Published November 2, 2018. Updated November 10, 2018
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Zuppa Toscana Soupis one of my most popular soup recipes, have you tried it yet? It’s packed with slices of tender russet potatoes, flavorful Italian sausage and bacon, fresh kale and a rich and creamy broth. So much comforting flavor in one bowl of soup!
Zuppa Toscana Soup that’s Even Better than Olive Garden’s!
This soup is a regular in my home, it’s one of my families favorites! I love that it’s so easy to make and it has such an incredible flavor thanks to those hearty bits of sausage.
This recipe is inspired by the Zuppa Toscana Soup at Olive Garden but when you make it fresh at home it’s that much better (plus my version seems to be less brothier meaning you get more potatoes, bacon, kale and sausage). Plus it’s made with love right?
Then you can complete the meal by making your own homemade breadsticks and serving with a side salad with Italian Dressing.
Ingredients You’ll Need for This Recipe
- Olive oil
- Italian Sausage (remove from casings if bought as links)
- Bacon
- Yellow onion
- Low-sodium chicken broth and water
- Russet potatoes
- Granulated sugar
- Half and half
- Kale
- Fennel seeds (optional)
- Romano cheese (optional)
How to Make Zuppa Toscana Soup
- Heat olive oil in a large non-stick saucepan over medium-high heat. Crumble sausage into 1-inch pieces and add to saucepan.
- Cook sausage, stirring occasionally until cooked through. Drain sausage onto a plate or baking dish lined with paper towels, set sausage aside.
- Add diced bacon to saucepan, return to heat and saute 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add diced onions and saute mixture until bacon is cooked through and onions are translucent, about 3 – 5 minutes longer.
- Add chicken broth and water.
- Add in sliced potatoes, sugar, fennel seeds, salt and pepper. Bring soup just to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low and stir in cooked sausage.
- Cover saucepan and simmer, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are nearly tender, about 10 – 15 minutes.
- Add in kale then simmer until potatoes are soft and kale is tender, about 5 – 10 minutes longer.
- Stir in half and half and warm through. Use a spoon or ladle to remove excess fat from top of soup if desired. Serve warm topped with Romano cheese if desired.
What is Half and Half and is There a Substitute?
A question I get asked a lot is “what is half and half?” Half and half is basically a mixture of half milk and half cream (maybe just little more milk than cream). So for a good substitute simply use 1 cup low-fat milk and 1 cup cream.
Add this soup to the menu this week! Trust me, it’s a recipe you don’t want to miss out on. You’ll be loving every bite.
More Soup Recipes You Might Like
- Pasta e fa*gioli Soup
- Minestrone (Slow Cooker or Stovetop)
- Creamy Chicken and Gnocchi Soup
16 Quick & Easy 30 Minute Recipes! (plus weekly recipe updates)
4.92 from 78 votes
Print Recipe
Zuppa Toscana Soup {Olive Garden Copycat Recipe}
This is one of the tastiest, most comforting soups on a chilly day! It's packed with slices of tender russet potatoes, salty Italian sausage and bacon, fresh kale and a rich and creamy broth. Everyone will want more!
Servings: 6
Prep15 minutes minutes
Cook35 minutes minutes
Ready in: 50 minutes minutes
Ingredients
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 lb Italian Sausage (casings removed if necessary)
- 4 oz bacon (about 4 slices), diced into small pieces*
- 1 cup chopped yellow onion (about 1 small onion)
- 3 (14.5 oz) cans low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup water**
- 1 1/2 lbs Russet potatoes,*** scrubbed and rinsed then sliced into halves, halves diced into 1/6-inch slices
- 1 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp fennel seeds, crushed (optional)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups half and half
- 1 1/2 cups packed chopped kale
- Finely shredded Romano cheese for serving, optional
Instructions
Heat olive oil in a large non-stick saucepan over medium-high heat. Crumble sausage into 1-inch pieces and add to saucepan.
