Zuppa Toscana – Olive Garden Copycat (VIDEO)
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 potatoes.
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!
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Zuppa Toscana Copycat Recipe:
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 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! It is classically made with kale, potatoes, onion, and garlic then served topped with cheese.
Is Zuppa Toscana Spicy?
We 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 then season with salt and pepper to taste.
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 incredible and authentic Italian flavor. Since the garlic is sautéed, 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).
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 – Cheesecake Factory inspired
- Stuffed Chicken Parmesan – ridiculously easy dinner idea
- Filet Mignon – read the reviews and plan a date night in
- Chicken Mango Avocado Salad – you’ll love the dressing here
- Chicken Stir Fry – so saucy and healthier than takeout
Watch How to Make Zuppa Toscana:
Now wasn’t that easy? Serve topped with crispy bacon, extra cheese and generous slices of crusty French Bread. I hope this Zuppa Toscana becomes a favorite in your home as well.
Zuppa Toscana - Olive Garden Copycat
Homemade Zuppa Toscana is loaded with Italian sausage, bacon, kale and potatoes. Learn how to make Zuppa Toscana soup as made popular by Olive Garden!
Ingredients
- 6 oz bacon, chopped
- 1 lb Italian Sausage, The "Hot" variety
- 1 medium head garlic, 10 large cloves, peeled and minced or pressed
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 6 cups chicken broth/stock, (48 oz)
- 4 cups water, (32 oz)
- 5 medium russet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1/4" thick pieces
- 1 kale bundle, leaves stripped and chopped (6 cups)
- 1 cup whipping cream
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Parmesan cheese to serve, optional
Instructions
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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.
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Add Italian sausage, breaking it up with your spatula and sauté until cooked through (5 min). Remove to paper towel lined plate.
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Finely dice onion and add to the pot. Saute 5 min or until soft and golden then add minced garlic and saute 1 min.
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Add 6 cups broth and 4 cups water, and bring to boil. Add sliced potatoes and cook 13-14 min or until easily pierced with a fork.
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When potatoes nearly done, add chopped kale and cooked sausage and bring everything to a light boil.
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Stir in 1 cup cream and bring to boil. Season to taste with salt and black pepper then remove from heat. Garnish with bacon and grated parmesan.
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
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.
Can you make this in a crockpot? Also do you have to use the bacon? Does it make it better?
HI Steve, the bacon definitely adds flavor, but you can skip it and I have skipped it before when I didn’t have it on hand.
Can this be made in a crockpot to let it simmer and cook through the day?
Hi Steve, I think you could make that work but my concern is that the kale would be overcooked.
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. 🙂
Oh that’s awesome to know! Thank you so much for sharing that it works great in a crockpot / slow cooker
Was looking at carbs for soups, but I could not see where the serving size was located?
Txs
Hi Iris, the number of servings is listed at the top of the print-friendly recipe card and the nutrition label is per serving. This recipe serves 8.
AMAZING!!! It is simply better in my opinion than the Olive Garden Zuppa!!!
Thanks for your awesome feedback!
Can you make this in a crockpot?
Hi Steve, I haven’t tried that but I think it would be do-able to sautee first and then add to a slow cooker, although this cooks pretty quickly, I’m not sure a slow cooker is really necessary.
Hi Natasha
I was thinking it might be easier, I’m in a wheelchair and being able to just throw everything in and let it cook and then be able to eat it later would be nice. But I will try this way. Can I let it simmer until ready to eat?
Hi Steve, yes that should be fine but it’s probably best to add the kale in the last 30 minutes of simmering.
Such a great recipe! I made it many times and it’s always a hit!
That’s so great! Thank you for your lovely review, Oxana!
I’ve made this recipe several times and it is pure gold. So delicious, the whole family will eat it (it helps that my kids like bacon, sausage, cream etc.) It’s an awesome soup to have as a meal. So hearty and hits all the food groups. I’ve never even been to Olive Garden but I can’t imagine their version tasting nearly this good.
That is the best when kids love what we moms make. That’s so great!
Hello Natashe, can the kale be replace by something else, spinach maybe?
Hi Helene! It’s originally made with kale, and that’s how we like it best, but test, it will work great with spinach! I hope you love this recipe!
Just to clarify… bacon is for garnish only, not to be added into soup later with the Italian sausage?
Also, can I substitute half and half?
