Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Copycat Recipe
This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our privacy policy for details.
So easy to make and 10x better than the original! With Italian sausage, potatoes, spinach + bacon!
Featured Comment
why i love this recipe
A homemade replica version of the most favorited Olive Garden soup? Yes, please! Now this copycat recipe comes together in one single pot, which is always a win on those super busy weeknights (hello, easy clean up here), loaded with crumbled spicy Italian sausage, tender russet potatoes, sneaked in greens and all the crispy bacon bits on top.
WHAT IS ZUPPA TOSCANA?
Zuppa toscana is a soup from northern Italy in Tuscany. Translated word for word, zuppa toscana literally means Tuscan soup, also known as minestra di pane in Italy (bread soup).
tips and tricks for success
- Add in leafy greens. This is a great recipe to sneak in leafy greens for those picky eaters. Spinach, kale, collard greens, swiss chard, or arugula are all great options.
- Add the cream slowly. Always add the heavy cream at the very end, pouring very slowly to prevent curdling.
- Make it dairy-free. Need a dairy free option? Substitute coconut cream or skip the half and half.
- Add garnishes. Garnishes are always optional but a fresh sprinkle of grated Parmesan or some crispy bacon will certainly take your soup to the next level, adding more flavor, texture and contrast.
- Serve with crusty bread. Serve with all the homemade crusty bread for dipping, sopping and dunking!
WHAT TO SERVE WITH ZUPPA TOSCANA
Tools For This Recipe
Dutch oven
Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Copycat Recipe: Frequently Asked Questions
The spicy Italian sausage does pack a little bit of heat but you can substitute mild Italian sausage as needed.
Heavy cream (or heavy whipping cream) has one of the highest fat contents with about 36-40% fat. Half and half or whole milk are suitable substitutes, but will yield a lighter result.
Yes! You can freeze the leftovers without the heavy cream and bacon (cream soups tend to separate when frozen) in individual freezer bags, thaw overnight, and reheat on the stovetop, adding heavy cream and bacon when serving.
Absolutely! We have a recipe for that here.
Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Copycat Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 slices bacon, diced
- 1 pound spicy Italian sausage, casing removed
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 sweet onion, diced
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 3 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 3 cups baby spinach
- 1 cup heavy cream
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium hight heat. Add bacon and cook until brown and crispy, about 6-8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate; drain excess fat, reserving 2 tablespoons in the stockpot, and set aside.
- Add Italian sausage and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the sausage as it cooks; drain excess fat, reserving 2 tablespoons in the stockpot.
- Add garlic and onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until onions have become translucent, about 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in chicken broth and potatoes. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in spinach until wilted, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in heavy cream until heated through, about 1 minute; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve immediately, garnished with bacon.
Video
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
When is the olive oil added? Am I missing it? Thanks.
This is amazing soup, easy for weeknights too and so flavorful. If I want to make it low carb/keto I sub potatoes with cauliflower and its still very delicious.
Yumm! I definitely needed another two or 3 cups of broth. I threw in some diced roasted red peppers and swapped the spinach for kale.
So good! Fast and easy too.
I have been making this for several years. It’s my son’s favorite!
Olive garden uses kale. I’ve been making the recipe for over a decade. It’s absolutely the best soup on the planet.
I love this recipe! I didn’t have bacon but had a little baconfat and it’s yummy!!!!
I’ve been making this soup for 6+ years an just realized I haven’t left a review. This is an amazing recipe and I only get compliments when I make it. It’s a must in any dinner rotation and makes great leftovers.
Truly better than the original and a go to family meal, especially in the fall and cold winter when the family is a bit under the weather. I used kale because that is what we had on hand. Will need to try with the spinach.
My husband always gets this at Olive Garden so I thought I’d make it at home for him. He RAVED about it- said it was better than Olive Garden’s and could eat it every night. Thanks so much for an easy yummy recipe!
AMAZING RECIPE!! MY VERY FAVORITE SOUP!!
I made this twice! I use kale instead of spinach, low sodium chicken broth, and don’t add the salt at the end. Also I used 1/2 mild, 1/2 spicy sausage, and doubled down on the bacon and potatoes.
OMGoodness!!! Perfect comfort food! I wish I could show you the picture!
This looks amazing and definitely something I’ll be trying real soon.
ps As a new food blogger, I’m amazed by your comment section!! Hopefully I can get there one day.
A lot of my meals planned for this week are your recipes! I made this soup the other night for dinner served with some bread as suggested. Was easy and delicious. Made for great lunch leftovers as well. Looking forward to making the lemon chicken piccata tomorrow 🙂
This is a great recipe and so versatile! I had printed out the instant pot version but I like this one better. My family loved it, even our picky eaters! I tripled the broth portion because a few of us love the broth. Added in two extra potatoes. If you don’t have spinach you could always use kale or broccoli. Serve with a crusty French bread and some white wine!
I had to make a couple of dietary substitutions. Instead of pork hot Italian sausage, I used chicken hot Italian sausage. Instead of cream, I used Califia Barista oatmilk. It was delicious and the picky adult eaters in my house raved about it. Way better than than the real thing!
before serving I still add diced feta cheese
This was so much better than the original and it will definitely be going in my dinner rotation. All of your recipes are amazing.
I’ve made this several times on slow cooker. Always delicious!
This was amazing! I did not change or add a thing! This was so delicious, my family loved it because it is so different. I never tried at Olive Garden so i cannot compare it, but it was so full of flavor.