Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Copycat Recipe
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So easy to make and 10x better than the original! With Italian sausage, potatoes, spinach + bacon!
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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.
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I haven’t been to Olive Garden in forever and don’t think I have had this. It looks mighty tasty though!
Love this – I could seriously dive into that amazing bowl of soup. And P.S. seriously – what do they do to make those breadsticks so good? Those things are ridiculous.
This looks so amazing – I love soup!
Heavy cream and bacon? Sign me up.
I made this recipe today and want to say thank you very much for it, was delicious soup. I follow all the steps and was very easy to make and tasted wonderful my husband was amazed.
thanks!
I really wish I had a bowl of this…now! Looks so comforting and decadent!
Stunning! It’s a soup day here (actually, will be soup days here for the next 3 or 4 months, but I won’t wait nearly that long to try this soup.
I need a bowl of this right now Chung-Ah! It’s snowing and just got inside from a long walk with Jude. Total comfort in a bowl. Looks amazing!
u must be on the east coast! What a mess today was, huh? Good soup day, yes!
Oh wow – this looks amazing! Not just pinning this – but planning to make it very soon!
Oh wow, I loved this soup at the Olive Garden as a kid too! Can’t wait to try the real (copied) deal at home. Got any other OG copycats buried away? I also loved the chicken gnocchi soup growing up!
Im making this today, looks absolutely amazing. I am using half and half and do not cook with it often. Should I heat it before adding it to the soup to keep from curdling? Thanks so much for sharing!
There’s no need to heat before adding. Let me know how it turns out!
Girl. You nailed this! Pinned! 🙂
Thanks for the pin, as always – you’re the best! 🙂
This looks so good! I could use a bowl or 2 today! It is freezing here!
OG’s uses kale rather than spinach. I make this soup all the time. So yummy 🙂
I actually prefer the spinach a lot more than the kale – the kale is a bit too harsh for this soup!
My family prefers the kale. It stands up and keeps it texture much better than the spinach, and is better for you.
I’m actually not the biggest fan of kale – I guess it all depends on personal preference!
Try swiss chard. And if you see black Italian kale try that it is less ‘harsh’ then the curly kind found in most markets.
I used baby organic kale…small and tender,not harsh
Actually, Kale isn’t that much better for you, they are both good for different reasons. Kale is higher in protein, but lower in iron. It has more calcium, but less magnesium. Spinach also has much higher potassium. Both are great sources of Vitamin A, while Kale has a higher concentration of Vitamin C and Spinach has fewer calories and carbs. It all depends on what your diet needs — there is no ‘one veggie does all’ choice. Kale is just a fad right now.
Kale is VERY high in Vitamin “K” which is bad if you are on a blood thinner
Thanks that’s very nice to know about kale.
Call me weird but I like kale. I like swiss chard naked. How much of the nutrients that make these veggies “top o’ the world ma” get cooked out by the time they get to your mouth? Leftovers? Just a stupid question from a convoluted mind!!
You are correct. OG uses kale, not spinach. It is my favorite soup, and I don’t recall that there is much bacon in it, either.
It’s not bacon your right ,, it’s pancetta
Yes please, this soup is comfort in a bowl!
Loved the soup! The only thing I would change is the amount of sausage, I think I’ll try just a 1/2 pd. next time. Thanks for sharing!
I doubled the sausages! Otherwise made exactly as stated. Glad I did! Very good!!
I used to work at the OG many years ago, and this by far was my favorite thing on the menu! I have made this several times, but I recently wanted to reduce the calories. I made a batch with spicy Italian turkey sausage and whole milk instead of the heavy cream and I actually thought it turned out better! Plus I didn’t feel as guilty having a second bowl 😉 I’ve always made it with kale, but I bet the spinich would be good too, just don’t skip on the bacon and make sure you cook it till its really crispy cause it will soften up in the soup.
I made this using hot Italian turkey sausage and 1/2 & 1/2 instead of heavy cream, and even my picky 6th grade son loved it! A little bit healthier option…so I could feel less guilty about serving it with this yummy cheesy garlic bread (http://www.crunchycreamysweet.com/2014/08/17/easy-cheesy-garlic-bread/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=easy-cheesy-garlic-bread)! This was the PERFECT meal for a rainy November evening!!! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!!!
I order this every time I go to Olive Garden. Always wanted to make it at home. Except I don’t ever remember the restaurant version as having any bacon in it. I normally don’t like bacon in any recipes so if it were in there my taste buds would know it. I’ve seen other copycat recipes for this and they too include bacon. (Don’t get me wrong….i love bacon, just don’t like it in recipes because to me the flavor overpowers the other ingredients. )
I’ve made this soup numerous times and I’ve never used bacon. Turns out delicious.
I find that swiss chard works really well
Pancetta is what is used instead of bacon . I’ve made it several times ,,, this is one of my favorite things at Olive Garden.
Olive Garden uses kale