I bet you have finished a bowl of the Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Soup and wondered if you could make this soup. Yes, you can make this favorite soup from the Olive Garden. You will have a creamy soup filled with crispy bacon, chicken stock, and pork sausage. The first time you taste your homemade soup, it will become a family favorite.
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Copycat Zuppa Toscana
When you try this Olive Garden copycat recipe, you won’t need to go out for unlimited soup and breadsticks any longer. I make this hearty soup often, but I must confess, the Olive Garden is my favorite restaurant, so I still go back all the time!
Why This is the Best Recipe for Zuppa Toscana
This is the best copycat, Zuppa Toscana because it contains everything you love about this soup. Italian sausage, many Russet potatoes, and bits of smokey bacon are all served in a creamy broth. This Italian soup is packed with everything so that you can enjoy this delicious soup at home. Be sure to serve it with some crusty bread!
What is Zuppa Toscana?
Zuppa is an Italian word for soup. Toscana is the Italian name for the region of Tuscany. So Zuppa Toscana is Tuscan soup.
Olive Garden Tuscan soup is creamy, hearty, and loaded with Italian sausage, tender potatoes, and kale. It is an excellent meal with Olive Garden breadsticks and Italian salad. It is also Olive Garden’s most famous soup, and serves countless bowls of it every day.
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 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 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.
Hot or sweet Italian sausages work for this recipe, so choose whichever one you usually enjoy. You can also make Italian Sausage and season it to your liking.
Zuppa Toscana Soup Ingredients
Here’s a list of what you need to make this hearty homemade soup.
- Mild Italian sausage – You can use spicy Italian sausage
- Russet Potatoes is what the restaurant uses; Yukon Gold is another great option
- White onion – You can use yellow onion as well. I find it adds a bit more heat than what the restaurant serves.
- Chicken Broth – Homemade makes a more delicious broth, but canned will work, I recommend low-sodium
- Water
- Garlic cloves
- Slices of bacon or Oscar Mayer Real Bacon Bits
- Kosher salt
- Ground black pepper
- Fresh kale
- Heavy cream
Nutritional information can be found on the recipe card below.
How to Make Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana
- Place the sausages in a baking pan—brown sausage by roasting at 300°F for 30 minutes or until cooked through.
- Drain sausages on paper towels to absorb the excess grease and cut the links into slices.
- Place the potatoes, onions, chicken broth, water, and garlic in a large pot or large Dutch oven and cook on medium heat until the potatoes are fork-tender.
- Add the sausage, bacon, salt, and pepper and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Turn the heat to low. Add kale and cream and stir to combine.
- Add more water if necessary for desired consistency.
- Heat thoroughly and serve.
Cooking and Serving Suggestions for the Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Recipe
- Use a food chopper. 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 there is no salt in bread from the region because 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 w
How to Store Leftover Copycat Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana
Like many soups, this soup tastes better the next day! Store any leftover soup in an airtight plastic container in your refrigerator.
How long is Zuppa Toscana good for in the fridge?
Should you have any soup leftover you can store it in an air-tight container in your refrigerator. It should be consumed within three to five days. After this point, the soup should be frozen to be eaten later.
Does Zuppa Toscana freeze well?
Zuppa Toscana does freeze well. You should store this in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Best Way to Reheat Soup
You may be tempted to place this soup in the microwave, but soup is best reheated on the stovetop. Simply reheat the amount you will need over low to medium heat. This way all of the soup will reheat evenly.
Love Olive Garden? Try these copycat recipes!
Here are some of the most popular recipes for Olive Garden:
- Alfredo Sauce
- Watermelon Sangria
- Olive Garden Spinach Dip
- Capellini Pomodoro
- Seafood Alfredo
- Steak Gorgonzola Alfredo
- Shrimp Carbonara
- Peach Cheesecake
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Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana
Ingredients
- 1 pound sweet or hot Italian sausage links
- 1 pound russet potatoes 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 chopped slices of bacon or Oscar Mayer Real Bacon Bits(1/2 can)
- kosher salt to taste
- ground black pepper to taste
- 2 cups chopped kale
- 1 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
- Place the sausages in a baking pan and roast for about 30 minutes or until cooked through. Drain sausages on paper towels and cut into slices.
