Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Copycat Recipe
This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our privacy policy for details.
An Olive Garden copycat recipe! This zuppa toscana soup is made with crumbled sausage, tender potatoes, spinach and bacon. So cozy, so hearty!
Featured Comment
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!
Why you’ll love Olive Garden zuppa toscana
- Copycat recipe. This is Olive Garden’s most favorited, most-loved soup, and you can whip this up right at home in a single pot, which is always a win on those super busy weeknights (hello, easy cleanup here). It’s made with crumbled Italian sausage, tender russet potatoes, sneaked in leafy greens, and all the crispy bacon crumbles sprinkled on top.
- Allows for complete customization. By making this restaurant-favorite at home, you have full control over all the ingredients. Make it spicy, make it mild, make it extra creamy, or make it a little lighter with healthier swaps.
- Leftovers taste even better. Similar to lasagna, zuppa toscana tastes even better the very next day, really letting the flavors marry overnight.
- Budget-friendly. You can enjoy restaurant-quality soup for just a fraction of the cost using better quality ingredients all around.
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).
Key Ingredients
- Italian sausage: mild or spicy
- Aromatics: garlic and onion
- Liquid: chicken broth or chicken stock
- Potatoes: russet potatoes
- Greens: baby spinach or kale
- Cream: heavy cream or half and half for a lighter version
- Seasoning: salt and pepper
- Topping: bacon crumbles
How to make Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Copycat Recipe
- Cook the bacon. Place the diced bacon in a Dutch oven over medium hight heat. Pro tip: you do not need to add oil as the bacon will render its own natural fat. Cook, stirring constantly, until golden brown, bubbly, and crispy, about 6-8 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside, leaving 2 tablespoons of bacon grease in the Dutch oven.
- Brown the sausage. Add the Italian sausage with the casing removed. Crumble and break apart the sausage as it cooks, stirring until browned and cooked through. Drain the excess fat but reserve 2 tablespoons in the Dutch oven.
- Sauté the aromatics. Stir in the garlic and onion until the onions are soft and translucent.
- Simmer. Stir in the chicken broth and russet potatoes. Reduce the heat and let it simmer until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 10 minutes.
- Finish. Stir in the spinach (or kale) and heavy cream.
- Serve. Season with salt and pepper, and serve warm, sprinkled with the reserved crispy bacon.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH ZUPPA TOSCANA
Tools For This Recipe
Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Copycat Recipe: Frequently Asked Questions
Is zuppa toscana soup spicy?
The spicy Italian sausage does pack a little bit of heat, but you can substitute mild Italian sausage for milder flavors.
What is heavy cream?
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.
How can I store leftovers?
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days, gently reheating on the stovetop until warmed through.
Is this freezer-friendly?
Yes! You can freeze the leftovers without the heavy cream and bacon (cream soups tend to separate when frozen) in individual freezer bags. To reheat, thaw overnight and reheat gently on the stovetop, adding heavy cream and bacon when serving.
Can I make this in the Instant Pot?
Absolutely! I have a recipe for that here.
Do you have a recipe for Olive Garden’s pasta e fagioli?
Yes! You can find the copycat recipe here.
Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Copycat Recipe
An Olive Garden copycat recipe! This zuppa toscana soup is made with crumbled sausage, tender potatoes, spinach and bacon. So cozy, so hearty!
Video
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.
Equipment
Notes
- Render some bacon fat. Save some of the leftover bacon fat to cook the sausage and aromatics – this will add a rich, smoky base layer to the soup. And the bacon crumbles will double as a garnish when serving.
- Use starchy potatoes. Russet potatoes have a high starch content, naturally thickening the soup into a velvety consistency while soaking up the rich flavors.
- 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 of cooking, pouring very slowly to prevent curdling.
- Make it dairy-free. Substitute coconut cream or skip the heavy cream.
- Add garnishes. Garnishes are always optional but a fresh sprinkle of grated Parmesan or some crispy bacon will take your soup to the next level, adding more flavor, texture and contrast.
