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    Zuppa Toscana

    Bacon, sausage, heavy cream, garlic and parmesan cheese, plus a few veggies thrown in for good measure—our rich, delicious zuppa toscana recipe has it all, and then some!

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    zuppa toscana soup with sausage, potatoes and kale

    Nailed It! Our Very Best (Yes, Olive Garden Copycat) Zuppa Toscana Soup Recipe

    Our zuppa toscana recipe is as close to what you’d get at the Olive Garden as we could make it. Except that—dare we say it?!—this soup tastes even better, because homemade soup always does! Meaty and creamy, garlicky and rich, our zuppa toscana recipe hits just about every spot you can think of. On a wintery night, cozy up to a big, luxurious bowl of this soup—it’s a one-pot meal, for sure—and enjoy bite after bite of indulgent, homemade zuppa toscana bliss.

    zucchini, potatoes, bacon, olive oil, onion, Italian sausage, garlic, parmesan, heavy cream and chicken stock

    What Is Zuppa Toscana?

    Loaded with crisp bacon, Italian sausage, cream, garlic and parmesan cheese, plus a few veggies thrown in for good measure— zuppa toscana is basically everything great on earth, cooked together in one big delicious pot. “Zuppa Toscana means “Tuscan soup”, and as for the origins of the recipe, well, the soup that the Olive Garden serves is a very American derivative of a Tuscan soup, and it’s honestly not too similar to any soup that you’d traditionally be served in Tuscany. But that’s OK! While we love authentic Italian food as much as the next, there’s plenty of room in our hearts (and stomachs) for Italian-American riffs, too. Particularly when they’re this yummy.

    Bacon being cooked in a soup pot
    sausage being cooked in a soup pot
    onion and garlic being cooked in a soup pot.
    chicken stock, chili powder, onion, garlic, zucchini and potatoes cooked in a soup pot.

    Zuppa Toscana Ingredients

    We love the way that a hint of heat balances out creamy soups—you might remember that we like to put jalapenos in our salmon chowder—and so we’ve taken some minor liberties to improve upon the Olive Garden’s zuppa toscana. Both chili powder and red pepper flakes add a nice little warmth to the creamy soup base, and if you use spicy Italian sausage instead of mild, well, you’ll be gobbling up a pretty darn spicy soup! That said, you can control the heat easily. If you prefer things on the mild side, just skip the pepper flakes and use mild Italian sausage. Your zuppa toscana will still be super delicious.

    • Bacon
    • Olive oil
    • Italian sausage
    • Yellow onion
    • Garlic
    • Chicken stock
    • Chili powder
    • Russet potatoes
    • Zucchini
    • Heavy cream
    • Kale
    • Parmesan cheese
    • Red pepper flakes
    zuppa toscana soup with kale, parmesan bacon and sausage being cooked in a soup pot
    olive garden copycat zuppa toscana soup with sausage, potatoes and kale, parmesan cheese, and bacon in a soup pot

    How To Make Zuppa Toscana from Scratch

    With super-flavorful ingredients like herby, Italian sausage and salty bacon, it’s almost impossible to mess up this easy zuppa toscana recipe. Truly! You just can’t go wrong when you combine cream, bacon, potatoes and cheese, right? Here’s how easy it is to make:

    1. Cook the bacon and resist the urge to eat it all. Stop it! Put down the bacon. It’ll be worth the wait. Save a bit of bacon fat to use as a base for the soup.
    2. While you fry the bacon, cook the sausage. Don’t just brown it, cook it all the way through!
    3. Fry the onion in bacon fat in a Dutch oven or stock pot. Add the garlic after a few minutes.
    4. Stir in chicken stock, and add chili powder, potatoes and zucchini and bring the whole pot to a boil. Now it’s starting to feel like there might actually be zuppa toscana in your future!
    5. Simmer until the potatoes are tender.
    6. Stir in cooked sausage, cream, kale, some parmesan and most of the bacon.
    7. When the kale is wilted, the soup is done! Garnish with more bacon, parmesan cheese, and red pepper flakes.
    homemade zuppa toscana soup with sausage, potatoes and kale, parmesan cheese, and bacon in a bowl with a spoon

    Tools You’ll Need

    More Hearty, Creamy Soup Recipes

    homemade zuppa toscana soup with in a soup pot sausage, potatoes and kale, parmesan cheese, and bacon
    homemade zuppa toscana soup with sausage, potatoes and kale, parmesan cheese, and bacon in a bowl with a spoon

    Call It a Copycat Recipe, Call It Just Darn Delicious—Whatever You Call It, Make It!

