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
I have made several variations of this soup but Natasha’s recipe is the best. This recipe is a keeper and the only one that I’ll be making.
Absolutely delicious!
That is so sweet of you! Thank you so much for your kind words and good review. I appreciate it!
Tastes wonderful. But no way prep can be done in 10 minutes. Peeling/smashing and chopping an onion, ten head garlic and five potatoes cannot be done that quickly. Turns out great but plan for more prep time.
Thank you for that feedback, Dee!
After making your carrot soup, which is one of the best soups i’ve ever made. I tried this one out.
On first taste I 7/10 but then i came home from golf and had a 2nd bowl and wowwee zowwee this is absolutely insanely delicious.
Thanks for having my favourite cooking channel on the web!
Awesome! Thanks for sharing, Kyle. Glad you enjoyed this recipe. This is one of our favorites!
Hey Natasha,
my wife, kids, and I love your recipes. My wife and I cycle on and off of Keto, so I made a Keto version of your Zuppa Tuscano tonight. Instead of potatoes, peeled radishes were substituted, and spinach replaced the kale. A half stick of butter and an extra quarter cup of heavy cream was added to increase the fat content. The soup was delicious. Thanks for all the great recipes.
Hello there John, that is so nice to know! I never tried using peeled radish before but maybe I will try it in the future. Thank you so much for sharing that with us!
Just made this recipe yesterday! Love it. Didn’t realize it made soooo much. How long will it last in the refrigerator??
I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Courtney! One of our readers wrote: “I freeze this soup all the time! I usually make a triple recipe so I can freeze some for later… It’s as good, or better!” I hope this helps.
Flavor-wise, this was delicious. The only thing is I remember Olive Garden’s old recipe being a bit more creamy. I love the taste though. I didn’t even get to make the bacon. I used Flavor God Italian Zest seasoning to omit salt and pepper. Thank you for the awesome recipe.
Hello there. Thank you so much for your great review and for sharing your experience making this recipe!
I made your Zuppa Toscana recipe exactly as you posted it and it was a success!!! I will definitely be making this again. Thank you!
Awesome! I’m so glad to hear that, thank you for sharing.
Just wonderful I cannot have dairy or pork so I use turkey bacon and spicy duck sausage and coconut milk full fat. It was wonderful.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Janice!
Outstanding recipe! I substituted spinach for kale and broth for some of the water but no other changes. This will be a regular in my home.
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
Ok. So I made this, almost word for word (I messed up on the order of 2 things). I added a little chili flake and replaced the 6C h2o with chicken stock. My family ate this like there was not going to be food available tomorrow. Thank you very much for this masterful recipe!
(I forgot to mention I was looking forward to trying the “Day 2” flavor….little did I know there would be no leftovers!)
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you all enjoyed it!
My husband and I just finished making a pot of this and we are so in love with it! The only thing different we did was we peeled and sliced radishes in place of the potatoes to save some carbs. We couldn’t even tell they weren’t potatoes!
Sounds awesome! I’m glad that you and your husband had a great experience making this recipe. Thank you for sharing, Paulette!
That’s a great idea! Thank you for sharing that with us, Paulette!
I substitute cauliflower for the potatoes, no one complains.
Omg amazing!!!!!! It tastes even better than Olive Garden when it’s cooked in your own kitchen. Perfect winter meal. I added a few other seasonings and used gold potatoes and added spaghetti pieces, but followed recipe to a t.
You are so nice, thank you so much for your kind words and great feedback. I appreciate it, Gina!
I tried this soup , it was delicious !!!!!! I love this recipe , my family love it! Thanks Natasha
So great to hear that, Judy. You are so welcome!
Please clarify…so 48 oz of kale?
Hi, it would be 6 cups of chopped kale if you filled a standard US dry ingredients measuring cup.
This is now my go-to recipe for this soup. I’ve made it for years, piecing together parts of two or three recipes from the internet. Now, I can simply use this one. Thank you Natasha! You’re The Best! Everyone loves Natasha!!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
I’ve never had this soup at Olive Garden but my aunt raves about it all the time. So I’m making it today! I saw the recipe on Facebook! Very excited to try this
It is one of our favorite soup recipes! I hope you love this recipe!
How many cups is in a bundle of kale(tacan soup)
Hi Dolores, There is no standard size of the bunch, but a quick google search showed an average bunch of kale is 7 ounces
I have never tried this soup at olive garden because unfortunately I’m dairy free. However I made a batch of cashew cream and substituted it in the recipe; added a bit more chicken stock, some extra seasoning, a bit more kale and it’s so delicious!
I’m so happy you enjoeyd this recipe, Katrina! Thank you for sharing those substitutions with us.
not a kale fan, can you use spinach instead
Yes you can. We have made it with both and they are both very good.
OMG!! It was so…good. I did double the broth and not add water. Next time I will split the second 32 ounces between broth and water to decrease the sodium. I am a little afraid to change it because it was so… good.
I’m happy you enjoyed that, Cheree! Thank you for that great review.
This recipe was great. I don’t do dairy so just used unsweetened almond milk and it was delicious. I also used red potatoes as they’re what I had, and left out the bacon since I didn’t have any. It was much heartier and filling than the one at Olive Garden. I didn’t need any bread to go with it. Thank you!
That’s awesome feedback, thank you for your review! I also appreciate your suggestions.