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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.
Love this! Always a crowd pleaser!
This was so good. My husband, who sneers at milk type broth, went back for more. Made no changes to the recipe. Served with crusty homemade bread. Will absolutely make this again and again.
I make it several times a year. Always a big success. Even with “I’m eating-out-every-day because life is too short for boring home food” crowd.
SO DELICIOUS and easy to put together! We didn’t have red pepper to add at the end, but the heat from the hot Italian sausage was perfect for my whole family to enjoy. I also did not have low-sodium chicken broth and we did not notice it to be too salty. This is a perfect dish to serve with an evening with friends and family for the taste and it looks so pretty. I’m bummed I forgot to make your homemade breadsticks. I will do that next time! Thank you so much.
So easy and delicious!
I substituted sage breakfast sausage for the hot Italian sausage and collard greens for the kale. (I forgot to buy the former, and I can’t tolerate kale.) That was the first time I used collard greens, and it won’t be the last. They were a tasty addition to this soup.
I completely forgot to add garlic into the soup, but it turned out delicious anyway! We added some additional spices into our own dishes after serving, and everyone got to customize it their own way.
This is very delicious! I was a little worried about the Kale, but it softens and is delicious.
Thanks for the recipe!
Can I use half and half ?
Sure, the sauce just won’t thicken up as much (you could add a cornstarch slurry if needed).
MAKE SURE TO BUY LOW SODIUM CHICKEN BROTH (as instructed😉)!!!…otherwise pretty salty.
Delicious! This may be my favorite recipe of yours so far. It has so much flavor. My husband and I couldn’t stop eating it!
Second time making it. Great soup for a cool rainy or fall day! Thanks for a great soup recipe. I will definitely be making this again.