I personally love Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana, and this sausage and potato soup is one that I crave often. Many of you have asked for the Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Crock Pot version, and I want to make sure you have exactly the recipe you requested. This slow cooker adaptation brings all the creamy, hearty flavors of the restaurant favorite to your kitchen with minimal effort and maximum comfort.
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Table of Contents
Why This Recipe Works
Sometimes we all want a recipe we can quickly toss in our slow cooker and get about our business. This version of Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana is easy to put together so you don’t have to stand at the stove. The slow cooking process allows all the flavors to meld beautifully while the potatoes become perfectly tender and the sausage infuses the broth with rich, savory flavor.
Ingredients
Protein Base:
- Italian sausage – Provides the signature spicy, herbed flavor that defines this soup (ground works best)
- Bacon – Adds smoky depth and richness (optional for authentic current version)
Hearty Foundation:
- Russet potatoes – Create the filling, starchy base that makes this soup so satisfying
- Yellow onion – Provides aromatic sweetness and savory depth to the broth base
Liquid Components:
- Chicken stock – Forms the flavorful broth foundation for the entire soup
- Heavy cream or half-and-half – Creates the signature creamy, rich texture
Fresh Finishing:
- Fresh kale or Swiss chard – Adds color, nutrition, and authentic Italian flavor
- Salt and black pepper – Essential seasonings that enhance all other flavors
How to Make Zuppa Toscana in a Crock Pot
- Brown the sausage and bacon in a large skillet.
- Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked sausage and bacon to a Crock Pot or slow cooker.
- Add sliced potatoes, onions, chicken broth, salt, and pepper.
- Cook on low for 3 to 3 1/2 hours.
- About a half-hour or so before serving, add chopped kale and heavy cream. Stir to combine.
Chef’s Notes
Browning the sausage before adding it to the slow cooker eliminates excess fat and develops deeper flavor through the Maillard reaction. The current Olive Garden recipe has evolved over the years, removing bacon and switching from sausage links to ground sausage. Adding cream and kale late in the cooking process prevents overcooking the greens and curdling the dairy.
Storage & Reheating Instructions
- Refrigerator Storage: Store in airtight containers for up to 4 days. Cream may separate slightly when chilled
- Reheating Method: Warm gently on the stovetop or in a slow cooker on low, stirring occasionally to recombine ingredients
- Freezing: Freeze base soup without cream for up to 3 months. Add fresh cream when reheating for the best texture
Love Olive Garden? Try these copycat recipes!
- Olive Garden Bolognese
- Olive Garden Chicken and Shrimp Carbonara
- Olive Garden Italian Dressing
- Olive Garden Lemon Cake
- Olive Garden Oven Baked Pasta
- Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli
- Olive Garden Shrimp Scampi
Popular Crock Pot Recipes
- Crock Pot Baked Potatoes
- Crock Pot Carne Guisada
- Crock Pot Chicken Tacos
- Crock Pot Cheesy Potatoes
- Crock Pot Queso
Check out my easy Crock Pot recipes and the best Olive Garden recipes here on CopyKat!
Drop me a comment below and let me know a copycat recipe you want to see made in a Crock-Pot or slow cooker. I’d love to hear what you want.
Crock Pot Zuppa Toscana – Olive Garden Copycat Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound Italian sausage sweet or ho
- 1/4 pound bacon
- 1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes peeled, cut in half lengthwise, then sliced 1/4-inch thick
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 1/2 quarts chicken stock
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cups chopped kale or Swiss chard
- 1 cup heavy cream or half and half
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the sausage and bacon.
- Drain off excess fat and place the cooked sausage and bacon in a slow cooker.
- Add sliced potatoes, onions, and chicken broth.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Cook on low for approximately 3 to 3 1/2 hours.
- About 30 to 60 minutes before serving, add chopped kale and heavy cream.
Being on a sodium restricted diet but still loving food, I make all my own broths and make my own Italian sausage with only the sodium from the fresh meat. My chicken(or turkey) broth has about 30 mgs per cup. Everything is a trade off, so cream has no sodium while skim milk does. I use cream. These changes do not negatively effect the flavor, but knock down the sodium to less than 50 mgs per cup. I do not know how large your serving is but I picked a cup as a standard serving. I really enjoyed this soup at Olive Garden but couldn’t eat it there because of the sodium. I hope someone finds this useful..
