Zuppa Toscana is an Olive Garden copycat recipe made with Italian sausage, bacon, garlic, crushed red pepper flakes and loads of potatoes and kale topped with Parmesan cheese.
Zuppa Toscana is probably THE MOST REQUESTED dish I make. My family always wants this soup when they visit! It is comforting, fills the tummy and has so much great flavor. This soup will remind you of the Olive Garden version but with so much more good stuff inside like sausage, kale and potatoes and a boost in flavor.
You may also enjoy this recipe for Turkey Chili that is also simple to make and comforting!
Look at all the amazing chunks of potatoes, kale, sausage and bacon!
Zuppa Toscana
Zuppa Toscana has a nice soup base with some chicken flavors, garlic and bacon coming through. The Italian sausage does a great job of flavoring this entire pot of soup with all the added spices. Potatoes provide that fullness in the belly and kale is both healthy and adds a slight crunch and earthiness. All ingredients together make this Zuppa Toscana a really fantastic dinner!
Tips & Tricks
Bacon
I have made this soup a few different ways but using real slices of bacon is what sets it apart from others. Cook the bacon in your soup pot to begin until it is really crispy and then remove to chop and add in later. You will want to drain a lot of the bacon grease from the pan but make sure to leave some in the pot. The bacon grease will help add even more flavor to the sausage and overall soup!
Potatoes
You can use any type of potatoes. Russet, yellow or red are all types of potatoes that would work in this soup. I like to slice the potatoes leaving skin on. You can absolutely peel the skin and dice the potatoes if you prefer.
Zuppa Toscana
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
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Zuppa Toscana is an Olive Garden copycat recipe made with Italian sausage, bacon, garlic, crushed red pepper flakes and loads of potatoes and kale topped with Parmesan cheese.
Ingredients
- 1 pound Italian sausage, (mild)
- 3 garlic cloves, (minced)
- 6 slices bacon
- 5 bouillon cubes
- 8 cups water
- 2 pounds russet potatoes, (sliced)
- 3 cups kale, (chopped)
- 1 cup heaving whipping cream
- red pepper flakes to preference
- Parmesan cheese, (shredded)
- ground pepper
- olive oil
Instructions
- Wash kale and potatoes well.
- Slice potatoes leaving skin on. If you prefer you can remove skin and chop inside of slice.
- Remove the stems from the kale and chop the leaves. Discard stems.
- Put the pot on a burner at medium heat.
- Cook bacon until extra crispy and then remove and place to the side. Chop bacon. Drain most of the bacon grease leaving just a little at the bottom of the pan.
- Cook Italian sausage in pot until browned while breaking it apart. Add red pepper flakes according to personal preference. If you don't like heat in your food, add a limited amount. Add in about 1/2 of the chopped bacon.
- Mince the garlic and then push the sausage to one side of the pan. Place a drizzle of olive oil in the empty space and add garlic. Cook for about 30 seconds and then mix in with meat.
- Add 5 bouillon cubes into pot immediately followed by 8 cups of water.
- Add sliced potatoes into pot and bring to a boil. once boiling, lower temperature to a simmer and let cook for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. (Make sure water is covering your potatoes and if not, add more water).
- Add one cup of heaving whipping cream, chopped kale and the remainder of the chopped bacon into pot and let simmer another 5 minutes.
- Stir well and serve.
- Add some shredded Parmesan cheese, fresh ground pepper and crushed red pepper flakes over top.
- Category: dinner
This looks really lovely but is it possible to make it vegetarian ?
You could swap out the sausage and bacon for something else and spice it more. I dont cook a lot of vegetarian meals so i dont know what would have a sausage like consistency. Add more kale perhaps and if going totally vegan, get rid of the heavy cream and go with maybe an almond milk. Test some things out! I bet you can!
This looks so yummy! I love a good soup on a cold day!
Same here! This is a great one.
Oh. My. Goodness! This looks absolutely delicious! I love Olive Garden, but haven’t been in ages, certainly need to make this, like now! 🙂
Wow looks so yummy! I love olive gardens chicken gnocchi and feel like they do the same on that by skimping out on actual substance! Haha. This recipe looks super delicious though, I’ve always seen it on the menu but never have been brave enough to order. 🙂
Olive Garden is one of my favorite restaurants, and this soup looks delicious!
Oh, this is perfect for guests too! Thanks!
Oh definetly. Its a big request from Ambers side of the family for sure and it makes a huge pot so you can feed a lot of people without breaking the bank!
Olive Garden is one of my favorite places to eat. I love their Zuppa Toscana and can’t wait to try this recipe to make it at home! Yum!