredients
- Bacon – the bacon adds an extra layer of flavor to the soup and a crunchy salty bite when sprinkled as garnish. Parmesan is also a nice touch to serve the soup.
- Italian Sausage – I prefer using ‘hot’ Italian sausage, but you can use mild if you prefer less spice. Remove casings if present.
- Aromatics – I use a whole head of garlic (more on that below) and a diced onion.
- Chicken stock – you can use chicken broth or stock here, or even substitute with turkey stock. Homemade always tastes best, especially bone broth! For richer flavor, you can replace the water in the recipe with more stock.
- Potatoes – you can peel or leave the skins on for a more rustic soup. Russet, or yello wpotatoes work great.
- Kale – strip the leaves from one kale bundle then finely chop. It will seem like alot of kale, but it softens and shrinks down in the soup.
- Whipping cream – heavy cream creates a rich broth. You can use a light cream if desired.
Do I really need 1 HEAD of Garlic?
YES! We used a full head of garlic (about 10 large cloves). Do not skip the fresh garlic. Garlic gives the broth an incredible and authentic Italian flavor. Since the garlic is sautéed and then simmered with the broth, it doesn’t overwhelm the soup. Garlic is also very good for you (a super food)!
Is Zuppa Toscana Healthy?
This soup is naturally gluten free and grain free. To make a Keto-friendly Zuppa Toscana, you can substitute potatoes with cauliflower.
For Whole 30 (dairy free), substitute the heavy whipping cream for 1 can of full fat unsweetened coconut milk (using the solid white cream portion only and adding it at the very end just to heat through).
Everyone in my family makes this Zuppa Toscana regularly. I love it when my Mom has a pot simmering on the stove when all of my sisters’ families come over for Sunday lunch. It’s the first thing I reach for, even with plenty of other options on the table (Mom always makes a feast on Sundays!). I hope this Zuppa soup becomes a favorite in your home as well.
Zuppa Toscana – Olive Garden Copycat
Ingredients
- 6 oz bacon, chopped
- 1 lb Italian Sausage, The “Hot” variety
- 1 head of garlic, about 10 large cloves, peeled and minced or pressed
- 1 onion, medium, finely diced
- 6 cups chicken broth, or chicken stock
- 4 cups water
- 5 russet potatoes, medium, peeled and chopped into 1/4" thick pieces*
- 1 kale bundle, leaves stripped and chopped (6 cups)
- 1 cup whipping cream, or 1 can full fat unsweetened coconut milk
- salt and black pepper to taste
- Parmesan cheese, optional, to serve
Instructions
- Brown Bacon – In a large pot or Dutch oven (5.5 qt), over medium-high heat, add chopped bacon and sauté until browned (5-7 mins). Remove bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate and spoon out excess oil, leaving about 1 Tbsp oil in the pot.
- Brown Italian sausage, breaking it up with your spatula, and sauté until cooked through and browned (5 min). Remove to a paper-towel-lined plate.
- Add onion to the pot and saute 5 min, stirring occasionally, or until soft and golden, then add minced garlic and saute 1 min.
- Add broth and water, and bring to a boil. Add sliced potatoes and cook 13-14 min or until easily pierced with a fork.
- Add chopped kale and cooked sausage, and bring everything to a light boil.
- Stir in cream and bring to a boil. Season to taste with salt and black pepper, then remove from heat. Ladle into bowls and serve garnished with bacon and grated parmesan.
Notes
- Fridge: once completely cool, cover and refrigerate leftovers for 3-4 days.
- Freezer: Soups with cream and potatoes do not freeze well, so I don’t recommend freezing this soup.
- Reheat: Warm on the stove over medium-low heat or in the microwave until steaming hot. Avoid boiling.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
More Copycat Recipes from Restaurants
These recipes are inspired by some of our favorite restaurant dishes. In every case, we loved the homemade version even better because of higher-quality ingredients, healthier fats (olive oil), less salt, and, of course, a lower bill!
- Beet Salad with Arugula
- Stuffed Chicken Parmesan
- Filet Mignon
- Chicken Mango Avocado Salad
- Chicken Stir Fry
- Shrimp Scampi
- Monterey Chicken
- Homemade Salsa
- Chicken Piccata
How about spinach instead of kale, and half and half?
Hi Nancy, I think half and half would still work. I’m not sure about spinach though. I really love the texture of kale in this soup, but if you prefer spinach, it might be worth an experiment.
OMG, this soup is awesome!! It was so easy to make and inexpensive. So looking forward to trying your other recipes. Thumbs up!!
I’m glad you love the recipe Lucille! Thanks for sharing your excellent review!
