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!
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
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
With the right amount of salt, it’s almost identical to OG’s zuppa, and I used to serve there. Thanks for the recipe.
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Mike!
I made this last night. I agree with another comment made…too watery! My son loved it but I expected it to be creamier. Next time I make it I won’t be adding so much water.
Hi, used this recipe and it came out great! I was wondering has anyone frozen and reheated it successfully?
Hi Gina! I haven’t tried freezing this soup myself, but 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.
I’ve made this soup many times before. Sadly, I don’t think I’ll be making this version again. I think too much water made it lack flavor. I dont mind adding a bit of salt at the end to taste but I had to add much more than I’m used to for this to not be bland.
I agree. I just made this tonight and feel it has little flavor. After looking around I see it has way more liquid than other recipes. My husband really loves this soup and I think he is going to be disappointed when he tries it. :-/
It’s so discouraging when you spend time on cooking something and it doesn’t turn out as expected.
So glad someone else had this issue! I spent so long making this and my girlfriend’s review is that it’s like chunks of potato in water 😬 I expected this to be thicker and creamier but all the reviews said it’s perfect so I was wondering if Olive Garden’s version is also quite watery? 6 cups water to 4 cups broth seems like a bad ratio for flavor.
Hi Morgan, this isn’t supposed to be a creamy soup and I wonder if in your case, it just needed a little more salt. Using a different kind of meat can also affect the flavor. That spicy sausage adds a ton of flavor to this.
So delicious. But holy garlic, I did 4 cloves and thought it was perfect
I’m so glad you loved it, Rachel!
So, so delicious!
I added 2 cans of drained and rinsed white beans.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me. I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Just made this tonight and it was amazing. My 10 year old loved it. I used sweet italian pork sausage (mild) and added extra italian seasoning. Instead of chopping the garlic, I bought the kind in a jar thats already minced- saves so much time and work, and sauteed in a little butter. Everything was done in about an hour in the instant pot. It was so good! We are expecting some cooler weather so I can’t wait to make it again.
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Angie! That is the best when kids love what we moms make.
I have made this soup many times over the last several years and it is a family favorite. It is even better than the OG recipe! So hearty and flavorful! Thankyou for sharing this copycat recipe! We use the spicy sausage and it is not that spicy at all (more of a kick), but then again, we’re Asian, so we’re used to eating with heat. To save time, I used a garlic press for the garlic and a chopper for the onions. When I sauté the onions, I let it sit for a little until it gets slightly burnt and caramelized which adds a very flavorful twist. It is a very easy recipe.
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, C!
Delicious recipe. However, I think the prep time would take most people much longer than 10 minutes. It look me around two hours. (Cooking the bacon about 20 min, the sausage 10 min, peeling garlic 5 min, etc.).
Also, it cost me about $21 to make. Could be my location
Thanks for the feedback. The prep time I think will vary but this is how I normally do the prepping of ingredients since I always do it. But for others, it will take longer at first. The total cost will also vary depending on the location and the times, you’re right about that.
Can you give instruction for making Zuppa Tuscana in a crock pot, or does that ruin the consistency of the delicate ingredients?
Hi Rolens, one of my readers shared the following great review on making this in a crockpot/ slow cooker: “We make it in a crockpot. We add the cooked sausage and all ingredients minus the kale and heavy cream. We add the cream and kale 30 mins before serving. It is perfect.” Another reader reported cooking on low for about 8 hours.
I too tried the crock pot version yet didn’t need the 6 cups of water. I just covered the ingredients with chicken stock. It’s almost ready. I’ll let you know
Made this for dinner last night and it was so delicious! I used half mild sausage and half hot sausage because there are family members who can’t eat very spicy foods. But I can tell that using all spicy sausage really kicks this soup up a notch! I’m thinking next time I make this I’ll make it just for myself using all spicy sausage! Yum!! Thanks again for another great recipe!
I’m so glad the family loved it, Linda! I love the idea of using mild/ hot based on those taste buds!