I find your recipe very useful. I ate at Olive Garden yesterday and ordered the soup. It was so salty I couldn’t eat it.
One of the best things about cooking at home is you get to control the salt!
Thanks so much for this recipe. This was awesome and I made it in my own kitchen! Takes the worry out of restaurant unknowns; cleanliness, freshness, etc.
I am glad you enjoyed the soup.
I take Cumin so can’t eat dark vegetables. What would you suggest in place of Kale?
Thanks
I would just omit it. Truth be told, this is one of the few ways I will eat kale.
Loved this crockpot recipe.
Don’t forget chopped garlic to the sausage browning! Italian anything is more Italian when garlic is added.
I love Olive Garden Pasta E Fagioli! Would love to learn how to make that in the InstantPot!
Great Recipe. The soup was fabulous. The only thing I did different was to add flour and butter. I made a paste and then added it to the soup. Added some extra kale as we relly like it. Will definitely make this again. Thanks so much.
You mentioned that Olive Garden has changed their recipe for Zuppa Toscana. When Olive Garden first started having this soup, if I remember correctly, it was thick and creamy like potato soup. I hadn’t had it in many years, and when I had it recently it was runny, almost thin in consistency. Am I correct, that it used to be very thick?
I think it used to be a little thicker. It certainly is thinker now. How to make this thick now I would make a roux and add the roux in while you make it, or you can thicken it later with a paste of equal parts of flour and butter. I would try about 3 tablespoons flour and butter, I think this would be a good start on thickening up the soup.
I use instant potatoes as a thickener, you just add them slowly to your taste, eaiser then making a roux
I would like the recipe for Mark’s Feed Stores bergoo if possible.
Thank you for your suggestion. I am not familiar with this restaurant. Where is Mark’s Feed Store located?
Louisville, KY
I love to use instant potatoes for a thickener in my soups-adds even more taste.
Can you get a copycat recipe for Popeye’s mild chicken. Also the gravy for so their potatoes?
Esp the gravy thank you
The closest I’ve ever come to the Popeye’s grave is the Tony’s Chachere cajun gravy mix.
I will have to give that a try.
I want to see how to make IHOP Hash Browns please. Thank you!
I can’t see the step by step for the slow cooker zuppa anymore
It’s back. I am sorry, sometimes these disappear for no reason.
I would love to see the recipe for the , Olive Garden’s wedding soup and also for the mixed grillers with the sauce they serve with it. It’s to die for.
Thanks so much,
Diane
I haven’t seen their wedding soup served. I think they have regional menu items. What area of the states are you located in?
Just how I make mine! Using any other greens has not worked for me. Thank you so much for sharing and caring.
I really like the kale for this.
great recipe, but I will use turkey sausage 😉
Me too or Ground turkey seasoned
This is my favorite soup of all time. But I jazz it up just a little by adding a palm full of
Monterey Steak Seasoning and red pepper flakes to taste. Also, collards will do if you don’t have kale. They are in same family.
I love making this soup I usually triple the recipe so we have it to take to work for lunches for a few days!
What a wonderful soup. I have not tried Olive Garden’s but I prefer homemade anyhow. xo, Catherine
I eat soup all year long! This looks incredible!
Yessss!
Nothing better than a slow cooker soup on a cold, busy day!
I think you are so correct on that one!
What is your favorite soup from the olive garden?
You nailed this one for me love OG Zuppa Tos
You know what I need a good healthy breakfast bread pudding dish. Any ideas?
Years ago I learned to make a healthy bread pudding as a breakfast.
Here’s how:
4 Servings Healthy Bread Pudding
8×8: Pyrex Baking dish sprayed with release agent
Pre-heat oven to 350
4- 1 oz. sliced of bread of your choice. (I liked egg bread or raisin bread)
4 tsp. butter
4- large or extra large eggs
1/2 c. or more of sugar sub or sugar to taste
4 c. milk of choice
1 tbs. vanilla extract
4 small to med. apples, peeled, cored and diced.
2 tsp. cinnamon or spice of your liking.
Put your liquid and spice ingredients in a bowl and beat them well
Pour over your cubed bread, add apples and stir in well.
Perhaps top with nutmeg if desired and dot with butter.
Bake 350 until egg/milk are soaked in and the pudding gets
brown and puffy. Just don’t overbake and dry it out.
Nutritionals: Per Person: 1 egg, 1 c. of milk, 1 bread, 1 small fruit, 1 tsp. of fat