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!

A bowl of Zuppa Toscana Soup, ready to enjoy.

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.

Ground hot Italian sausage browned and cooked in a large pan.

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.

Cooked ground Italian sausage with chopped potatoes, onion, and garlic.

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.

Two images showing kale and bacon being added to a soup, then after heavy cream is added.

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.

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Recipe

A cropped square image of a bowl of Zuppa Toscana soup, ready to enjoy.
Prep 10 minutes
Cook 20 minutes
Total 30 minutes
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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.

Notes

Kale: You could also use spinach.
Slow Cooker Instructions: Sauté ground sausage, onion, garlic and potatoes in a pan, then add to the slow cooker with water and broth. Cook on LOW for 5 hours or HIGH for 3, or until potatoes are tender. Stir in cream and season to taste.
Instant Pot: Use the Instant Pot to sauté the sausage, onion, garlic and potatoes on sauté setting. Turn pot off and add water and broth. Cook on High pressure for 4 minutes, with a 10 minute natural release. Stir in kale and cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Make Ahead Instructions: The entire soup can be made 1-3 days ahead of time, stored in the fridge.
Freezing Instructions: To freeze Zuppa Toscana, 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.

Nutrition

Calories: 460kcalCarbohydrates: 31gProtein: 21gFat: 29gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 76mgSodium: 615mgPotassium: 1092mgFiber: 3gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 3619IUVitamin C: 42mgCalcium: 189mgIron: 3mg

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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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Lauren Allen

Welcome! I’m Lauren, a mom of four and lover of good food. Here you’ll find easy recipes and weeknight meal ideas made with real ingredients, with step-by-step photos and videos.

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    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!

  2. 5 stars
    Incredibly yummy! I made this very close to the recipe. It makes enough for a family meal! We had a small amount left over, which I put in the refrigerator for the next day. It was best fresh made, especially as the cream separates. I am afraid my house will forever smell like hot sausage and onions though- lol.
    Great recipe! Have recommended to other cooks.

  3. 5 stars
    this is a favorite in my house hold. I was wondering for the freeze option can I freeze the kale with it?

  4. 5 stars
    What a hearty soup! It is packed with flavor and easy to make . This is definitely a new favorite of my son! Less trips to Olive Garden lol

  5. 5 stars
    This was so delicious! My family loved this soup. It was really quick and easy as well. We will be adding this to our fall/winter dinner rotations for sure!

  6. 5 stars
    This was SO good! It came together easily and quickly, which is a wonderful thing during a busy work/school week. My husband, who isn’t a “soup guy,” and our four year old both loved it. Will definitely be going in the rotation!
    Thanks!

  7. 5 stars
    Oh wow I just made this today in preparation for dinner. I had to sample some once it was cooked. It is sooooo tasty and delicious will absolutely be making this a regular in our household. Thanks so much and going to share the recipe to all my friends!

  8. I LOVED this meal. So yummy. I added extra red pepper flakes, and it had some yummy heat and flavor to it. I also forgot to add water, so the broth was nice and thick like a chowder. My husband isn’t a fan of watery soups.

  9. DELICIOUS! Great recipe! You fail to disappoint me with your recipes. Very please and know that I can count on your recipes to be the BEST!

  10. 5 stars
    Made it as directed except for adding raw diced carrots when I added the potatoes. 100% adding this into our rotation

  11. 5 stars
    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.

  12. 5 stars
    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.

  13. 5 stars
    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.

  14. 5 stars
    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.

  15. 5 stars
    This is very delicious! I was a little worried about the Kale, but it softens and is delicious.
    Thanks for the recipe!

  16. 5 stars
    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!

  17. 5 stars
    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.

  18. 5 stars
    I make this all the time! It’s one of the first soups I go to when the weather gets cold. I will also change it up between kale and spinach, just depends on what I’m in the mood for.

  19. 5 stars
    I made this soup last year and it was a huge hit with the family. My grandmother requested me to make it today for her birthday dinner/gift. So delicious!

  20. Turned out really yummy! I like this soup a little more creamy so I’ll probably add more heavy cream and less chicken broth next time.

  21. 4 stars
    We tried this soup last night and weren’t huge fans but it wasn’t bad! I think you definitely have to be a big soup fan for this one. This recipe makes a TON of soup though! Definitely a great option if you’re feeding a lot of people. Since my husband and I didn’t really like it and only had a serving each I brought the rest of the pot in to work in a crockpot and it didn’t last long there! Everyone I work with thought it was great!

    If I was to make this again, I would probably do less potato, half and half instead of cream, and omit the kale/spinach entirely in favor of a side salad.

    With all that being said, this is pretty spot on for an Olive Garden copycat!

  22. Made this soup tonight, exactly as directed but with baby spinach in place of the kale. So perfectly delicious! Will definitely be repeating this one!

  23. I found you today and have spent the past hour looking at recipes. I am SO excited to start making them! I have a toddler and am pregnant so fast, easy dinners are a must. I think you may have just revolutionized my cooking!

    1. Thanks so much Lauren! I’m so happy you found my site, and it seems like we have a lot in common already 🙂 ;my name is also Lauren, I have three littles and am expecting in April. Fast and easy dinners are essential! I’d love to hear what you try!

  24. 5 stars
    This was so delicious! I made it exactly as the recipe said and it was great. I have never been a fan of Kale but love it in this. Thank you for all your meal plans. All your recipes are amazing!

    1. Thank you so much Trish–I’m so happy to hear you’ve been enjoying the meal plans! Thanks for following TBFS <3

    2. 5 stars
      Hey Lauren! Thank you so much for this recipe it’s so yummy ,quick & easy!And my husband absolutely loved this soup!

  25. 5 stars
    I made this the other night. It was delicious and easy. Shared with my neighbors… She said the flavorings were “perfectly balanced”. I agree!

  26. Made this today for a gathering. This soup was delicious. I used spinach and all liked the soup. I will make again.