    We hope you’re as head over heels for our zuppa toscana recipe as we are—and with ingredients as dreamy and over-the-top as these, we’re not sure how you won’t be. If you make it, we’d love to hear about it! Share a photo and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper so that we can see your stuff! Happy eating!

    Related Recipes

    Zuppa Toscana

    Originally published: January 20, 2021

    • Serves: 6
    • Prep Time:  15 min
    • Cook Time:  40 min
    • Calories: 475
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe

    Ingredients

    • 10 slices bacon, diced
    • 2 tbsp olive oil
    • 1 lb ground Italian sausage, mild or spicy
    • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
    • 4 cloves garlic, about 1 tablespoon
    • 32 oz chicken stock
    • 1 Tbsp chili powder
    • 2 large russet potatoes, peeled, 1/2-inch sliced then each slice quartered, about 1 1/2 lbs
    • 2 medium zucchini, sliced into 1/2" half circles
    • 1 cup heavy cream
    • 1 bunch kale, stem removed roughly chopped or torn into bite sized pieces, roughly 4 cups
    • 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
    • 1 tsp Salt, adjust to taste
    • 1/4 tsp pepper, adjust to taste
    • 1 tsp red pepper flakes

    Method

    1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the bacon until browned and crispy. Remove from heat. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon pieces to a paper towel lined plate, set aside. Reserve the bacon dripping in the pan.
    2. While the bacon is cooking, heat olive oil in a dutch oven or heavy bottomed soup pot (with lid) set over medium-high heat. Add the sausage, crumbling it as it cooks, about 10 minutes. Using a colander, drain the sausage, then add to the plate with the bacon.
    3. Turn the heat down to medium heat, and add 2 tablespoons reserved bacon fat. Add the onion to pot and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add a little chicken stock to deglaze the pan if necessary. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute longer.
    4. Pour in chicken stock, scrapping the bottom of the pot. Add in the chili powder, potatoes and zucchinis, turn the heat to high and bring to a boil, this will take about 5-10 minutes.
    5. Reduce the heat to medium-low and boil for 5 minutes longer or until potatoes and zucchini are are tender. Return the cooked sausage, 3/4 of the bacon, heavy cream, kale and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. Stir and cook 2-5 minutes until kale is wilted.
    6. Add the salt and pepper, adjust to taste. Serve in bowls, topped with remaining bacon, remaining parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes.

    Nutrition Info

    • Per Serving
    • Amount
    • Calories475
    • Protein25 g
    • Carbohydrates31 g
    • Total Fat29 g
    • Dietary Fiber6 g
    • Cholesterol66 mg
    • sodium493 mg
    • Total Sugars6 g

    Zuppa Toscana

    Questions & Reviews

    Join the discussion below.

    or

    • Marcela

      Is there a heavy cream substitute you can recommend?

      Hi Marcela, you can try canned full fat coconut milk or silk makes a dairy free heavy cream substitute.

    • Alex

      Does this soup freeze well?

      Hi Alex, it should freeze fine. Since there is cream you will want to fully thaw before reheating. Reheat slowing stirring often to keep the cream from separating. We hope you enjoy it!

    • Cynthia Wenneker

      Could you substitute something se for zucchini?Broccoli corn ?

      Sure! Either would work, you can also just leave it out.

    • Meg

      This was my first ever time making Zuppa Toscana. My husband loved it so much, I made a double batch 2 weeks in a row. What a great recipe!

      That's so exciting Meg! We are so glad you both love it so much, thank you!

    • Jessica Davidson

      I've been making different variations of this soup for years. This recipe is by far the best I've tried. I have never added zucchini in past versions, but it is the perfect addition! So happy I found this. Yup, good soup.

      Thanks Jessica! We are so happy you love this recipe!

    • Hannah

      I would take this over the restaurant version any day! It was amazing. Definitely will be on regular rotation.
      I used Italian turkey sausage and a few less pieces of bacon to make it lighter and it was still phenomenal.

      Thanks Hannah! So happy you loved it!

    • Addison Whitman

      Every single recipe from them is amazing, but this is our new favorite! My fiancé said it even tops the Italian sausage and tortellini soup which is saying a lot! I doubled the amount of chili powder, salt, pepper, and parmesan, and it just added to the flavor! I also used half & half instead of heavy cream because we had that at home. SO good and so easy!

      Thank you so much Addison! We are so happy to hear you love our recipes and especially this one!

    • Addison Whitman

      Every single recipe from them is amazing, but this is our new favorite! My fiancé said it even tops the Italian sausage and tortellini soup which is saying a lot! I doubled the amount of cumin, salt, pepper, and parmesan, and it just added to the flavor! I also used half & half instead of heavy cream because we had that at home. SO good and so easy!

      Thanks Addison!