Hi Meldy, that’s right we add it as a garnish. If added to the soup earlier it will get soggy. Half and Half may work, you can also use half whipping cream and half whole milk.
Should relay have clear instructions in terms of the bacon being a garnish. In terms of separating it for later.
Thanks for pointing that out. I change the wording slightly to further clarify.
Yum! Zuppa Toscana soup was delicious. I followed step by step and it turned out pretty good. Thank you so much Natasha for sharing the recipe! 🙂
You’re welcome, Lana! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Delicious! I’ve actually never had this soup at OG but it came up when searching for soups to make, so I cant vouch for the authenticity. We prefer a veggie heavy soup so I always add carrot, celery, and squash.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Alex!
Hi Natasha.. I normally dont leave a review.. but this recipe i had too…It was Absolutely the best zuppa tuscana Recipe, even better than Olive Garden…Thank You so much…this is a keeper!!!!!!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Lila!
Hi! I made this soup yesterday because I LOVE the Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana and you nailed it!
I’m going to look through your recipe folder to see what other marvelous selections you can gift me with!
There’s just my husband and myself at home, but it’s such a large pot of soup I am going to share it with my BIL and SIL that live next door to us.
They’ll be home from their short holiday tomorrow and with all the unpacking and organizing, I know they’ll appreciate dinner being provided.
Now, all I need to do is make a nice Caesar salad and a batch of breadsticks and we can pretend we’re at Olive Garden! 🙂
That’s perfect! I am so glad that you enjoyed this recipe. I hope you and your family will love every recipe that you will try.
Hi Natasha, I absolutely loved the soup I think it was an amazing recipe and it wasn’t that hard for my first time making it! Thank you!!!
Hello Victoria, so nice to see your review. I’m glad you enjoyed making this recipe, thank you for sharing your experience with us!
Can you substitute half and half ? Don’t have whipping cream
Hi Pamela, you can use half whipping cream and half whole milk.
Hi Natasha
I made this soup for dinner and I was amazed of how good it was. Also it was easy to follow your video with the instructions, you always make it very easy. I wasn’t a good cook before but now with your recipes I’m always making something different and my family thinks I’m a professional chef lol.
Hi Ena, that’s great feedback. Thank you for your wonderful review, I’m glad you enjoyed the recipes that you’ve tried!
Could we freeze most of the soup, since we are only two
Thank you
Hi Mireille, I hope you love this recipe! 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 never make soup for some reason…but I made this last night, and it was amazing!! My wife & I loved it & couldn’t get enough of it! Now I know what to get when we go to Olive Garden lol.
What are your tips for storing leftovers? Do you freeze it in batches? Or just try to eat it with the next few days?
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite! 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.
Made this today using fresh spinach instead of Kale, added one TBS of Italian spice and this turned out fabulously wonderful and so so yummy! Thank you so much!
Hello Judy, thank you for your wonderful review! I’m glad you loved it and thanks for sharing that with us.
I am not a cook and do not like cooking. For me, Recipes have to be very easy to follow, not have a lot of steps or take a lot of time or use crazy expensive ingredients. This checks all the boxes for me and tastes great! A pot lasts several meals for my husband and I, so I don’t have to cook again for awhile😀
Hello Becky, thank you for your great comments and feedback. I’m happy to know that you’ve been loving my recipes!
Natasha, I made this Zuppa Toscana soup tonight for my wife and I. I must say I clearly understand why this is Olive Garden’s #1 selling soup. It is absolutely wonderful. I added 2 tablespoons of chicken base and 1/2 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese to the soup also. Best soup we’ve had in years!! Thanks for the recipe!! 😘
It’s our favorite copy-cat recipe, Rikochee! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Just made it for about the 5th time. Wife loves that it’s always good and consistent. It’s nice to have some things I can make to help out with the cooking. Thanks for sharing.
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
I made this soup today and wow what a hit ! It’s simple to make and ready in a flash. I’ll keep this recipe handy for sure ! Thanks Natasha.
You’re very welcome, Elaine. I\Thanks for sharing your great feedback with us, I appreciate it!
Hi Natasha.. Can i use escarole in this soup instead of Kale. No one in my family likes Kate..?
Hi Gloria, I haven’t experimented with that to advise. If you try it out, I’d like to know how you like that.
