This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This easy Zuppa Toscana is a comforting soup made with sausage, potatoes, kale, and bacon in a savory cream broth the whole family will love!
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from The Kitchen Girl.
Why you'll love this Zuppa Toscana recipe
- It's better than Olive Garden Zuppa because you control the ingredients!
- The ingredients are simple and always available.
- You only need one pot for this zuppa toscana recipe.
- This easy recipe is written for any cooking level.
- It's pure comfort food the whole family agrees on.
This easy Zuppa Toscana is love at first bite. It uses simple ingredients like Italian sausage, bacon, potatoes, and kale in a cream broth, which makes this the ultimate bowl of comfort food when it's cool outside.
Of course, this soup is delicious on its own, but everyone goes crazy for soup with bread, right?! It's even better with soft French bread, topped with crispy homemade croutons, or dunked with crostini.
Ingredient notes
- Olive oil - Or other cooking oil.
- Onions and garlic - These are key aromatics for this tasty soup recipe.
- Italian sausage - Use spicy or mild sausage. I know the restaurant version of Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana is made with spicy sausage.
- Potatoes - I prefer Russet potatoes because they're starchy and tend to fall apart easier than other varieties, which helps thicken the soup.
- Kale - Use any variety of kale for this recipe. Spinach is also a great option!
- Chicken broth - I prefer a low sodium broth since this zuppa soup recipe uses naturally salty ingredients.
- Water - Plain water helps build the soup volume without adding extra calories and fat.
- Heavy cream - This makes the broth so rich and delicious.
- Crumbled bacon - This can be pre-cooked, or you can cook bacon using your favorite method. It's added as an optional soup topping just before serving.
How to make zuppa toscana
This soup requires only one pot: a cast iron dutch oven or a heavy-bottom stainless steel pot. See recipe footnotes for the Instant Pot method.
Start by heating olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute the onions and garlic, stirring as needed. Add sausage and sauté until cooked through. Drain excess grease.
Next, add potatoes, kale, chicken broth, and water. Bring to a boil, then simmer until potatoes are cooked through. Stir in the cream and crumbled bacon.
Serve and devour!
Recipe tips and variations
- Bacon - If using raw bacon, you can dice and saute it in the pot until crispy before you start the Zuppa recipe. Then, transfer it to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside until ready to serve.
- How to thicken this soup - The potatoes will naturally thicken the soup as it cools, but you can always mash a few potatoes into the soup while it's warm to thicken.
- Use kale or spinach - Any fresh kale can be added at any point in the cooking process. When substituting fresh spinach, I prefer to finely chop and add it just before serving to prevent overcooking it.
More soups to love
- Italian Sausage Soup
- Lasagna Soup
- Sausage and Kale Soup
- Grandma's Homemade Vegetable Soup
- Ham and Bean Soup
- Split Pea Soup with Ham
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
📖 Recipe
Easy Zuppa Toscana Recipe
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from The Kitchen Girl.
Video
When scaling the recipe 2x or 3x, the gray ingredient note stays the same. Adjust quantities accordingly.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil, or butter
- ½ medium Onion, diced (about 1 cup)
- 4 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 pound Italian Sausage (uncooked), spicy or mild
- 5 medium Russet Potatoes, diced into ½ inch cubes
- 4 cups Kale or Spinach, loosely chopped
- 4 cups Chicken Broth
- 2 cups Water, or more chicken broth
- ⅓ cup Heavy Cream
- ⅓ cup Crumbled Bacon, about 6 slices cooked * see footnote
Instructions
See recipe footnotes for the pressure cooker method.
- Heat OLIVE OIL in a 4-quart soup pot on medium-high.
- Add ONIONS and GARLIC. Sauté a few minutes until tender, stirring as needed.
- Add SAUSAGE and sauté until cooked through, stirring as needed.
- Add POTATOES, KALE, CHICKEN BROTH, and WATER.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer about 15 minutes until potatoes are cooked through.
- Stir in CREAM and COOKED BACON. Add more KALE (or spinach), if you like. Serve warm.*see recipe notes below on how to thicken the soup.
- To store, cool completely and refrigerate in an airtight container up to five days freeze up to 90 days.
Equipment
- 4-quart soup pot or 6-quart pressure cooker
Recipe Notes
- bacon - If using raw bacon, you can dice and saute it in the pot until crispy before you start the zuppa recipe. Then, transfer it to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside until ready to serve.
- How to thicken this soup - The potatoes will naturally thicken the soup as it cools, but you can always mash a few potatoes into the soup while it's warm to thicken.
- Use kale or spinach - Any variety of fresh kale can be added at any point in the cooking process. When substituting fresh spinach, I prefer to finely chop and add it just before serving to prevent overcooking it.
- Select "Sauté" on the cooker and add OIL. When the display reads "Hot", add ONIONS and GARLIC. Sauté until tender, stirring as needed.
- Add SAUSAGE (without casings) and sauté until cooked through, stirring as needed.
- Press "Cancel" and drain excess fat, if needed.
- Add POTATOES, KALE, CHICKEN BROTH, and WATER. Stir to combine.
- Secure lid, turn pressure valve to "Sealing" position. Select "Manual" or "Pressure Cook” 5 minutes on HIGH pressure. When cook cycle is done, allow pot to sit undisturbed for a 10-minute (NPR) natural pressure release. Carefully turn pressure valve to "Venting" position to release any remaining steam.
- Remove lid and resume step #6 above.
SELINA says
Your instructions are very clear and explicit. I like the additional pressure cooking instructions. Making first time for a group of 12, so wish me luck! Smells delicious so far!
Traci says
Yay! I've heard others doing the same for larger groups with great success. Let us know how it went! Enjoy!