I bet you have finished a bowl of the Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Soup and wondered if you could make this soup. You can make your Zuppa Toscana taste just like the Olive Gardens soup recipe. Potatoes, Italian sausage, kale, onions, bacon, and cream make for a delicious and hearty soup. You don’t have to get a babysitter, or even leave your house to have soup just like Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana.
Rich and hearty, Zuppa Toscana is one of the most popular Olive Garden soups on the restaurant’s menu. Enjoy a delicious bowl of this Olive Garden favorite at home any time you want with this recipe. Like most homemade soup, the Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana recipe does take some time to come together. Do you want to get this meal on the table faster? Then be sure to read the time-saving tips below.
What Makes Italian Sausage Italian?
Sausage is the star of this soup, so it needs to be the highest quality Italian sausage you can find. Make sure to select Italian sausages for this recipe because it has an entirely different flavor profile than other types of sausage, such as Andouille or Chorizo.
Italian sausages combine finely ground pork, pork fat, and seasonings inside a natural casing. The main seasonings which give them their unique flavor are fennel and anise. Unlike other varieties of sausages, Italian sausages are always raw, and never smoked or precooked. You will need to make sure to cook them thoroughly before serving.
Don’t be confused about how the labeling on the package. You will often see Italian sausages labeled as ‘mild,’ ‘sweet’, or ‘hot’ in the supermarket. Mild and sweet sausages are two different words companies use to describe exactly the same ingredients. The word ‘hot’ indicates that red pepper flakes are part of the pork mixture. The spiciness of hot Italian sausages varies by brand.
For this recipe, hot or sweet Italian sausages work, so choose whichever one you usually enjoy.
Cooking and Serving Suggestions for the Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Recipe
- Use a food chopper. A lot of the time required to make this recipe revolves around cutting the vegetables. Save time and get perfectly diced onions and sliced potatoes with an inexpensive and indispensable food chopper. These inexpensive food prep tools are a must-have time-saver in any kitchen.
- Serve with warm slices of Tuscan bread to make Zuppa Toscana a simple supper. Tuscan bread is unique because it is baked without salt. Some people say the reason there is no salt in bread from the region is that the stubborn residents refused to pay high salt taxes during the Middle Ages. Other people think saltless bread pairs well with the traditionally heavy and salty local food. Either way, Tuscan bread goes great with this soup.
- Top each bowl with cheese and a splash of olive oil. Just a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil on top of your soup just before serving helps provide a luscious mouthfeel. A little grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese on top helps to balance out the soup’s richness.
If Olive Garden is your favorite restaurant, then you have to give these recipes a try:
Olive Garden Watermelon Moscato Sangria
Olive Garden Spinach Artichoke Dip
Olive Garden Steak Gorgonzola Alfredo
Olive Garden Chicken & Shrimp Carbonara
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Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Soup
Ingredients
- 1 pound sweet or hot Italian sausage links
- 1 pound russet potatoes s, peeled, cut in half lengthwise, then sliced 1/4-inch thick
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 29 ounces chicken broth 2 cans
- 1 quart water
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1/4 cup Oscar Mayer Real Bacon Bits (1/2 can)
- Salt and pepper
- 2 cups chopped kale
- 1 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Put the sausages in a baking pan and roast for about 30 minutes, until cooked through. Drain on paper towels and cut into slices. Place the potatoes, onions, chicken broth, water, and garlic in a pot and cook on medium heat until potatoes are done. Add the sausage, bacon, and salt and pepper to taste and simmer for another 10 minutes. Turn the heat to low. Add kale, the cream, and more water, if necessary. Heat thoroughly and serve.
Susan says
Tell us the truth, it’s so good you must have been an employee LOL! My fav at the OG is soup/salad/breadsticks and always Zuppa Toscana.
I made this soup in January I think and froze the leftover. Just had that tonight and I’m writing in to tell you it was no different reheated. Delicious! Thank you.
Stephanie says
So glad you enjoyed it!
Syd says
Thank you for making these for “home cooks”. I look forward to trying each one.
Stephanie says
Thank you very much Syd! What types of recipes are you looking for?
Diane says
Can you use a slow cooker for this?
