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
If we don’t care for Kale, what would be a good substitute?
Some of my readers have reported using Spinach.
looks wonderful!! how do i make this with crockpot (slow cooker)?
Hi Ursula, 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. I hope it helps!
I’m so excited to make this for my daughter’s baby shower! What’s the best way to make this ahead of time and freeze it?
Hi Laura, 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.
Hi Natasha, if you can freeze the Zuppa Toscana, I don’t see why you can’t freeze the Chicken and Wild Rice soup. What are your thoughts?
Hi Brooke! Many of my readers have commented on freezing the Zuppa Toscana successfully but generally, I don’t recommend freezing because the cream can break up and separate as the soup freezes, making the reheating not so pretty.
I made this today for my girlfriend and it was/is awesome. Currently on bowl #3 and my second tumbler of boxed wine. I love all of your soup recipes and make them in bulk.
So glad it was a hit! Thank you for sharing.
I’ve made this a handful of times. My husband loves when it’s on the menu. Has anyone left the sausage in while it simmers? I have tried it both ways and haven’t found much of a difference. It’s super delicious though! Thank you!
Hi Megan, we tried it both ways; I still found I preferred adding it in later. Both ways will work, though!
I’ve never had the Olive Garden soup but this soup is so good!
I use cauliflower instead of potatoes it comes out so good, thank you for the recipe definitely my favorite soup to make ❤️
You’re welcome! So glad you loved it!
This is the closest knockoff recipe I have ever tried.
I add about a teaspoon of sea salt and a teaspoon of black pepper for my taste.
This is going to be a family favorite.
I’m so glad you found a new favorite on my blog, Carson! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
I interchanged the broth and water measurements and I still would have preferred more broth. I had to use a lot of seasoning to overcome the blandness. And I like my kale a little more tender so I added it earlier. But the core of the recipe is good.
Loved this soup recipe!
So good! Thank you Natasha.
Just wondering where you found the wooden ladle you used in the video?
Hi Susan, you can find our favorite kitchen tools in our Amazon Affiliate Shop HERE.
I love this recipe! I skip the bacon altogether and use turkey sausage to cut a few calories and it’s STILL the best!
So glad you love this!
This was DELICIOUS!! ABSOLUTELY loved it! I’ve never had the soup at olive garden before but have seen it around online and it always looks so good. I used cheap tube sausage because that’s what I had on hand, and added Italian seasonings and crushed red pepper to it, used all broth (unsalted home made), no water and added about 3 extra cups broth (13 c total). Will be making this again! Loved the kale in the soup. The perfect dinner on a cold night. The garlicky, creamy broth is to die for, I’d definitely recommend adding more broth so you have plenty to drink at the end 😋
Hello Sasha, thank you for your good comments and feedback. So glad you enjoyed this!
OMG SOOO sooo sooo good GOOD !!!😍
Will grow more and more kale next year, and more garlic juste to make to wonderful soup. Thanks you so much
That’s a wonderful plan!
This is an excellent recipe. I enjoy recipes from your website, Natasha.
We’re so glad you enjoyed this!
This was delicious! Second time I’ve given a 5 star review in the last 2 weeks. The only thing I did different was add 1/2 pound more sausage because my husband is a meat lover. We absolutely loved this and will put it in our rotation this winter. Thank you for your recipes.
Thank you so much for your 5 stars, Joan. We appreciate your review always!
Perfectly done…thank you so much for sharing. I’ve been looking for the recipe..and your’s is the absolute best.❤️
You’re welcome, Rita! Thank you.
Followed your recipe except I didn’t have any kale on hand. I substituted with fresh spinach instead and turned out very good!
Thank you for sharing, Melinda!
It looks delicious!
What bacon do we need to use in this soup ? Smoked? Thanks
Hi Oksana! You can use any bacon, I prefer the smoked types for depth of flavor.
I made this recipe exactly to the T and I love it! Will make again, probably low carb next time! Delicious!
Good to hear that you liked the result of this recipe!
This is absolutely delicious! I made the recipe as sown but added 2 big diced carrots (we love them), and added a big tablespoon of the Better than Bullion Italian herb seasoning to the water. So, so good….better than Olive Garden!
Wow, thank you! We appreciate your good comments and feedback, Carla.
Hi, the soup is delicious! Love your recipes.Can I can this soup prior to adding the heavy cream? I would love to make a large batch to put up in the pantry.
Hi Jeanette! I have not tested canning this soup to advise how or if it would be possible. You could freeze it. A couple of my readers reported good results with freezing this soup.