Zuppa Toscana Soup has spicy italian sausage, potatoes, and kale in a creamy broth. This Olive Garden restaurant classic can be made at home whenever you'd like and dare I say it's even more delicious than the original!
I first had this soup at Olive Garden many years ago and I loved it immediately. It is the perfect blend of hearty without feeling overly heavy. There are so many good for you ingredients like kale, onions, garlic, and potatoes.
We love it spicy, so I used both hot sausage and additional red pepper flakes, but you can adjust that to your liking. Don't forget a generous garnish of fresh grated parmesan cheese to really give it that restaurant feel.
We love a good restaurant copycat recipe in our house, so I am always on creating meals based around our favorites. For more Olive Garden copycat recipes, check out Olive Garden Eggplant Parmesan, Olive Garden Steak Gorgonzola, Olive Garden Chicken Veronese and Olive Garden Stuffed Chicken Marsala.
For more copycat recipes try, Copycat Wingstop Ranch Recipe, Chicken Friand (La Mad Copycat), and Texas Roadhouse Smothered Chicken.
Ingredients
- Italian sausage: We prefer spicy, but mild italian sausage works well too.
- Onion: Yellow onion or white onion diced well adds great flavor to the broth.
- Garlic: Use however much your heart desires, I like around 6 cloves because we are a house of garlic lovers.
- Potatoes: I used about one pound of potatoes. Use any variety you'd like, russet, fingerling, yukon gold, red, etc. Slice them on the thinner side so that they cook up quickly.
- Chicken Stock: For added flavor and nutrition you can also use bone broth.
- Heavy Cream: For a lighter version of this soup, you can substitute half and half or whole milk.
- Kale: Chop the kale thoroughly so that it easily fits on the spoon when eating and it is well dispersed within the soup.
How to Make Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana
Step 1. In a large soup pot over medium heat, brown Italian sausage and break it up with a wooden spoon. After sausage is brown (about 8 minutes) remove it to a plate.
Step 2. To the same pot, add butter. Add in garlic and onions. Stir and cook until onions are translucent, about 3 minutes.
Step 3. Add sliced potatoes, chicken stock, water, and salt. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes.
Step 4. Add chopped kale, cooked sausage crumbles, and heavy creamy and simmer for another 5 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender.
Recipe Tips
- This soup can be adjusted to your liking. For a chunkier soup, chop everything bigger or even add additional kale/potatoes.
- Use hot italian sausage for a spicy soup. For even more kick, add red pepper flakes.
What to Serve with Zuppa Toscana
This spicy sausage soup is great because it is hearty enough to enough as a full meal but it can also be served alongside a main dish. Here are some great dishes to pair with zuppa toscana.
More Delicious Soup Recipes
Did you enjoy this Zuppa Toscana Recipe? I would love for you to let me know by leaving a comment and star rating. I can't wait to hear from you!
Zuppa Toscana (Spicy Sausage and Kale Soup)
Ingredients
- 1 lb. italian sausage hot or mild
- 1 tbsp. butter
- 1 medium onion diced
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 1 lb. potatoes any variety, sliced thin
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup heavy cream or half and half
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 cups kale chopped
Instructions
- In a large soup pot over medium heat, brown Italian sausage and break it up with a wooden spoon. After sausage is brown (about 8 minutes) remove it to a plate.
- To the same pot, add butter.
- Add in garlic and onions. Stir and cook until onions are translucent, about 3 minutes.
- Add sliced potatoes, chicken stock, water, and salt. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes.
- Add chopped kale, cooked sausage crumbles, and heavy creamy and simmer for another 5 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender.
Sarah
One of the easiest recipes to make and goes far with feeding my family.