Cook sausage, stirring occasionally until cooked through. Drain sausage onto a plate or baking dish lined with paper towels, set sausage aside.
Add diced bacon to saucepan, return to heat and saute 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add diced onions and saute mixture until bacon is cooked through and onions are translucent, about 3 - 5 minutes longer.
Add chicken broth, water, sliced potatoes, sugar, fennel seeds, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring soup just to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low and stir in cooked sausage.
Cover saucepan and simmer, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are nearly tender, about 10 - 15 minutes.
Add in kale then simmer until potatoes are soft and kale is tender, about 5 - 10 minutes longer.
Stir in half and half and warm through. Use a spoon or ladle to remove excess fat from top of soup if desired. Serve warm topped with Romano cheese.
Notes
- *I added some extra cooked bacon to the top as well, mostly for pictures purposes though just so you can see that there is bacon in this soup. It doesn't really need it though...but I'll never turn down a little extra bacon.
- **Recipe originally listed 2 cups water but I now like to only add 1 for a little less brothy soup and less watered down flavor.
- ***Work to cut potatoes into even size slices so they finish cooking at the same time.
- If you'd like more flavor sometimes I add 1 large garlic clove chopped during last 1 minute of sautéing onion.
- If desired you can use turkey sausage here as well.
Nutrition Facts
Zuppa Toscana Soup {Olive Garden Copycat Recipe}
Amount Per Serving
Calories 606Calories from Fat 387
% Daily Value*
Fat 43g66%
Saturated Fat 17g106%
Cholesterol 99mg33%
Sodium 791mg34%
Potassium 1129mg32%
Carbohydrates 32g11%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 3g3%
Protein 19g38%
Vitamin A 2515IU50%
Vitamin C 37.5mg45%
Calcium 165mg17%
Iron 2.8mg16%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition values are estimates only. See full disclaimer here.
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: Zuppa Toscana
Author: Jaclyn
Categorized:
- Main Dish
- Soups
Tagged:
- chicken broth
- cream
- fennel seeds
- kale
- potatoes
- sausage
You Might Also Like:
- Creamy Potato Sausage and White Cheddar Soup
- Smoked Sausage and Vegetable Soup
- One Pan Creamy Gnocchi with Italian Sausage and Kale
- Turkey Sausage, Kale and Sweet Potato Soup
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272 Comments
Ken Monroe
I make this in my slow cooker. I chop my potatoes and onion and place in the slow cooker with broth and seasonings. I brown the sausage in a skillet and add to the slow cooker and cook on high until potatoes are tender. Then I add my kale and half & half about 45 minutes before serving. I omit the bacon since I’m not crazy about stewed bacon.
Elizabeth B. Featherly
1st time making this soup I followed the recipe as directed eliminating the Fennel. This was edible, but I didn’t love it and it certainly did not taste like Olive Garden’s. I used Premo’s brand hot Italian sausage and that may have been the problem, but the russet potatoes fell apart with such thin slicing. Also, it made about 6-7 quarts, and we are a family of two. You cannot freeze this soup. very disappointed after 1.5 hours work.
Marie
Love this recipe. It’s one of my family favorites. I’ve been making it for years now and it’s always a hit. Simple, quick and delicious!
Jenny
This recipe has been a staple in our home. It is absolute perfection! I always use just ground turkey, and forego any fennel as that is not a liked flavor in our home, in spite of its health benefits!
Christina
Excellent, easy and perfect on a cold night! I had to peel a couple of my potatoes first because the skins were looking pretty bad. I didn’t use the fennel, and didn’t have to add much salt at all (maybe 1/2 tsp).
Lexi0905
Taste is there, but I’m sad. Mine didn’t have the same coloring. I did use coconut milk instead…I’m wondering if that made a huge difference in the coloring… but flavor is good. The pictures make it look thick and creamy and mine still looks pretty broth-like or like the coloring of an Asian soup. Any advice greatly appreciated!
Jaclyn
It could be the coconut milk. I’d try canned coconut cream next time if possible for a thicker creamier broth.
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