Copycat Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana is a hearty Italian, homemade, creamy sausage and potato soup just like you get at the restaurant!
THE BEST COPYCAT RECIPE
Copycat Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana is one of my family's favorite soups. This soup is so easy to make and you only need one pot! These kinds of soups are really a full meal. Just serve with Olive Garden Breadsticks and it's the perfect dinner!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
It's an Italian-inspired soup that is full of potatoes, sausage, kale, bacon and its all simmered in a creamy chicken broth.
Zuppa Toscana just means Tuscan Soup in Italian. But it sounds fancier in Italian, right? 😉 It's like PASTA E FAGIOLI just means Pasta and Beans in Italian but it sounds so much better when you say Pasta e Fagioli.
Traditionally, in Italy, Zuppa Toscana is made with beans, potatoes, bacon and bread. So this version is our Americanized version of that Italian soup.
Kale is in the same family as collard greens and mustard greens and if you've ever cut those, then you'll be familiar. If you've never dealt with any kind of large green, it can seem very intimidating. But it's easy. The main goal is to remove the leaves from the stem. We don't want to eat the stem. You'll be cutting the kale in a "V" pattern to separate the leaves from the stem. Like any other green, you need to rinse it very well to remove any dirt or grit.
I am no wine expert but I would definitely go with a white wine like a Chardonnay or perhaps a German Riesling if you prefer something sweeter. If you'd much rather have red wine, I would suggest a Cabernet Sauvignon.
Yes this can be frozen. I would suggest that you do not overcook the potatoes though. Sometimes when reheating the soup from frozen, the potatoes will completely break down and be mushy. It needs to be stored in a freezer-safe, airtight container.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)
- bacon
- Italian sausage
- yellow onion
- garlic
- chicken stock or chicken broth
- russet potatoes
- salt and pepper
- kale
- heavy whipping cream
- grated Parmesan cheese
HOW TO MAKE OLIVE GARDEN'S ZUPPA TOSCANA:
First chop up the kale. If you've never worked with greens before, it's important to remove the stems and wash any grit off. Cut the kale in a "V" pattern to separate the leaves from the stem. Chop up leaves into bite size pieces. You want about 2 cups worth of leaves. Then put kale into a colander and rinse well to remove any dirt or grit that might still be hanging on. I also like to massage it a bit as I rinse. I think this helps to really soften the kale. Let it drain well.
Meanwhile, in a large pot, brown and crumble sausage along with onions. During the last couple minutes of cooking, toss in garlic. Once cooked, drain excess grease.
Return sausage mixture back to pot and pour in chicken stock. Then add in cubed potatoes.
Cover and allow potatoes to simmer for about 15-20 minutes, until tender. Once potatoes are tender, pour in heavy cream and stir. Season with salt and pepper.
Then stir in kale and chopped, cooked bacon. Bring mixture back up to a simmer and allow the kale to soften and wilt.
Give it a test (be careful - it's hot!) and see if you need more seasoning like salt or pepper.
Then serve!
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana (+Video)
Ingredients
- 2 cups kale washed and cut into bite size pieces
- 1 pound ground Italian sausage
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 32 ounce container chicken broth (or stock) 4 cups
- 3 cups russet potatoes cubed
- 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 5 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
- Garnish: Parmesan cheese grated, to taste
Instructions
- First chop up your kale. If you've never worked with greens before, it's important to remove the stems and wash any grit off.
- Cut the kale in a "V" pattern to separate the leaves from the stem. Chop up leaves into bite size pieces. You want about 2 cups worth.
- Pu chopped kale into a colander and rinse well to remove any dirt or grit that might still be hanging on. I like to massage the kale at this point. This will help to really to soften it up. Let it drain well.
- Meanwhile, in a large pot, brown and crumble sausage along with onions.
- During the last couple minutes of cooking, toss in minced garlic.
- Once sausage is fully cooked, drain excess grease.
- Return sausage mixture back to pot and pour in chicken stock.
- Then add in cubed potatoes.
- Cover pot and allow potatoes to simmer for about 15-20 minutes, until tender.
- Once potatoes are tender, pour in heavy cream and stir. Season with salt and pepper.
- Then add in kale and chopped, cooked bacon.
- Stir again. Bring mixture back up to a simmer and allow the kale to soften and wilt.
- Give it a taste test (be careful - it's hot!) and see if you need more seasoning like salt or pepper. Then serve.
Video
Notes
- Collard greens, mustard greens or even spinach can be used in place of kale
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Originally published April 2013
Updated and republished: October 2021
Jen
This soup with a loaf of crusty bread is now my go-to meal when I’m taking someone dinner. Always a hit!
Brandie @ The Country Cook
Woo hoo! So wonderful to hear that Jen!!