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!
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- Stuffed Chicken Parmesan
- Filet Mignon
- Chicken Mango Avocado Salad
- Chicken Stir Fry
- Shrimp Scampi
- Monterey Chicken
- Homemade Salsa
- Chicken Piccata
i was not impressed with this one since it used beef brother versus normal chicken broth.
Hi Valerie, did you use beef broth? The recipe calls for chicken stock/broth. Both can be used but we prefer Chicken.
Have made this 3 times in 2 weeks, love it. Each was a bit different because I used what sausage I had on hand. Italian, Cuban and Portuguese sausages were delicious. Made it with spinach once too instead of kale. Soup pots are made to be versatile using sometimes what’s on hand. I also had sautéed carrots and celery. Thx for this amazing recipe!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Rosemary!
I made this and it is very yummy! I only used half of the garlic and it still has a garlicky taste!!
Good to hear that you enjoyed the soup!
I made this last night, as written, and it was excellent. Directions were extremely easy to follow. I will be adding this to my monthly dinner rotation. Thank you for this recipe!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!!
I was cooking for 8 tonight (including 4 boys ages 7-13). Everyone loved the soup! The boys commented on how flavorful it was. I used sweet sausage in casings (took it out) and baby kale since it’s what we had on hand. I doubled the recipe and we will finish it tomorrow I’m sure. I found a recipe for copycat OG salad and we had some thick crusty bread and it was a hit all the way around. I think I have found my “company” meal….been looking for a standby meal that I can easily make for a crowd. I can freeze the soup and bread and then add a quick salad for unexpected guests. My husband doesn’t like kale and he did not even complain and really enjoyed the soup. Thank you!
PS: Since two in the family are sensitive to dairy, I used the coconut milk and it was great! Also I did make the bacon ahead of time in the oven, but after tasting the soup, decided to leave it out…it was so good without it.
That’s good to know. Thank you for sharing with us.
Thanks for sharing that with us, Gina. I’m happy to know that your family enjoyed this soup! That is so heart warming and inspiring to know.
Thank you! My boys and husband said “You nailed it” Everyone loved it!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Leann!
Can you use heavy whipping cream instead of regular whipping cream? If so, would it be the same portion?
Hi Jet! It will make it even richer! So that will work great!
Excellent Zuppa Toscana copycat recipe!!! I did alter it a bit. First we used baby kale as opposed to regular. It was nice because it gave my daughter a job to do by tearing off the stems 😉 We did add more cream and bacon than the recipe called for as my family loves decadent meals. The only other thing I found different was the prep and cook time. I’m not a super versed chef per se so I do chop more slowly than someone who’s super comfortable with knives. Overall, a very, very delicious meal!!!
Thank you for sharing that with us, Sarah. I’m so happy that you loved this recipe!
My Italian sausage is in casing. Can I just slice it thin and cook that way?
Hi Norma, one of our readers took the casing off her sausage and cooked it that way – she said it worked great! I hope you love this recipe!
I used a gluten-free sausage in casing and just cut it up into halves and quarters. This was a huge hit in our home!
Thank you so much for sharing that with us!
I made the Zuppa Toscana and it was better than Olive Garden! My whole family loved it. I didn’t have any bacon and it wasn’t missed. It was delicious!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new family favorite, Sandy!
Made this delicious soup and shared it with two other couples. We loved it and when the one couple returned container said “better than olive gardens and couple we please have the recipe. The second couple sent me an email to say “soup was delicious, and said it was 10 out of 10. Will definitely make it again.
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Linda!
ive been making zuppa for a while, I enjoy your video’s so much! wish i could leave a photo of how great it turned out. Keep being you!
Hello Jessica, great to hear that you’re enjoying my videos. You will not be able to share a photo here but feel free to share them on our Facebook group or page so others can see them too.
Absolutely amazing recipe. I was craving it from OG and decided to make it at home. I went to OG recently and it is official, this copy cat is BETTER than the original! Thank you so much!
Love it! You can now make this recipe anytime you crave it, I’m glad you loved it!
I was wondering why you use 6 cups of water. Why not add 6 cups of chicken broth instead? Wouldn’t that have more flavor?
Hi Veronica, you can do all broth. You may need to adjust to the salt, but that should work well if that’s your preference.
Delicious! I used 1% milk, spinach, and red/gold/russet because they are what I had on hand, so it looked different but tasted so good.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Lauren!
Can this soup be made ahead and reheated or made in a crockpot? I’d like to make it for company .
Hello Carol, 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 been making this for years and I often refer to your recipe to keep me straight. I use thick sliced, center cut bacon and simmer it with the potatoes after browning. I also sautee 8 ounces of sliced portabella mushrooms with my onions and add a half teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Good job!
I’m so glad you always come back to this one! That’s so great, Dave!
WOW!!!! Tuscan soup was supber. Left out the bacon. Spot on, delicious. Can’t say enough
Isn’t it the best! I’m so happy you enjoyed that, Barbara!
I was never aware that OG used bacon in their Zuppa Toscana. Eat it often at OG and make it at home.
This was so good and so easy to make! I used a combo of regular pork sausage and added some chorizo for some zip. I used 4 cloves of garlic, which seemed to be just the right amount. Lastly, I used a 5.5 oz package of power greens (kale, chard, spinach) and it tasted pretty good.
I’m glad you loved the result, Jamie! Thanks for the review.
Oh, my gosh! I made this tonight for supper and it was awesome!! It was every bit as good as Olive Garden’s version. My husband said it may be even better. I thought it had more kale and sausage than theirs, and thus was more hearty. This is definitely a winner! Thank you very much, Natasha, for this recipe.
I’m so glad this was a winner, Janine! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
I was hesitant to make this today because the first time I made this I had Covid and I couldn’t taste and I blamed the soup and my cooking skills lol, but I’m glad I decided to make this again because wow so much flavor it’s absolutely delicious thank you for a fantastic recipe!
I’m so glad you gave it another try! I’m so happy you enjoyed it and are hopefully feeling better!