Love this copycat recipe for Olive Garden’s  Zuppa Toscana Soup – tastes exactly like the real thing!
Zuppa Toscana Soup
Many years ago, my little brother found a recipe for Zuppa Toscana soup from Olive Garden. This soup is a family favorite whenever we visit Olive Garden and is something we all look forward to. After a few tweaks I think this soup tastes just like the real thing.
My older sister sends me a box of organic produce once a month. Last week it arrived and had a gorgeous bunch of kale in it and I knew just what to make. This is the perfect meal for a cool fall or winter day – sure to warm up your belly!
Directions:Â
Crumble the sausage onto a baking sheet. Bake the sausage in the oven at 300 degrees for about 30 minutes or until no longer pink. Place on paper towels to drain.
Cook the bacon and crumble into small pieces. I baked my bacon. Slice the potatoes between 1/8″ and 1/4″. I used the thick setting on my mandoline. Just make the slices about the same size so they cook evenly. Dice up the onion and mince the garlic. Throw the potatoes, onion, garlic, chicken broth, and water into a large pot on medium heat until the potatoes are cooked through.
Prepare the kale by chopping into bite sized pieces. Kale is wonderful for soups because it holds up to the heat so well. It’s also delicious! Add the sausage, bacon, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Soup
Ingredients
- 1 lb Italian Sausage spicy if you prefer more heat
- 5-7 slices of bacon
- 5 medium russet potatoes
- 2 cups kale chopped
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 qt water
- 28 oz chicken broth
- ½ large onion
- 2-3 cloves of garlic minced
- 2 tsp red pepper flakes
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Crumble the sausage onto a baking sheet. Bake the sausage in the oven at 300 degrees for about 30 minutes or until no longer pink. Place on paper towels to drain.
- Cook the bacon and crumble into small pieces. I baked my bacon. Slice the potatoes between ⅛ inch and ¼ inch thick. I used the thick setting on my mandolin. Just make the slices about the same size so they cook evenly. Dice up the onion and mince the garlic. Throw the potatoes, onion, garlic, chicken broth, and water into a large pot on medium heat until the potatoes are cooked through.
- Prepare the kale by chopping into bite sized pieces. Kale is wonderful for soups because it holds up to the heat so well. It’s also delicious!
- Add the sausage, bacon, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- During this time the potatoes will start breaking apart into smaller bite sized pieces because they are so tender. Turn the heat to low and add in the kale and heavy cream. Let the soup heat through and serve. We like to serve this soup with some grated Parmesan cheese on top. Delicious!
Nutrition
 More dinners to love:
Cheesy Chicken Broccoli and Rice Casserole
20 Minute Skillet Chicken and Spinach Parmesan
Anonymous says
I’ve been making this soup for some time…..love it. I don’t use heavy cream. I sub. half and half tastes great.
Anonymous says
Just made this and finished eating it, and I have to say… I cannot stop raving about how good this is!!! So much like olive garden and absolutely delicious. Two things, one, I didn’t really measure the chicken stock or heavy cream, just added what I thought was appropriate for the taste and two I accidentally added the bacon crumbles in with the the potatoes and onions but I think it added a lot of extra flavor. Served with garlic bread for an incredible dinner. Thank you so much for is recipe!!!
Anonymous says
It was DELISH! Thanks for sharing!!
Happier Than a Pig in Mud says
This really sounds good:@)
Anonymous says
Thanks so much for sharing. We love it and our now adding to our soup night rotation.
Amy - while wearing heels says
Just added these ingredients to my shopping list. I can’t wait to try it. Thanks for sharing!
Anonymous says
I got your recipe from Pinterest and followed it exactly. Wow, I made the most wonderful soup! I love this more than the restaurant version….thanks for sharing!
Julie says
You totally nailed it on this recipe. Loved it so much, I’ve shared it with my readers!
http://lessthanperfectlifeofbliss.blogspot.com/2012/02/pin-worthy-potato-soup.html
Pam says
This really caught my attention since my hubby used to manage an Olive Garden here in the Tampa Bay area. This is one of our faves from their menu! I’ll have to give your recipe a shot! 🙂
Anonymous says
Thanks for sharing this recipe! 🙂
Anonymous says
Just tried this and it was delicious!
Anonymous says
We have made this several times now and it is fantastic!
Katie says
I made my own version of this a few months back. Your’s looks great!
Julie says
Yum! Pinning this
sami says
I made this yesterday, simply wonderful. Using kale chips instead of fresh kale and calling it “stew” because my husband won’t eat soup.