Copycat Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana

Copycat Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana tastes just like the restaurant original! A creamy soup filled with hot Italian sausage, potatoes, and kale.

Why You Will Love This Recipe

This Olive Garden Tuscan Soup copycat is so incredibly simple to make and tastes just like what you can get in the restaurant!

Packed with crispy bacon, tender potatoes, spicy sausage, and curly kale in a creamy broth.

I made this homemade version of zuppa toscana a touch thicker (less broth) because I like thicker soups, but add more stock as desired to make the creamy broth as thin or thick as you want!

I LOVE a good homemade copycat restaurant recipe to enjoy some of my favorite dishes without having to go out and it makes great comfort food. And one of my favorite things to serve up on a cold night! Find more restaurant copycat recipes here and specifically copycat Olive Garden recipes here!

This sausage potato soup is one of the most popular on the Olive Garden menu.

It is a hearty soup but not as hearty or heavy as a chowder or cheese soup, which makes it the perfect balance! 

Ingredients

Find full recipe instructions and ingredient quantities in the recipe card below.

Here is what you need to make this recipe:

Ground Italian Sausage – spicy Italian sausage is great for added flavor and a little kick! Sweet Italian Sausage is also a great option.

Russet Potatoes

Kale – this is classic in Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscana Soup but you could also use spinach if preferred or desired. Spinach will have less texture.

Bacon

Red Pepper Flakes

Onion (yellow or white)

Garlic

Chicken Stock – or chicken broth

Heavy Cream

Instruction Overview

Making the Zuppa Toscana soup only takes 45 minutes and it holds over very well. I like to use a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat.

First cook the sausage, then the bacon, garlic, and onion. No need for olive oil as we will use the bacon grease to cook the aromatics and add additional pork flavor.

It seems like a lot of onion at first, but you really do not notice it being onion heavy when you eat it.

Then add the chicken stock, get it boiling, and add the potatoes to cook. Finish it off by adding the cream, cooked sausage, and kale. That is it! 

Now how soft or firm you should make the kale in this Copycat Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana is definitely a personal preference.

I am big on texture in food in general, and love the kale to be more on the firm or crispy side to contrast the soft potatoes and creamy soup.

For firm kale, only cook for a brief period of time or add to your bowl when serving. For softer kale, cook it longer in the soup until it wilts. 

Serve up the hot soup with some crusty bread like our No Knead Rustic Rosemary Bread and parmesan cheese! If desired, reserve some of the cooked bacon to sprinkle on top for some extra crunch.

FAQs

Modifications and Substitutions

Sausage – Use any heat preference. Italian hot sausage is best as it has added flavors, and is what the restaurant uses, but plain ground sausage is fine too. Want a different option? Try ground turkey, turkey sausage, or even ground beef!

Potatoes – Russet is the standard here, but gold would also be fine. Red potatoes tend to have more of a different flavor, but would still work.

Heavy Cream – Whole milk would work as well, but I would add a couple tablespoons of butter with it to help keep some of the richness you are missing. If you use a lighter milk like 2%, it is going to feel watery. Need to use a light milk? Add butter or cream cheese to balance it.

Onion – It might seem like a lot of onion, but you will not notice it as it cooks down. You can also substitute some chopped onion for onion powder if desired (1 Tablespoon of onion powder for 1 cup of chopped onions).

Kim’s Tips

This zuppa toscana soup recipe freezes really well! Up to you if you add the kale before freezing or add it fresh, based on how soft or firm you want it. The potatoes might break down more if freezing, so I would cut them a little thicker.

Leave the skins on the potatoes to help them stay intact when cooking. If you do want to peel them, cut them larger or thicker so they are less likely to fall apart and disintegrate.

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