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
Made this tonight. It was the first time I’ve ever made a soup and it was AMAZING!!
So delicious and so easy! I used mild sausage but ended up adding red pepper flakes because I was too conservative! Next time, as written!
Did you change the recipe? I could have sworn there were red pepper flakes and it was cooked differently. Something about the flavor in this one is not quite right.
Hi Yelena! The only change we made was to use more broth and less water. You can watch the old recipe in the video. We haven’t been able to re-film it.
Made it last night and my family loved it. They were skeptical at first because they never heard of it. Tasted just like the restaurant. I even made the salad and breadsticks to go with it. I definitely will be saving this recipe and making again.
I didn’t see storage instructions. How many days in fridge and can it freeze ok?
It can be refrigerated for 3-4 days. You can freeze it for up to 3months but soups with creamy tend to get grainy when reheat from frozen. When you reheat it, reheat it on low heat.
I dont like Kale. What can be used instead of Kale?
Spinach or escarole are great alternatives.
This is amazing, followed recipe exactly. Will never need to go to the restaurant again for this. Thank you so much Natasha, amazing.
I’ve made this for my family many times. It tastes better than Olive Gardens. I use Knorr Chicken Bouillon for everything, so that is what I used for this perfect recipe. Thank you.
So happy you’re enjoying this recipe, Keith!
Can I use milk instead of whipping cream?
Hi Shannon! Yes, milk can work too. It won’t be as rich or creamy but works well for a lighter version.
Do you drain any of the grease from the pot after cooking the sausage?
Hello there! I would drain the grease if there’s too much.
Thanks for getting right back to me. I’ve made Zuppa Toscana for years but I lost my recipe. After reading many 4.8, 4.9,and 5.0, yours sounded best. It’s easy, and came out delicious!! I will be serving it tomorrow for a Church Linger Longer, so made 16 servings.
Can’t wait to make the delicious winter warming soup. Can we use spinach instead of Kale. Than you so much for the recipe
Hi Julie, I LOVE having this soup in the winter. Yes, spinach works well! I hope you love it!
I use spinach every time, it turns out wonderful!
Thank you so much for sharing that with us.
My family LOVES this soup. Sometimes I substitute the potatoes ravioli…it is awesome too!
Thank you.
I love this recipe. I add an extra lb. If Italian mild sausage with a lb. of spicy Italian sausage. This is not just a soup, it’s a meal!❤️
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Jacqueline! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Hi Natasha,
Happy New Year!!!
A little discrepancy : on your video , you say 4 cups of chicken broth and 6 cups of water … your Recipes ask for 6 and 4 …Also u show us chicken stock , anyway, I use 6 cups stock and 4 water … Best soup i ever make (according to my wife & kid )
Please let me/us know.
Thank you , all the best!!!
Hi Julian! I’m so happy to hear it was a hit with the family. The written recipe is the most up to date version. Sometimes we updated a recipe but can’t update the video since it’s already been filmed.
Also, in the recipe card I mention broth/stock, they can be used interchangeably. I hope that helps clarify.
As usual, Natasha’s videos and recipes are perfection. I made a double batch of this for our New Year’s Eve party. HUGE hit. I had to make a few modifications: I used coconut milk because a few partiers are lactose intolerant and Yukon Gold potatoes because I knew I had to use the Insta-Pot to cook the whole pot. I cooked the bacon, sausage, onions and garlic as demonstrated, but since I don’t have a big enough Dutch oven, so I put everything but the coconut milk and kale in the Insta-Pot for 10 minutes, with a “quick” release (lol). Then I stirred in the coconut milk and kale, which stayed vibrant green and beautiful. The IP also made a more watery soup than I was expecting, so I mixed in a potato starch slurry. It was a show stopper!
I’m so glad this was a huge hit, Lisa! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
I’ve made this recipe several times since going to Olive Garden. Everyone has loved it. I think it is an amazing recipe. Very easy to make and it is absolutely delicious, even if I made it
We really love this one too, Jon! Thank you for sharing.
The first time I made this I knew I wouldn’t have to go back to Olive Garden. I loved the soup at the restaurant, but I always felt like the potatoes were not scrubbed enough. With this version at home, I was able to scrub my potatoes properly! Plus the nice thing about making it at home is now I can add flavor. When I want to make this soup this is the only recipe I come too.
Excited to try this recipe. Do you think it would still be great if I left out the heavy cream/coconut milk?
Hi Sue! I’ve never had this soup without the cream. It should work, but you may have to adjust the seasoning for more flavor.
I love this recipe! My husband is not fond of cream soups, so I take his portion out before adding the cream. He loves it! No additional seasonings needed!
This recipe is great. I used half sweet Italian and 1/2 hot sausage. I was skeptical about using a whole head of garlic but I am now a believer. This is the first time I’ve used kale. Pleasantly surprised that this recipe is so delicious without any added salt or pepper.
This has become a soup staple for us. SO flavorful and delicious. I crave it often.
I’m so happy you found a favorite on my blog!