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My Zuppa Toscana is a hearty, creamy, and delicious take on the popular Olive Garden soup. Made with a flavorful mix of Italian sausage, crispy bacon, tender potatoes, and fresh chopped kale, all simmered in a savory broth, it’s guaranteed to warm you up from the inside out.
Pair it with my amazing garlic bread bruschetta recipe or this fantastic cheesy garlic pull-apart bread.
Filling, flavorful, and enough to make a meal, Zuppa Toscana soup is a favorite for good reason. Flecked with bacon and studded with savory bites of sausage, it also has a creamy-salty broth, chunks of potatoes, and bright bursts of green kale. My husband is absolutely obsessed with this soup and could eat it every week! With soup season here, it’s definitely on repeat at our house, keeping everyone warm and satisfied.
Why We Love This Zuppa Toscana Soup
- It’s a one-pot meal. I truly love a meal that’s made in one pot, and this zuppa toscana recipe more than fits the bill. You can add a loaf of fresh bread or a side salad, but even if you don’t, a bowl of this soup will be more than enough to satisfy you.
- Great leftovers. The flavors in this soup develop even more the longer it sits in the fridge so that you can enjoy it again later in the week for lunch or a quick dinner.
- Pure comfort food. The addition of cream in this zuppa Toscana makes every spoonful extra cozy!
What Is Zuppa Toscana?
Zuppa toscana soup is an Italian soup believed to have originated in the Tuscan region of Italy. Translated from the Italian, zuppa toscana simply means “Tuscan soup”. Most versions of zuppa toscana include Italian sausage, bacon, potatoes, garlic, kale, and a little cream.
Recipe Ingredients
Here’s everything you need to make zuppa toscana. The ingredients are simple and easy to find at any grocery store, so you can grab them in one quick trip! I’ve also included a few notes to help guide you through the recipe. The full ingredient amounts and thorough instructions are in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Bacon – Use your favorite type of bacon in this soup.
- Italian Sausage – I use ground Italian sausage.
- Onion – A yellow onion is what I use but a white onion will also work.
- Garlic – Fresh minced garlic adds aromatic flavor. Feel free to add more garlic if you like a lot of it. Garlic powder can also work.
- Potatoes – Yukon Golden potatoes are my choice for this soup because they hold their shape well during cooking and don’t get mushy.
- Chicken Stock – Regular, low-sodium, or even vegetable broth works.
- Italian Seasoning – If you don’t have Italian seasoning, substitute a combination of equal parts dried basil and dried oregano.
- Kale – Make sure to remove the kale leaves from the ribs before chopping it up so that there aren’t any extra chewy bits of kale in the soup.
- Heavy Cream – If you don’t have heavy cream you can swap in half-and-half with good results.
- Salt and Pepper – I use fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
How To Make Zuppa Toscana
If you have a Dutch oven, I highly recommend using it—it’s perfect for making this recipe. If not, a large soup pot works just as well. Below, you’ll find step-by-step photos and directions to guide you through making this delicious soup!
- Cook the bacon: Cook the bacon until crispy. Transfer the cooked bacon to a plate (leave the bacon fat in the pot).
- Sauté the onion and sausages: Add the onion to the pot and sauté, add the garlic, then add the sausage.
- Add the potatoes and chicken broth: Add the potatoes to the pot. Pour in the chicken stock and stir in the Italian seasoning. Boil over medium-high heat, then simmer until the potatoes are tender.
- Stir in the kale: Add the kale and simmer until wilted.
- Finish: Return two-thirds of the cooked bacon to the pot; reduce heat to low, stir in the heavy cream, season, and heat through.
- Serve: Ladle the Zuppa Toscana into bowls and garnish with the reserved crispy bacon pieces. Add a loaf of Italian bread and some softened, salted butter to the table, along with a bowl of grated Parmesan cheese to sprinkle over the top of each bowl of soup, and dinner is ready!
Recipe Tips & Variations
While I consider this zuppa toscana recipe to be utterly perfect as-is, it’s also a very forgiving recipe if you need to make some ingredient changes.
- Massage the kale. If you’ve made kale salad, you’re probably familiar with the technique, called massaging, in which you crunch up the kale in your hands to help it relax. Kale is a tougher green and rubbing it between your palms for up to a minute can help it to soften and then wilt better into the soup.
- Try other greens. Zuppa Toscana soup traditionally includes kale, and I love to use it in many soup recipes, such as in my crack chicken soup, but you can try it with spinach or chard.