Love this recipe Natasha… but most of your recipes are great. I find I am printing on most days to make for dinner… thank you! Shirley
I’m so glad you’re enjoying my recipes, Shirley! Thank you for that wonderful feedback.
Literally spot on! My personal preference is without the bacon topper, but very delicious either way. Thank you!
Awesome, thank you for sharing your personal preference with us!
This is absolutely my favorite copycat recipe and is,, in my opinion, the best version of it (besides mine of course) 🙂 I mean….I think we all tend to jazz up recipes with our own loved ingredients. More of this, less of that… But here’s the thang: as long as you sorta stick to the “skeleton” of a given recipe it’s tough to fail, given you have the common sense to not put a dump truck load of a spice into it. I was stationed at the USAF Academy for four years and my gf’s mother was coming to visit. I called my dad for his Justin Wilson inspired Jambalaya. He spelled out the entire thing on the phone and instead of “…a half cup of onions, and salt & pepper to taste,” I wrote: “….a half cup of onions and salt, pepper to taste.” I think it was this error that caused the great Colorado drinking-water famine of 1991. Too much salt. I had to put everything in a strainer and rinse it all off, essentially start over. Anyway….yes, good stuff!
Hi Jim, thank you for writing in and sharing that story. Half a cup of salt! I can’t even imagine! I’d love to now what you do differently with yours Zuppa!
I made this with mild Italian sausage and gold potatoes. It needed a fair amount of salt at the end, and I added a splash of lemon juice as well to brighten the flavors.
Overall this was a big hit, and a great way to get kale into my family. The bacon really makes it!
That is the best when the family loves what we moms make. That’s so great!
I am interested in buying yhe candy thermometer. zester and the grater you used in msking the egg rolls. I appreviate any info.
Hi Doris, you can see the kitchen tools that I use here on my Amazon affiliate shop
So good! My husband made this and tasted better than Oliver garden!
Wow, thanks for the compliment and great review, Erika!
100% agree
A family fave. Cannot eat kale so I use chopped fresh spinach. Paired with slices of crusty toasted garlic bread this is always a winner!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
I will make this again.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Made this and it was DELICIOUS! I couldn’t believe how good it was. Definitely will be making it again!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Rinata!
Наташа. We tried this soup two nights ago, and as usual, it was great. Olive Garden doesn’t have a thing on you. Just wondering, how would orzo instead of potatoes work?
Thank you for that wonderful compliment! I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe. I haven’t tried this recipe with orzo to advise, but I imagine it may work. If you experiment, please let me know how you like that.
Hey Natasha, I LOVE ALL YOUR RECIPES. I LOVE YOUR KITCHEN. THANK YOUR FOR MAKING WATCHING YOUR COOKING FUN AND EASY. YOU’RE THE BEST. I WISH I HAD A KITCHEN LIKE YOU. DREAMING. LISA
Hi Lisa, thank you so much for your good comments and feedback. We appreciate it!
I’m in process of making this soup. Can I just put bacon in the soup or do you only use it as a garnish?? I have it all browned.
You can use it as a garnish and put it in the soup too.
I have tried many of your recipes and all have been delicious. Thank you for sharing them.
You’re very welcome, Debi. I’m happy to read your comments, thank you for your positive review!
If you want to make this amazing – add a TB or two of fish sauce. YES. FISH SAUCE. It gives it a massive umami bomb that makes it to die for. You won’t smell the fish I promise.
Thanks for your suggestion, Lam.
Loved this recipe! My family doesn’t eat red meat, so I used a combination of spicy and mild chicken sausage along with turkey bacon. Thanks for another keeper, Natasha!
That’s a good idea too! Thanks for sharing that with us, Anya.
Absolutely delicious soup enjoyed by all the family.
Thanks, Natasha for your wonderful recipes & videos that make cooking so easy!
It’s my pleasure, I’m glad your family enjoyed this awesome soup!
Hi Natasha, I started doing a lot of the cooking for my family when the pandemic hit. I have enjoyed following your videos and trying many of your recipes. This is the second time I have made your Tuscany soup. I followed it exactly to your recipe and it is delicious! My wife feels that it tastes better than Olive Garden, and that says a lot since we both love their soup. I am becoming a loyal fan of yours. Thank you for sharing! Leo
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
Could this be frozen?
Hi Beth, I saw someone else in the comments section shared this feedback “Yes, I have frozen this many times! The texture changes a bit but it’s still delicious.” I hope that helps.