Hi Natasha,
You might want to review your cooking instructions. Looks like you have cooking the sausage twice. Also, could you add approximate prep and cook times?
Thanks!
Oh goodness, thank you so much for pointing that out! I clarified the recipe and included cooking and prep times. 🙂
Hi Natasha!!! Thank you for the wonderful recipe! I’m obsessed with your recipes!!! I have a question… If I skip potatoes, is it gonna change the taste a lot? What do you think? Thank you!😊
Hi Alina, I think it would still taste ok but it would be a very very thin soup since there isn’t much to bulk it up except for the potatoes. It would be very watery.
You could try substituting cauliflower for the potatoes. I try and follow a low carb lifestyle and that’s what I typically do with Zuppa Toscana Soup. Try maybe a whole cauliflower cut into the florets.
Thanks for this recipe!!! Is it still yummy for the next day?
Hi Dana, yes we still enjoy it the next day if there are leftovers 🙂
Do you think it would be okay to replace the sausage with ground turkey and omit the bacon as we do not eat port
Hi Veronika, the overall soup would taste more like a meatball soup than zuppa since you would be lacking the spiciness. I would suggest adding some spice since the sausage is a spicy sausage. Also, we often make this without any bacon so that one is easy to omit 🙂
We don’t eat pork either- I make this soup with Trader Joe’s spicy italian chicken sausage and it’s perfectly spiced!
Thank you for sharing that with me Yuliya!
Hi Natasha,
What do you think if I were to somehow add mushroom to this?
Too much?
Anna, I don’t think you can go wrong with mushrooms here, although I haven’t tried it myself.
Can this be stored in freezer containers?
Hi Nancy, I haven’t tried frezing but I don’t see why not. I think it would work 🙂
Love this soup!! We make it a little different but thinking to try it this way soon. Also, I wanted to ask you if you ever tried the chicken and gnocchi soup at Olive Garden, would be awesome if you would create a copy cat of that soup!
I haven’t tried that one but now I guess I have to!! Thanks for the suggestion! 🙂
Zuppa Toscana is my all-time favorite soup!!!!!
It is so delicious! Please let me know if you decide to try my recipe!
I love this recipe! Thank you Natasha for such easy instructions and beautiful pictures that motivated me to try this delicious soup. My whole family loved it, and I am also sharing with recipe with coworkers. P.S It tastes better than at Olive Garden 😉
I’m happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!! 😀
Can anything be substituted for the whipping cream in this soup?
Hi Yvonne, one of my readers recommended canned coconut milk (the cream part) to make it creamy and dairy free. You can also use half and half to make it a little lighter.
I love this recipe!!!
👍🏻 I knew you would 😋
How long can this soup stand in the fridge?
My favorite!!!
Hi Lana, we’ve never maxed it out because it always literally disappears in 2 days ;). It’s definitely great at least 3 days but probably not passed 4-5 days.
Any chance you would know nutritional facts in this?
Due to time constraints, I don’t typically include nutritional info, but check out this nutrition analyzer – you can plug in the ingredients from any recipe, select the serving size and it will give you nutritional info, calories, etc. I hope that is helpful to you Stephanie!
This is my favorite version of Zuppa – I really think it’s better than Olive Garden’s!!
That’s quite a compliment! Thank you so much! 🙂
This is a great soup Natasha!
I love the addition of bacon.
I add a half cup of white wine to the broth.
Oh wow! I never would have thought to add white wine. I’ll have to try it sometime! Thanks for sharing 🙂
This is my husband’s favorite soup to order– thanks for sharing an at-home version =)
It’s always either the salad or this soup for us as an App at Olive Garden. I never get tired of it. I think it’s nicer at home because it’s heartier and made with love of course 😉
this is my favorite soup at OG and in the past I have tried other recipes but this is spot on as many have written. It is an easy go to for company and everyone so far love and rave about. I also tried substituting with sweet potatoes and coconut milk, the cream part for my paleo friends and they loved it. Thanks for your hard work
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Priscilla!
delicious…can i freeze this soup?
i live in Ottawa, Canada and look forward to your emails.
I haven’t tried that but I don’t see why not. I think it would work to freeze it. I’m so glad you are subscribed and enjoy the emails 🙂
This soup came on the perfect day! It’s sunny here but it’s COLD…very deceiving, but hey! The sun is out! This looks like the perfect comfort meal with some nice crusty bread 🙂
It’s been the same here – it’s still a little crisp outside and perfect for a bowl of warm soup :). What part of the country are you in? I’m in Idaho – the Boise area 🙂