AMAZING COPYCAT!!! Even BETTER than the Olive Garden recipe — which is hard to beat as I’ve been a fan of Zuppa Toscana from OG for many years! I did use a less-spicy sausage (mild) for mine to reduce the potential for acid reflux…but still great!
Thanks for your great feedback, we appreciate it!
I loved it, I threw the bacon in instead of as a garnish and used 1/2 and 1/2 because that’s what I had. It was delicious. Thank you!
Really delicious. Agree that prep time is longer than 10min, but it’s worth it and still a very straightforward recipe. I used pancetta and spinach (instead of bacon and kale). Thinking next time I might add some beans and maybe carrots, or even a chopped tomato at the end for more nutrition. Thanks for a really wonderful recipe!
Thanks for your great feedback! Please share with us how it goes if you try that next time.
I was looking at buying a gallon of this soup from OG, but I didn’t want to pay that much for soup, so I looked up copycat recipes and came across yours. Prep time for me was a lot longer than 10 minutes and my kitchen is a mess, but the soup is awesome! Thank you!
Hi Danielle, glad you loved it! It is always worth the effort to make these homemade recipes. Thanks for your review!
It does take some tome chopping up everything, but definitely worth it!
If you were to make this in a crockpot, would you put it on low and if yes for how long?
HI Kara, one of my readers shared the following great review on making this in a crockpot/ slow cooker: “We make it in a crock pot. We add the cooked sausage and all ingredients minus the kale and heavy cream. We add the cream and kale 30 mins before serving. It is perfect.” Another reader reported cooking on low for about 8 hours.
Totally love this soup recipe!
However- prep time is a fair bit more than 10 minutes! Easily 30 minutes. My crew was patient – so thankful for that – as I got started later than expected.
So glad everyone enjoyed the reicpe!
I would like to know if it’s possible to make a vegetarian version of this soup?
HI Linda, I honestly haven’t tried that but it would probably be lacking in flavor since the spicy sausage makes up so much of the taste in the soup, especially sincere there is not a long list of ingredients here. You might google search to see if anyone has come up with a clever substitution.
I’ve made this other times but never seem to save the recipe. Yours was very good and quite straightforward. I agree with those that say it takes longer to prep, esp if you count a trip to the store and thawing the meat. Anyway, it looks great and can’t wait to try some of your other recipes.
Thank you for your good comments and feedback. I hope you love all the recipes that you will try from my videos and website!
I used Beyond Sausage hot Italian vegetarian sausages and it was delish! Just left out the bacon and used some butter to brown the veggies in.
Thank you so much for sharing that with us!
It sure is! I substitute plant based spicy sausage, omit the bacon (although you could sprinkle bacon bits before serving, they make them accidentally vegan with soy if you check the ingredients), and make my own almond cream by soaking in boiling hot water, blending and straining before adding at the end. You could use any plant milk (homemade or store bought cashew, coconut, etc) and it’s still good. Cut down on the water too so it’s creamier 😉 you could add nutritional yeast too if you’re into that. I’m not a fan lol
This was soooo good. I used chicken bone broth, mild Italian sausage, and spinach (I didn’t have kale on hand, but I will try that next time) and it was pretty awesome. It is going into my dinner rotation for sure. I love Natasha’s recipes. They are my go-to when I want to make something. I haven’t been let down yet with anything I have tried making. Plus, she is so fun to watch too. 🙂
That is so heartwarming, Sarah. I’m happy that you have been enjoying the recipes that you have tried from my website and videos. I hope you love them all!
Natasha,
I have been making this soup since my daughter made a huge pot of it for one of our big family dinners. It is a now family favorite, even the grandkids love it! Other recipes I have seen for this don’t use the whole garlic bulb but after trying it with less garlic I admit that there is something missing in the overall flavor of the soup.
I’m so glad this Zuppa has become a family favorite for you!
I couldn’t find whipping cream for the zuppa toscana soup, I only found heavy whipping cream. is that ok?
Hi Steve, yes, those are interchangeable in this recipe.