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 can’t even begin to tell you what a hit this was. Talking about possible additions here with a friend and he said “Don’t change a thing. Never change a thing.” =D We both agreed that a tad more spinach might be in order, though. This will be my contribution to an Easter meal tomorrow. Found you on pinterest, BTW and so happy I did. Thank you! 🙂
We loved this soup! Thanks for the recipe.
Thank you so much for this copy cat recipe!! You are amazing. My husband does not like spice so I used half regular!! it was delish, thanks again.
One thing missing from the recipe to make it just like olive garden’s : fennel. You can go to the expense and time of buying, cleaning, dicing a little fennel, or you can add 1 delicious drop of doTERRA Fennel essential oil. Really adds the crowning touch to this delicious soup.
Making this right now, but trying to do the low carb thing. no potatoes, and using fat free cream. Smells and tastes amazing! Used lots of kale, some chili flakes and fresh parsley.
I just made this soup. What a HIT!!! love it!!!!
Made this soup last night for my boyfriends mom. (She’s very critical about everything) But she slurpped every drop and had seconds. She said “its pretty good.” Doesn’t sound like much but from her its a high compliment indeed! It was a super easy recipe. I used six cups of broth though. Delicious! Boyfriend loved it too. Made me stop eating (I had 3 bowls lol) so he has some for lunch. Big hugs thanks sooo much!!
🙂
Chung-Ah,
I had saved this recipe several weeks ago and today I made it for my husband. We’ve been married for 65 years and I still love cooking for him. When we go to the Olive Garden he always gets the Soupa Tuscana and I get something different because I’m not a big sausage eater. I used the Johnsonville Spicy Sausage and took the meat out of the casing. I also used a little more chicken broth because he likes a lot if broth, I just thickened it a little using some of the cream and cornflower. He absolutely wents nuts over it. He said it had a lot more flavor than the Olive Gardens. I also made breadsticks from scratch, so he felt like a King. I did taste a little if it and I agree I think it’s much better than the original. Thank you for sharing.
Carolyn, I am so glad you were able to give this a try. And I am so jealous of the homemade breadsticks. I definitely need to do that the next time I make this!
It’s actually Kale and not Spinach.
Carol, yes, the original version does use kale. But as I mentioned in the previous comments, I am not the biggest kale fan, hence the use of spinach. There is no right or wrong answer here – it’s all based on personal preference.
Making this tonight! I love bacon in anything and will add it here as well but, does the original OG recipe use it?
To my understanding, Olive Garden does include the bacon in their version. Either way, I still recommend adding it in because after all, everything is better with a little bit of bacon!
As soon as my friend sent me your link, I went to the grocery store in a snow storm! It was delicious! Definitely going in my “keeper” file! Lol the grocery literally had no spicy or medium Italian sausage left in the case. I had to settle for mild and added red pepper flakes. Made me think many people were whipping up your recipe in Minnesota today!
I made this soup tonight. It was very good, however the half and half curdled . Did not affect the taste. Any hint to prevent?
Joyce, I recommend using heavy cream as the recipe indicates.
Great recipe! I use 12cups of chicken broth and a can of evaporated milk instead of the cream. I’ve never used the cream but that sounds really good as well. My whole family loves this soup.
I freakin’ love this soup! I make it all the time. Great idea using spinach instead of kale!
OMG. like totally OMGEEEEEEEE !!! this is like so YUMMERS. i need to take a selfie of me and this soup…it is so OMG i just ROFL and out my window it was so OMG…YUM NOM NOM NOM NOM. SWOOOOONN.
IMO, The kale is much better in this soup. My family loves this also!!
Diana, I think that’s really based on personal preference. I’m not the biggest fan of kale so I absolutely love the spinach in this!
This was such a great and easy recipe! Definitely going on my staple recipe list. Thank you!
This soup was soooo good. I always order it when I go to OG. I must say this was way better than theirs. I too used kale like they do. My family gobbled it up. My FIL was slurping the last bit with a spoon out of the pot. Thanks for posting this recipe.
I am making this tonight but with turkey Italian sausage and using skim milk instead. It smells fantastic. I always try to make recipes healthier as I am trying to lose weight but don’t want to miss out on stuff.
Chung-Ah, thank you, thank you, and thank you! I made this tonight. It was fantastic! My hubby and son loved it. It is in my soup rotation! I stumbled upon your website. I will definitely keep coming back for more. Keep up the good work!
This was fabulous! I used frozen spinach from my garden and Regular Jimmy Dean sausage. Great!!