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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- Chicken Mango Avocado Salad
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OMG just made this! Followed recipe exactly! You’ll think your at Olive Garden! This is awsome! 5 stars. Now to resist eating the whole pot in one sitting!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
This was great! We substituted ground chicken and used italian seasoning instead of the Italian sausage. Just not a fan of sausage. It tasted great with the ground chicken!
Sounds great! Thank you for sharing that with us, Jessica. I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Wonderful on chilly Fall days!
Definitely so perfect!
I have not made this but I’m Italian and I have seen numerous recipes that call for adding water to a soup. I would NEVER add water to soup. Water? No flavor!
Feel free to omit the water from the recipe, we liked it with more soup so we added water.
Susan,
Beyond Beef (plant Based) makes a spicy chicken Italian Sausage. It’s good. I think you could use that.
I can’t imagine with 6 cups of water, it would have as rich a flavor as Olive Garden’s~ Would it not taste better to all chicken broth (for the liquid) instead of any water? To allow the Italian Sausage to be more tender, cook it about an hour before adding the potatoes, etc. Also if you’re plant based, use Beyond Beef plant based Spicy Chicken Italian Sausage. If you eat meat, try Publix green wise Chicken HOT Italian Sausage.. It’s delicious! And a good substitution is to use Turkey Bacon without nitrates instead of Pork Bacon. Just some substitutes~
Thank you for your suggestions, Gayle. If you do an experiment, please share with us how it goes!
is this soup good for freezing?
HI Dee, I honestly haven’t tried freezing it. I’m not sure how the kale would hold up.
Kale freezes fine. I’ve used it in other recipes with no problem.
Yes, I have frozen this many times! The texture changes a bit but it’s still delicious.
Thank you so much for sharing that! It’s wonderful to know it freezes well.
This is the second time I made this for my family. My son put in a special request for me to make it again. Love this recipe! I was unsure if my teens would eat kale and substituted it with spinach. Delicious! Thanks for the great soup.
That is so great, Patricia. I’m glad you and your kids enjoyed this soup!
Amazing each and every time. One of our family’s favorites.
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
To the t!!!! Best recipe ever
Love it! Thank you, Tammy.
This is an absolutely phenomenal tasting soup! I’ve made it several times over the past couple years and follow the recipe to the T. I love cooking this for my wife especially on a cold winter day, because she too thinks it’s an incredible soup!
I’m so glad that you both enjoyed this soup, Terry. I agree – this is really so delicious and one of our favorites at home too!
Love this recipe! Thank you so much for what you do!
Hello Alexandra, thank you so much. I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe!
I made this tonight for the first time. I am not a good cook, nor do I enjoy cooking. However, I love this soup at Olive Garden so I tried to make it. It was perfect!! My husband raved about how good it was.
Hello April, you can now make your favorite recipe from Olive Garden anytime at home! I’m glad you loved it.
All I had was sweet Italian sausage But husband doesn’t like spicy. So wld u suggest I add some paprika to it.
You can try that, Jennifer. I think that will work well too. Please share with us how it goes if you do try it.
I don’t like sausage can u use any other meat or just omit it?
Hi Jennifer, I haven’t tested a substitution, but trying plain ground meat like ground turkey or chicken will make the overall soup taste more like a meatball soup than Zuppa since you would be lacking the spiciness. I would suggest adding some spice since the sausage is a spicy sausage.
I tried a different recipe, but I use this Only now and have been making it for the last few years. It’s my go-to soup (other than borscht) About a year ago, my husband and I started dating & this was the first meal I made for him. So not to give you credit Natasha, but it might have sealed the deal it’s our favorite!
Awww that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me! I’m all smiles
I love your step by step videos! I’ve made zuppa before but will now ONLY use YOUR recipe! It was the BEST. I think in the past I have skipped the bacon but it sure adds flavor! I love the one pot recipes like this. Thank you for the recipe and the video!
Awww that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me! I’m all smiles!
Are the serving sizes for adults? I need to feed 6 adults this and 3 of them are heavy eater men. I’m making bread as a side but what are your thoughts? Would the original recipe for 8 feed everyone dinner?
I’m thinking of just adding a 2-3 more potatoes, whole thing of bacon, and 1-2 more cups of water?
You could but it would just be more hearty if you didn’t add more liquid so it’s up to you, but if you do, make sure to adjust seasoning accordingly since just adding water can make it bland. Broth would be a better choice.
Hello Miki, Yes, the serving size is for adults. If they are heavy eaters you can add more, just click on the number of sercings to adjust the ingredients.
sooooo good! first time trying this soup, sorry I waited so long! I used hot turkey sausage and used reg and turkey bacon, turkey for me..will be making this again and again and……
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This is honestly better than Olive Garden’s Zuppa! My husband and I devoured this in a few days and have shared your reciped with family. This will be a go-to especially throught the winter. This is the first comment I’ve ever written on a recipe!
Wow! That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing that with me!
Can it cook in the crockpot for a few hours?
Hi Jenny, I have not tested that but here is what 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.
Awesome thank you! That’s exactly what I was thinking. Making this today.
I hope you love it Jenny!
This was soooooo good! Thank you Natasha for the recipe!
You are most welcome, Jen!