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This Creamy Zuppa Toscana Soup combines Italian sausage, tender potatoes, kale, and bacon in a creamy broth. It is a cozy homemade soup ready in just 30 minutes.
Zuppa Toscana Soup is made even better at home.
Zuppa Toscana Soup is Olive Garden's most popular soup, and my copycat recipe tastes even better! “Zuppa” means soup, and Toscana means Tuscan–this is a Tuscan Soup that's hearty and delicious, made with sausage, potatoes, bacon, and kale in a creamy broth. And it tastes great eaten days later, so it makes a great meal prep soup. It's inexpensive, easy to make and just so comforting on a chilly day. It's also naturally gluten-free and grain free!
Pro Tip: Use mild, medium or hot Italian sausage, depending on your spice preference. You can also make zuppa toscana soup in the slow cooker or the instant pot (see my notes in the recipe card).
Warm up with more soup recipes, like Chicken Noodle Soup, Homemade Chili, Chicken and Dumplings, Hungarian Goulash, or my famous Lasagna Soup!
How to make Zuppa Toscana:
Brown Sausage: In a large soup pot over medium-high heat, cook the ground Italian sausage, breaking it into small pieces, until browned. I love to use my meat chopper for this. Remove some of the grease and move the sausage to one side of the pot. Add the chopped onion, garlic, and potatoes and sauté for a few minutes.
Simmer Potatoes: Pour in the chicken broth and water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for about 8-10 minutes, until the potatoes are fork-tender.
Finish and Serve: Stir in the cooked, crumbled bacon, chopped kale, and heavy cream. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, plus crushed red pepper flakes if desired. Cook for 2-3 more minutes, until warmed through, and serve with homemade Olive Garden Breadsticks.
Creamy Zuppa Toscana
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound hot ground Italian sausage
- 1 large onion, , chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, , minced
- 2 large Russet potatoes, , or gold potatoes, peeled, quartered, and then chopped in ¼ inch slices
- 5 slices bacon, , cooked and crumbled
- 4 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cups water
- 3 cups chopped kale, (ribs/stems removed)
- 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- crushed red pepper flakes, to taste, if desired
Instructions
- Brown sausage: In a large soup pot over medium-high heat, Add the ground sausage and cook, breaking it into small pieces as it cooks, until browned. Remove some of the grease and move sausage to one side of the pan.1 pound hot ground Italian sausage
- Add chopped onions, garlic, and potatoes and sauté for a few minutes. Pour in chicken broth and water and allow mixture to come to a boil.1 large onion, 3 cloves garlic, 2 large Russet potatoes, 4 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth, 1 cups water
- Simmer: Reduce heat to medium low and cook until potatoes are fork tender, about 8-10 minutes.
- Stir in the bacon, chopped kale, and cream. Season with salt and pepper and crushed red pepper flakes, if using. Cook for 2-3 more minutes or until warmed through.5 slices bacon, 3 cups chopped kale, 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream, salt and freshly ground black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes
- Serve with homemade Olive Garden Breadsticks.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I originally shared this recipe October 2017. Updated September 2020, September 2023 and October 2026.
Good soup esp if you’re looking for fiber.
This was delicious!! I cooked the bacon in the soup pan, took it out to drain, browned the mild sausage in the bacon grease. Drained the grease before adding the vegetables. I used 5 cups of broth instead of water and spinach. Definitely a keeper. Served it with parmesan cheese and garlic bread. Husband loved it!
Thank you for sharing!!!
Best
This is delicious and is definitely
one of my go-to soups.
I replaced the kale with spinach and it worked fine.
This is delicious and better than Olive Garden! Was not difficult too make either! Only change I made was cutting the onion portion in half!