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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How thinly should we slice the potatoes? Thanks! Making this tonight!
There isn’t really a specific requirement on how thin the potatoes should be – but please note, the thinner they are, the faster they will cook through.
Made this for my in-laws and husband and OMG it was definitely a hit!
I made this soup the other night and it was delicious. My husband and I had leftovers for lunch. The only difference was I added less cream. Thanks for the recipe.
I have not tried this yet but will. Have tried putting cream in this kind f soup before and it always curdles. Looks awful. Is there any time to add cream? Thanks
Donna, it is best to add the cream at the very end of the recipe. Please reference the last step below.
Made this last night. It was so tasty! My two kids had this again as their breakfast this morning. My son wanted me to make more. My kids and I love all your recipes. They are yummy and very easy to make. Thank you!
Went to OG last nite. Had this soup. They use kale and there was not one speck of bacon in it — never has been at our OG. Make it all the time and don’t care if I add the bacon or not. Still a great recipe
Made this last night. My family went bat. shit. crazy. over it! They loved it and so did I. Thanks. That was Damn Delicious!
What a fantastic recipe! I added extra garlic, red pepper flakes and Cajun spices along with corn and shrimp! Was so tasty!! Definitely a keeper for Minnesota winters.
I made this soup for a dinner party and it was a huge hit! I use hot turkey Italian sausage each time. I couldn’t find good spinach or kale this last time so I used green beans because I happened to have some. It was really good! I sautéed the green beans with the turkey sausage before adding it to the soup, turned out great!!
Just made this! It was delicious. I used kale instead of spinach. 🙂
Thank you for posting this soup! My husband is a soup lover and this OG soup is his favorite so I was very happy when I saw your recipe. I made it for him last night and he absolutely loved it! I think he would have proposed to me last night if we weren’t already married! I made the soup exactly as posted and I enjoyed as well. I also made your garlic monkey bread to go with it. I will definitely make this soup again!
I stumbled upon your website on a Tumblr recipe post. I am so glad I did! Tried this recipe yesterday, and it definitely turned out delicious! As a cooking novice, everything was easy enough to follow and make adjustments to. Added a cube of chicken bullion for extra flavor, and used spinach as suggested (I love spinach!). Pinned this recipe, and am definitely going to have to make it again! Thanks for sharing!
This soup was fantastic!!!!! Didn’t change a thing! Served with an italian salad and italian bread, perfection!
I’m going to buy the ingredients right now and make it. It’s freezing here today. It looks and sounds amazing. I’m sticking to your recipe, after all, it is yours! I don’t know why they go on and on about the kale issue. If you want to use kale, just use it and be done with it.
Thank you for all your amazing recipes. Your beautiful photos make me want to try each and every one. Thank you
Such a fabulous soup on this cold day! Very easy to make and my family loves it. Thanks
I made this today and it was really fantastic. I opted to go for the kale rather than the spinach to add a little crunch. I also added an extra couple of potatoes and an extra clove of garlic. I used a little onion salt because that is my favorite. My choice for sausage was Bob Evans Italian sausage. Absolutely phenomenal. I also to the advice of an above poster to make the bacon really crispy. Very helpful hint. Thank you so much for this recipe.
Just made this soup for lunch and it was delicious ( followed your recipe without a single change:)
I found that just about every time I pinned something lately – it was from your site – so I am now a follower – keep up the great work!!
I love this soup. I just put a batch in my crockpot – that’s how I like to make it. Thanks for a great recipe.
How long did you cook it in the crockpot?
Damn delicious is correct! We made it for dinner last week and I’m craving some more. I like creamy soup so I put two cups of cream and 1/2 c. Flour. Either way the flavor is amazing!
Just came across this recipe on Pinterest. OMGeee! This surely turned out much better than what I’ve had at the Olive Garden. Thanks for the awesome recipe! I now know what I will take to my work potluck on Wednesday!!! Nom nom nommm…