Could this soup be frozen? I
Hi Beth! 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.
Made with half potato and half cauliflower that we needed to use up as well as coconut milk. Reduced liquid overall, and more chicken broth than milk. Very tasty!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that, Jennifer! Thank you for sharing your great review with me.
When co vid started, I started making one of your recipes every week. From bread to soup to carrot they are a hit in my house. Thank you for sharing your recipes with us. My new years resolution is to make everything on your page for my family. It makes for a fun week.
Aww! That’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Laura!
Yum!!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Great recipe! Delicious! Although I feel like it could use some other spices. Any suggestions?
Thank you! Feel free to experiment and add more seasoning/spices to taste. Others added Italian seasoning and dried basil.
Hi Natasha,
Thank you for sharing your recipes. I have try some of our recipes and they are great! I love Chicken Pot Pie Soup.
On this Zuppa Toscana, can I make it in slower cooker?
You’re very welcome, Ching. I think that could work, one of our readers wrote ” I usually make Zuppa in a slow cooker and it tastes great! I just saute the garlic and onions and sausage on the stove first and then put all the ingredients (except the heavy cream) into the slow cooker for several hours and then add the cream in right at the end!” I hope that helps.
We thought this was too simple to be so delicious, but it’s just that… simple AND delicious!! Need a little extra heat? Add those chili pepper flakes. This will stay on our soup menu from here on out and will be on our list of meals to take to others.
Thank you for sharing this wonderful review with us, Sara!
Oh! my Gosh!!
You knocked it out of the park.
!! I bet my soup is better than yours !! – hahahahaha – Your recipe.
Thank you for that wonderful feedback! It’s one of our favorites!
This soup is amazing!!
It’s easy with a minimal ingredient list yet BIG with flavor! It’s a great one pot meal; I used my instant pot. Once I added the liquids I also added the potatoes and set it on “porridge” mode which is 20 minutes high pressure. We served it with Turkey bacon (don’t judge) and shredded Parmesan and optional red pepper flakes. It had great reviews from ages 4-50! Can’t wait to make it again!
Hello SaraAnne, what a great review! Thank you so much for your good comments and feedback.
Would this soup be pointless without the meat? We’re vegetarian. This sounds awesome, but it is worth making if I added mushrooms or other vegetables to it?
Hi Susan, I haven’t tried a substitution for the meat in this recipe. The meat adds a lot of flavor, but after quick research online, there are a few substitutions people have tried, like mushrooms. If you happen to try that, I would like to know how you experiment.
In my opinion the meat made the dish as far as flavor is concerned. BUT if you use mushrooms ground/chopped up and sautéed just add all the typical sausage spices and olive oil. Cook it long enough to shows the spices to do their flavor thing and add plenty of fat with EVOO. I think this could still be a great dish!
I’m vegetarian, too. There are some wonderful plant-based sausages out there. I have used a couple different brands and both worked wonderfully in soups and in breakfast hash, or in hearty pasta dishes. Check with your grocer.
The flavor is very good but it’s a bit on the watery side for me. I use all chicken broth and about two cups less of the broth than the total amount of broth and water called for in the recipe.
Hi Sandi, did you use the Better than Boullion broth?
Is this the broth you recommend?
I love your recipes!
your videos are actually fun to watch
You’re so nice! Thank you!
OMG! This was super delicious!!! I have made a lot of your recipes and they are always so great! Don’t know how you do it!
Wonderful to see your feedback, Cathleen. Thank you so much for sharing that with us!
Hi Natasha love your recipes.. on the zuppa tuscana recipe if we sub cauliflower foe potatoes do you have the nutritional info? Thank u so much
Hi Regina, I recommend using a nutritional analyzer to calculate the calories. I haven’t tried this with cauliflower.
With 7 in our family, it hard to find a meal that everyone enjoys, including the picky 6 year old. We all give this version two thumbs up! It was so simple to make yet fill of flavor! Perfect on this rare frigid Texas winter evening! We will be doing this recipe many more times!
That is the best when the family loves what we parents make. That’s so great!
Frigid…Texas?
Yes 10 days of freezing temperatures
Yes, rare frigid
How many servings does this recipe make in relation to the nutritional facts you have listed?
Hi RT, This soup will make about 11-12 cups, at 8 servings about 1 1/2 cups per serving or so. I hope that helps!