- Freeze without the heavy cream. The dairy (heavy cream) may separate or look grainy when thawed. If you are planning to freeze the soup, hold off on the heavy cream and bacon, and portion the soup into plastic freezer bags in individual servings. Label, date, and freeze up to 2 months.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
So good! The only thing I change is the potatoes for frozen cauliflower. Lowers the carbs and tastes delicious. My husband even loves it with the cauliflower.
I saw everyone else’s comments raving about this, maybe I missed something, but mine was kind of tasteless??? What did I do wrong? Next time I’ll do 50/50 spicy/mild Italian sausage but the broth part of it was tasteless. Otherwise everything else was on point.
I completely understand where you’re coming from, but over the years this has become our absolute favorite and something I have ready when guest visit. A few things I learned to do… Cook bacon, remove, and add onion to bacon fat (about 2tablespoons) Let those get pretty brown. Add garlic. Then add your seasonings of choice to these veggies. Now add your sausage into the pot.
It’s all about layering the flavors. The broth will take the seasoning and salt from meat and veggies, but I have found after the potatoes go in, you lose some. This is a soup that HAS to sit for a day- so I leave out spinach until the rewarm.
I think the biggest difference in mine is I homemaker the chicken broth. An alternative, if you don’t have chickens or farm fresh near you..is to boil down a rotisserie from the store..with just a little meat left on it.
I hope these tips help!!
First and foremost, this soup is DELICIOUS! Having said that, I would caution others to think carefully about the broth to potato ratio and the serving size. Since I was only cooking for two, I halved the recipe to get 4 servings (yes, I even used 1.5 russet potatoes…not sure what I’m going to do with that other half of a potato…). Not only did I have to add an additional 1.5 cups of broth to be able to cook the potatoes uncovered, but even then, it only came out to make 3 servings total for us. We were eating it as our entire meal (in normal size soup bowls), no other sides, so maybe that made a difference? If you were serving it with a hearty salad and bread then maybe you could get away with 8 servings for the total recipe, but if you’re eating it as your entire meal, you’ll likely only get 5-6 servings out of the whole recipe. Next time I’ll sub the heavy cream for half and half as others suggested to lighten it up, but I have no doubt it will still be outstanding!
This recipe is amazing!! So easy and quick. My husband and I are big fans of brothy soups so we only used two potatoes instead of 3 and it worked out perfectly for us! Thank you for this recipe!! I’m so excited to make this for a potluck (when it’s safe to gather again) 🙂
Awesome Awesome Awesome….I didn’t garnish it with bacon, sausage has enough grease lol…. hubby LOVED it!! Wish I could post pic…..Thank you
Mm this sounds delicious.. I’ve never had toscana soup before (Aussie, hello!) & I am lactose intolerant so I’m wondering if it would be a sin to leave the cream out at the end? Thanks so much!
I’ve used coconut milk as a substitute and it’s delicious!
I had to doctor up my liquid to potato portion, but it was nonetheless amazing!
This is one of my favorite recipes. I have been making it for a few years now and come back to it every now and then, especially in fall and winter months or when I feel a cold coming on. I sub kale for spinach sometimes depending on what’s in the fridge, which is also delicious, and often use half and half instead of heavy cream for less calories. If you haven’t tried it yet you are missing out!
Delicious! I let mine simmer all day and added the heavy cream once I got home from work. It was so good. Better than Olive Garden!
I made this with sweet sausage and it was delicious. My husband got this soup at Olive Garden all the time but said just as good with a little parm on top. Definitely a keeper.
I use 2 potatoes then at end put a large can of white beans in it. Add a tap of dried Oregano too. Love this recipe. Make it a lot!
Definitely DELICIOUS!!!
Can I do doulbedouble in an a 6 qt? How much extra time shouldd i cook it?
Ooooo I notice spinach rather than kale. Not a giant fan of
Kale so this is a great alternative.
We made this tonight and it was great! We doubled the meat but we usually do that with soups because it is our dinner. We will be making it again!
Love this recipe just made it tonight! Thank you for posting it wife and my little girl loved it!
This was easy and delicious!!!
So easy to make and soooo very good. Warms you up on a cold day!
Glad I found this, this soup is an instant hit…
I’m new to cooking but just this yesterday and it was awesome. Great flavors.
Excellent