- If you are using fresh bacon slices, saute bacon in a small skillet until the bacon has browned.
- 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. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- Turn the heat to low. Add kale and cream. Stir to combine.
- Add more water, if necessary for desired consistency.
- Heat thoroughly and serve.
Spencer
I too was looking for the chicken gnocchi soup but all I found was the chicken gnocchi veronese. Oh and yes, this soup is as good as Olive Gardens.
Natasha
Hi, the soup you are looking for is on this website as well. When I was looking for the OG Soup of Toscana I came across OG Chicken Gnocci soup. Here is the link:
https://copykat.com/olive-garden-chicken-and-gnocchi-soup/
You can also search CopyKat recipe: “olive garden chicken and gnocchi soup” and it will come up.
Lance
Bonnie
The Olive Gardens’ new ‘Chicken Gnocchi Soup recipe is actually on the olive garden website step for step on how to make it under recipe search.
Robbie
I added a touch of oregano to this recipe.
A Magical Childhood
Anybody know the calorie count on this? My husband loves the Olive Garden version but with a cup of heavy cream and sausage I’m afraid to think of how fattening it is.
Amy
I have made this soup with cauliflower instead of potatoes for a lower carb version. My family couldn’t even tell the difference! Great recipe!
Stephanie
Amy, that is a brilliant swap for those potatoes. I am sure it is just as good as with potatoes.
Sherry
Ok I made the soup. I loved it. I added some spice (extra pepper) to get the heat of the olive garden. My husband add "Petes Red Hot". I was glad it was not too "spice hot" because my kids loved it and asked for more. I bought too much kale so that means i have to make another yummy batch this time with spicy sausage (not really sad about this) Thanks for the awesome recipe.
Becky
One word, four syllables…Phenomenal!!!
Thank you so much for this recipe!!!…and I have to agree with the above posts…better than the Olive Garden version!
Simone
I tried the recipe today and my family loved it. Actually, it’s better than the Olive Garden version. Yum Yum…
Sheri
Very good recipe! I love this soup at Olive Garden and have been wanting to give it a try at home. YUM!
Bonnie
We just love this soup. I think it taste even better because it is alittle thicker than Olive Gardens sometimes is. Our family is hoping someone comes up with Olive Gardens’ new ‘Chicken Gnocchi Soup,also. It is scrumptous!!
Tracey
I love this soup. It’s very easy to make and taste like the the real deal..I brown my sausage in a skillet and chop it up more.
Terri
Good recipe. I would add to use spicy Italian sausage. The 2 Olive Gardens that I’ve had this recipe had just a bit of a bite to the soup. Oh, though it may not seem like a lot, I would use 32 oz of chicken broth. Your recipe didn’t indicate the size of the cans.
Good recipe!
Alexis
We make this all the time and love it. I use Hot sausage on mine… My husband loves the extra kick it gives.
admin
I would use between 1/4 C to 1/3 C cup of these into the soup.
Nickey
When you say 1/2 can of bacon bits … how much is this. I keep a bag of bacon bits on hand as a staple.
Robyn
How many servings come from a batch of this soup? Thank you!
Chhouky
When you say “2 cans Chicken Broth”… What size cans are you talking about?
admin
You can use the broth that comes in the standard sizes, these range from 14.5 oz to 16 oz.
Karen from TX
I used the carton of broth (which comes out to about 4 cups) and slightly less water.
Stephanie
I have included a size measurement on the cans. I hope that is helpful.
Melissa
Hi everyone! I have been a fan of copykat.com for some time and was wondering if you can help me find the recipe for Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse – Berries and Sweet Cream Recipe. Thanks so much!!
Melissa
Kathy Baker
did you get the sweet cream recipe? I was just looking for it! I had it last night and have to figure it out!
Stephanie
Can you tell me more about what the sweet cream recipe is? Is that a new dish at the Olive Garden?
Jean Fineran
This recipe is much better than Olive Garden’s version. Our local OG has cut
back on quality of ingredients lately and it is a watered down version of their
own recipe and not nearly as rich as this recipe. Many thanks for a quality recipe.
Alex
This recipe is great! Very similar to the real deal… I chop up the sausage to make it more like the Olive Garden version.