- Go spicy. Add red pepper flakes or a pinch of cayenne pepper to the soup for a bit of heat.
- Make it vegetarian. For a vegetarian spin on zuppa toscana, leave out the bacon and substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth. Use your favorite plant-based sausage for the Italian sausage and, if you wish to make it a bit more hearty, add 1 can of drained white beans or chickpeas.
- Add pasta. If you want to add a little pasta, I recommend using a smaller size like macaroni, orzo, or ditalini like in pasta fagioli. You can substitute it for the potatoes, or add it in addition to the potatoes. If you do add the pasta, you may need to thin the soup out by adding more water or broth.
Side Dish Ideas
Homemade bread is my first choice as a side dish to a bowl of this zuppa toscana recipe. You’ll love my no knead bread, or make this cheesy skillet bread. For a homey side, make my homemade cornbread recipe!
Soup and salad is always a winning combo. Make a simple and fresh avocado tomato salad, or go with a fruit salad like my easy fruit salad with honey lime dressing.
Start off a meal of zuppa toscana with a big platter of Italian antipasto pasta salad, or serve small bowls of soup with slices of grilled pizza capricciosa.
Proper Storage
- Fridge – Zuppa toscana soup keeps well, making a nice make-ahead option if you know you’ll have a busy week ahead. To store leftovers, transfer the cooled soup to an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freezer – You can place the soup in an airtight, freezer-safe container or portion it out in individual freezer-safe bags and store it in the freezer for up to 2 months. Note that the cream, when defrosted, may affect the texture of the soup, but it will still taste good. Another option is to leave out the cream if you know you’ll want to freeze leftovers and add it in when you reheat the soup.
- To Reheat – Warm zuppa toscana in a pot on the stove over medium heat until hot.
More Soup Recipes To Try
Zuppa Toscana
Ingredients
- 8 slices bacon cut into ½ inch pieces, divided
- 1 pound ground Italian sausage
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced into ¼-inch pieces
- 5 to 6 cups chicken stock
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 small bunch of fresh kale, about 2 cups, chopped into bite-size pieces
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Cook the bacon. In a large pot or Dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium heat until crispy. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked bacon to a plate, leaving the bacon fat in the pot. Set the bacon aside for later.
- Saute the aromatics. Add the finely chopped onion to the pot with the bacon fat and sauté for 4 minutes or until soft and translucent. Then, add the minced garlic and sauté for 30 seconds, stirring frequently to prevent burning.
- Stir in the sausage. Next, add the ground Italian sausage to the pot. Cook the sausage over medium heat, breaking it up into small crumbles as it cooks. Continue to cook until the sausage is browned and fully cooked through, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add potatoes. Add the diced Yukon Gold potatoes to the pot. Pour in the chicken stock, making sure the potatoes are fully submerged.
- Season and simmer. Stir in the Italian seasoning. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and let the soup simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork.
- Add kale. Once the potatoes are cooked, add the chopped kale to the pot and stir well to combine. Continue to simmer the soup for another 5 minutes, allowing the kale to wilt and become tender.
- Finish. Return two-thirds of the cooked bacon to the pot, stirring it into the soup. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the heavy cream. Season the soup with salt and black pepper, adjusting to taste. Let the soup heat through for 2-3 minutes, being careful not to let it boil.
- Serve. Ladle the Zuppa Toscana into bowls and garnish with the remaining crispy bacon pieces. Serve hot with crusty bread or your favorite sides.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
I love how rich and hearty this is! It’s so perfect for the fall and winter.
Absolutely! There’s nothing like a rich, hearty dish to warm you up in the fall and winter. So glad you’re enjoying it! 🍁🍂🍲 Thank YOU! 🙂
The combination of Italian sausage, bacon, potatoes, and kale creates a perfect balance of flavors and textures. The creamy broth ties everything together, making it an ideal comfort food for colder days.
That sounds delicious! The mix of hearty ingredients with the creamy broth really does make Zuppa Toscana the ultimate comfort food. Perfect for cozying up on chilly days! 😊 Thank YOU!
Perfect recipe for Zuppa Toscana. One of the few things left at Olive Garden that I crave so glad I can make it at home now.
I’m so glad you loved the Zuppa Toscana recipe! It’s awesome being able to recreate restaurant favorites at home. Enjoy making it anytime! 😊 Thank YOU!