This hugely popular and easy Zuppa Toscana soup recipe is made with sausage, potatoes, kale, bacon and cream. It's always a crowd pleaser!
Do you love soup recipes as much as I do? Try my Chicken Tortilla Soup, Creamy Tortellini Soup, Chicken and Dumplings, or Beef Noodle Soup!
We can thank the American restaurant Olive Garden for the namesake of this Zuppa Toscana recipe, which translates to “Tuscan Soup”. As usual, the homemade version is fantastic, healthier than what you'd find at a restaurant, and seriously EASY to make!
How to Make Zuppa Toscana:
Brown Sausage: Cook and stir it until it's nice and brown and crumbled into pieces.
Add Vegetables: Toss in chopped onion, minced garlic, and chopped potato to the pot then add chicken broth and water. Cook until the potatoes are fork tender.
Finish It: Add some cream, cooked bacon, and chopped kale. Season it to your liking with some salt and pepper, then crushed red pepper flakes (if you like a little bit of heat). Serve the Zuppa soup with homemade artisan bread.
Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions:
To Make Ahead: Homemade Zuppa Toscana soup can be made 1-3 days ahead of time, stored in the fridge.
To Freeze: Make the soup according to instructions but don't add the cream and don't cook the potatoes until tender. Allow soup to cool, then store in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and rewarm on the stove, cooking potatoes until tender, and then stir in cream.
More Popular soup recipes:
- Spicy Chicken Soup
- Chicken Noodle Soup
- Taco Soup
- Roasted Tomato Basil Soup
- French Onion Soup
- Chile Verde Soup
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Recipe
Creamy Zuppa Toscana
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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Serve with homemade Olive Garden Breadsticks.
Notes
Nutrition
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Recipe adapted from Food.com.
I originally shared this recipe October 2017. Updated September 2020 and September 2023.
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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.