Stephanie says
Yes, here are the instructions.
https://copykat.com/olive-garden-zuppa-toscana-slow-cooker/
Diane says
Thank you❤️
Jeannie says
Thanks so much! Soup is Rich, tasty, I am not a soup eater, this one is delicious!
Dan says
Recipes on this site are really good. I just wish they would add serving size to the nutrition information.
Janice says
I love this recipe! I add a lot of spices top pick up the flavor…and change the broth to rich beef broth! The beet broth adds great flavor. I added sliced sausages and ground beef, 1/4 stick of butter, onions, green and red peppers, lots of kale…and a large can of stewed tomatoes. Lots of cayenne and hot pepper. I added the heavy cream at the end. WOW!! Fantastic flavor!
Alice Madden says
Yet oddly nothing like Olive Garden… I bets it’s delicious tho! ???
laura says
Not Zuppa Toscana but probably good. FYI I won’t be trying it as I came here for the actual ZT recipe. Maybe post this recipe on like allrecipes.com with a name of your choosing?
Stephanie says
Hmm, thanks for the response. Good luck in your recipe search.
Janice says
I love this recipe! I add a lot of spices top pick up the flavor…and change the broth to rich beef broth! The beet broth adds great flavor. I added sliced sausages and ground beef, 1/4 stick of butter, onions, green and red peppers…and a large can of stewed tomatoes. Lots of cayenne and hot pepper. I added the heavy cream at the end. WOW!! Fantastic flavor!
April Alters says
I have made this before and it tastes just like the real thing. I do leave out the onion since I am allergic though. Next time I am going to try it with almond milk instead of cream since I also have a dairy allergy.
laura says
How were you even able to eat the real thing with your allergies? Must have been very uncomfortable. Glad to see you found a work around.
Sharon Lee says
Wow, I don’t remember it having bacon in it?
Stephanie says
Years ago it did contain bacon, when I say years ago, I would guess this recipe on their part changed about 15 years ago or so. I am guessing this did this to remove expense from the recipe.
Ann Larkin says
This is my family’s favorite soup that I make I have lighten it up by using turkeys sausage and light cream I too love it so easy to make I’m from Newjersey it gets very cold and wet in the winters so this soup warms the bones thank you for make this an easy delicous recipe.
Stephanie says
I love your lighter tips.
sfg4u says
This was on the menu tonight with fresh ingredients from the Amish market and it was wonderful. LOL I didn’t mind cooking for my birthday. I did it according to the written directions since the video wouldn’t download in the market. Browning the sausage was a great idea. I used 1/2 hot Italian sausage and 1/2 sweet Italian chicken sausage. The only thing I think I’d do differently is to saute the onions and potatoes in some of the bacon grease along with the garlic. Thank you. Just a note . . . it’s pronounced TSOO-pah or ZOO-pah. Don’t worry, I only know this because I’ve lived in Italy. – Kim
Stephanie says
Thank you for your wonderful comments. I appreciate you telling me how to pronounce it properly. The thing with video is it lasts forever 😉 I can’t go back and fix it without a re-shoot 😉
laura says
I tried your recipe…wonderful! Soo good. The video worked for me btw. 😀
Jimmy says
All the ingredients are there. It isn’t necessary to measure the potatoes, bacon, sausage etc. Your salt, pepper and garlic may be more critical, but adjust according to your taste. I like to make it richer with more heavy cream, plus make it a little heartier by not skimping on the other ingredients to make each spoonful have more solids in it. The additional cream kicks it up 2 notches from the soup in the restaurant.
stephaniemanley says
Thank you for your comments.
bill snill says
We make ours a little richer by using a little more heavy cream.. This recipe is dead on.
stephaniemanley says
Heavy cream makes many things better.
Dan Barnes says
Used real bacon and added fennel used Kale and added italian parsley as well. Woof this is good.
stephaniemanley says
I bet your version of this soup was incredible.
Dwayne Soto says
I’m a single Dad, and at times its hard to please my kids and very expensive to dine out, But I turn to your reciepes and make there favorite meals. I
Stephanie says
Thank you for your nice comment. Going out to eat can be expensive, and honestly, I think we often cook the food better at home. We get the chance to add love ;). Let me know if there something you would like to see.