Zuppa Toscana is one of my favorite soups, and when I go to Olive Garden, it’s almost always something that I order. With delicious broth filled with potatoes sausage and kale, it’s a unique dining experience that has you always going back for another spoonful.
I found a copycat Olive garden recipe for Zuppa Toscana several years ago but it wasn’t a perfect match. I tweaked it and adjusted it so many times, that I’m happy to say this Zuppa Toscana recipe is so close to the real thing. It’s easy to make, delicious, and absolutely perfect for a cold winter’s night!
A Quick Tip for Making Zuppa Toscana at Home
I love kale in this recipe as it’s a green veggie that holds together well but becomes tender after cooking. I don’t use the tough spines, instead of cutting the leaves off, then chopping them into bite-sized pieces.
What is Zuppa Toscana?
The name is an Italian term meaning “Tuscan soup” and the contents vary pretty widely depending on where you go to order it. Some places go so far as to include additional vegetables such as zucchini, carrots, celery, and tomato while others add in beans. Despite the wide changes the potatoes, kale, and sausage are a pretty standard thing to include in your Zuppa Toscana recipe.
Is Zuppa Toscana Gluten Free?
Yes, this recipe is gluten free. That being said, if you have a gluten allergy, double check the ingredients in your chicken bullion and the sausage as they can sometimes contain gluten.
Zuppa Toscana Ingredients
-one 16-oz package of sausage {I like the Jimmy Dean Sage Pork Sausage}
-3 medium russet potatoes, scrubbed and quartered, then sliced thin
-2 cups of chopped kale
-3/4 cup diced onion
-1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
-4 cups water {1 quart}
-2 tsp chicken bouillon base
-3-6 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
-1/3 cup heavy cream
-salt & pepper to taste
-Parmesan cheese for topping
How to Make Zuppa Toscana
Saute the sausage in a large pan over medium heat until it’s browned and then transfer the sausage to a separate bowl, reserving any grease in the pan. {Mine had about 1 TBSP}
Add in the onion, garlic, and potatoes and then cook over medium-high heat for about 5-8 minutes. You want the onions to be soft and translucent
Add in the water and the chicken base. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring often.
After the soup comes to a boil, cook for another 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are tender. {This time depends on how thin you sliced your potatoes!}
Once the potatoes are tender, add in the kale, bacon crumbles and the heavy cream. Continue cooking over medium heat until the kale has softened, this takes about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to simmer and then cook for an additional 10-15 minutes.
Serve topped with Parmesan cheese.
ENJOY!
Ingredients
- 1 16oz pkg sausage
- 3 medium russet potatoes scrubbed, quarted & thinly sliced
- 2 cups chopped kale
- 3/4 cup diced onion
- 1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
- 4 cups water
- 2 tsp chicken bouillon base
- 3-6 sliced cooked bacon, crumbled
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- salt & pepper to taste
- Parmesan cheese for topping
Instructions
- Saute sausage in a large pan over medium heat until browned. Transfer sausage to a separate bowl, reserving any grease in the pan. {Mine had about 1 TBSP}
- Add in the onion, garlic and potatoes and cook over medium-high heat for about 5-8 minutes, until onions are soft and translucent.
- Add in water and chicken base. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring often. After soup comes to a boil, cook for another 10-15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. {Depends on how thin you sliced your potatoes!}
- Once the potatoes are tender, add in the kale, bacon crumbles and cream. Continue cooking over medium heat until kale has softened, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes.
- Serve topped with Parmesan cheese.
Can You Freeze Zuppa Toscana?
If you plan on making a batch large enough to freeze some for later, then make sure you portion out the part that will be frozen before adding in the kale and heavy cream. Then when you go to reheat the soup you can add them in and have it taste as great as freshly made.
How Long is Zuppa Toscana Good for?
When kept properly stored in an airtight or covered container in the fridge you can expect your Zuppa Toscana to last about 3 to 4 days and still be fine.
How to Thicken Zuppa Toscana?
You can thicken your soup by making a cornstarch slurry. About 1.5 tablespoons of cornstarch mixed with 2-3 tablespoons of heavy cream (or water) and then added to the warm soup while it is simmering should help it to thicken up within a few minutes.
After trying this Zuppa Toscana Soup, if you want to find more soup recipes, check out these suggestions below!
- Crockpot Sausage Tortellini Soup
- Easy Tomato Basil Soup
- Creamy Wild Rice Soup
- Easy Vegetable Chowder
- Classic Chicken Noodle Soup
- Butternut Squash Soup
- French Onion Tomato Soup
- Lemon Chicken Vegetable Soup
- Slow Cooker Chicken Alfredo Soup
- Zucchini Sausage Soup
- Lasagna Soup
- Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup
- 20 Minute Loaded Baked Potato Soup
- Slow Cooker PizzaSoup
- Southwestern Chicken Verde Soup
This homemade Zuppa Toscana soup is one that will you love and enjoy for years to come. With a delicious restaurant-quality meal made at home, why would you ever want to go out again?
Sarah says
This looks good! I love spinach but I'm not a huge fan of kale… do you think spinach would work instead?
Jessica Williams- UDD, Butter with a Side of Bread says
the nice thing about Kale is that it doesn't wilt. Spinach wilts very quickly, but it will still work- I'd just add it right before you serve it. <br /><br />I think fresh green beans would be great in it as well. 🙂
Lisa @ Blogghetti says
I love this soup and can't wait to try your recipe for it! Could I replace the water for Chicken stock and omit the bouillon?
Raycol says
Question; When do you put the sausage back in? The first step has you put the sausage in a bowl and I didn't see when to put it back in. I assume you put it back in at the same time as the kale and bacon but just thought I'd ask. Can't wait to try it 🙂
Jennifer says
Sounds yummy! My family loves my version that uses 1/2 sweet Italian and 1/2 hot Italian sausage.
Rob says
How about set up a printer friendly version so I don’t need to print 7 pages to get a small recipe, that should be a given
Jessica says
Rob- I’m SO sorry- our new site just went live and we’re still working on getting everything into place. With PrintFriendly you can click on photos and paragraphs to delete it from the printed pages so that you can get it down to 1 sheet. In the mean time, know we’re working on it!!