Description
This Zuppa Toscana recipe (inspired by the classic dish at The Olive Garden) is easy to make, full of the most delicious zesty Italian flavors, and it’s so cozy and comforting!
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 pound ground Italian sausage (I recommend spicy)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 medium white onion, peeled and diced
- 1.5 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, diced
- 5 to 6 cups chicken stock
- 2 to 3 cups chopped fresh kale
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- fine sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper
- 6 pieces bacon, cooked and crumbled
Instructions
- Cook sausage in a large stockpot over medium-high heat until browned and cooked through, breaking the sausage into small pieces as it cooks. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked sausage to a separate plate, reserving 1 tablespoon grease in the stockpot for later*, and discarding the excess grease. (I actually like to briefly rinse my cooked sausage in a strainer to remove even more excess grease.) Set aside.
- Add onions to the stockpot (with the grease), and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic, and sauté for 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Add the potatoes, chicken stock, and cooked sausage, and continue cooking until the mixture reaches a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Stir in the kale and cream, and simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve warm, garnished with the bacon bits.
Notes
Slow Cooker Version:
- Cook sausage in a large stockpot over medium-high heat until browned and cooked through, breaking the sausage into small pieces as it cooks. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked sausage to a separate plate. (I actually like to briefly rinse my cooked sausage in a strainer to remove even more excess grease.) Set aside.
- Add cooked sausage, garlic, onion, potatoes, and chicken stock to a slow cooker, and stir to combine. Cover and cook on low heat for 6-8 hours, or on high heat for 3-4 hours, until the potatoes are tender. Stir in the kale and cream, and simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve warm, garnished with the bacon bits.
Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker) Version:
- Press the “Sauté” button on your Instant Pot. Add the Italian sausage, and sauté until browned and cooked through, breaking the sausage into small pieces as it cooks. Press “Cancel” on the Instant Pot. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked sausage to a separate plate, and drain and discard the excess grease in the Instant Pot. (I actually like to briefly rinse my cooked sausage in a strainer to remove even more excess grease.)
- Add cooked sausage, garlic, onion, potatoes, and chicken stock to the bowl of the Instant Pot, and stir to combine.
- Press “Manual”, then press “Pressure” until the light on “High Pressure” lights up, then adjust the +/- buttons until time reads 10 minutes. Cook. Then very carefully, turn the vent to “Venting” for quick release, and wait until all of the steam has released and the valve has dropped. Remove the lid.
- Stir in the kale and cream, and simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve warm, garnished with the bacon bits.
*Stovetop Version: If you would rather not sauté the onions in the grease, you can sub in 1 tablespoon olive oil instead.
This was ridiculously good. Very easy to make and quick to the table. All of my family loved it and had seconds. I didn’t add the bacon, in my opinion, it didn’t need it. I used the spicy sausage, it added a good amount of heat without being too spicy. This will become a regular for us!
This is the copy cat recipe I’ve been looking for! I added the bacon when I added the potatoes and chicken stock, and added red pepper flakes while everything was simmering at the end. With those two additions, it tastes just like it used to when I worked at OG.
This is the best soup I’ve ever made! I did bear Italian sausage, spinach instead of kale and added chantrelle mushrooms. It was to die for! Definitely making again. Thank you so much 🧡
We’ve been making this soup in the Instant Pot for a few years and it’s amazingly delicious and so fast. Serve with a fresh baguette and we’re in heaven!
This recipe is very easy to prepare and it has a great taste. 👍
Absolutely fabulous! I can’t even count how many times I’ve made it. I like to add a LOT more fresh kale, but this dish is SOOO GOOD! Try it out!
I make this weekly throughout the cold months. This is the best recipe I have found for zuppa. I usually add a bit more kale, some fresh basil, Italian seasoning and sometimes red pepper flakes. You can also add paprika, but this is mostly for a nice deepness to the color. You can also substitute with spinach if that’s what you have on hand, BUT as is, this recipe is perfection
AH-Mazing! Exactly what I had been craving. After I asked the husband, is it a keeper recipe? And he said o ya, that was so good. Thanks for this recipe!
I need a copycat recipe for Panera’s Fall Squash Soup.
Can anyone help me?
I can’t believe I can say, “I made this”! It was so easy and it tastes fantastic! My 3yo had such a great time helping me add all of the ingredients to the crockpot and pushing the buttons to turn it on. 4 hours later, it was ready to eat! So simple! Thanks for bringing my family together with this awesome recipe. We will be making this again and again!
This is so easy and just so amazingly good! I use pork breakfast sausage because we don’t like Italian, but this is so delicious. I highly recommend using the white onion as specified. It makes a difference.