This Zuppa Toscana copycat recipe from Olive Garden is actually better than the original! It has a creamy both base and is loaded with sausage and potatoes.
Zuppa Toscana Copycat
Zuppa Toscana is one of our favorite soups at Olive Garden, and this copycat recipe is spot on. It is the perfect for the cold days of fall and winter, but really it is great any time of the year. The soup is a creamy and hearty with a bit of a kick. If you like some heat in your soup, be generous with the red pepper flakes. For a more mild flavor, a little goes a long way. If you like Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscana, you are going to love this (I think it tastes better than Olive Garden’s — it is more creamy and flavorful). This goes PERFECTLY with our Our Version of The Pizza Factory’s Breadtwists recipe.
Don’t be scared of the kale in this soup. It is so good cooked and really adds to the flavor and texture of the soup. It is one of my favorite parts. I love when I can get a spoonful of sausage, potato, and kale all in the same bite. This may be a weird family thing, but I also love crunching saltine crackers over this soup. Seriously, don’t knock it till you try it, it’s actually really good!
Other Olive Garden Copycat Recipes
If you like this soup, you should try the Olive Garden’s Pasta E Fagioli Soup. This is another Olive Garden copycat soup recipe. It is an hearty, Italian seasoned soup that is also made in the Slow Cooker.
More Slow Cooker Soups to Try
- Slow Cooker Chicken and Rice Soup: Chicken and Rice Soup warms you up on cold fall and winter days. It is also ideal for busy days. The ingredients go into the Slow Cooker in the morning and a nice, hot meal awaits in the evening.
- Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup: There are so many different vegetables in this Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup. It is very healthy and hearty.
- Slow Cooker Cheese Tortellini Soup: This Cheese Tortellini Soup is a flavorful, easy slow cooker meal. Tortellini, sausage, and spinach in a creamy tomato soup and slow cooked to perfection.
- Slow Cooker Vegetable Beef Soup: This is one of the easiest soups you will ever make. It is filled with flavorful meat and vegetables. Everyone loves it.
How to Make Zuppa Toscana Copycat
Ingredients
- 42 oz chicken broth
- 2 cups whipping cream
- red pepper flakes to taste
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 lb bacon cooked and crumbled
- 4 cups kale chopped
- 1 lb Johnsonville mild Italian ground sausage
- 3 medium potatoes scrubbed and cut into small slices
Instructions
- Heat a fry pan to about medium heat. Shape the sausage into small rounds and brown stirring frequently.
- Then remove to a plate lined with paper towels to de-grease.
- Put everything except for the potatoes together in a large crockpot and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours.
- Add potatoes the last 40-60 minutes (if you add them too soon they will get too soft). Serve with breadsticks.
Equipment
- Crock Pot Slow Cooker
Erica says
@ Denise –
Any time! Thanks for the compliments! We will do our best to keep the recipes comin'!
Josh&Sharsti says
best winter soup ever! My husband loved it too, which is great because he usually isn't a soup guy. (I think it was the sausage that did it for him). Great job! I love your recipes. I made the bread sticks too, and it was delicious!!
Josh&Sharsti says
best winter soup ever! My husband loved it too, which is great because he usually isn't a soup guy. (I think it was the sausage that did it for him). Great job! I love your recipes. I made the bread sticks too, and it was delicious!!
Callie Stewart says
I just made your soup and Will and I loved it! Thanks for making me feel like a good cook. 🙂 We miss you guys!
Deena says
Made this last week and it was amazing! Looked forward to the leftovers the next day for lunch. I didn't have Kale so I used spinach. Making it again tonight with the kale.
chae says
This soup recipe is awesome I loved it. I had never had it before but I will definately have it again. Thank you for sharing this recipe. It was great.
Sonya Grady says
Best soup I’ve ever “made up” . I enjoy cooking and make up all my own recipes. This is a must try soup. Everyone loves it, especially my son. I hope you enjoy it too. 😉
Tammy says
Olive garden uses cavallo greens so those can be used if you can find them.
Maggie says
Absolutely fabulous soup! My finance says it’s the best soup he’s ever tasted. I’ll be making it again real soon! Thanks for the recipe.
Claire Harper says
Could this become a freezer meal by any chance and how would I go about that?
Emily says
Unfortunately, I don’t think this one would do great as a freezer meal.
Kat says
I am going to try it in the crockpot, but not add the cream until the last few minutes. I think to freeze it, I would take out half before I add the cream, freeze that portion. When you reheat it, add the cream. I do that with chowders and it seems to work pretty well.
Amanda says
Made this in a crockpot tonight while getting ready for Halloween and added the cream at the end. What a great soup recipe! I am officially in love with your website and going to try all the recipes/
Judy says
I made this for dinner to night. I did not use a crock pot. From start to finish it was done in less than an hour. It tasted great. My husband who said he was not very hungry because of a big lunch had two bowls.
Johanna says
I agree, Judy. It’s almost easier to do it in the hour than in a crock pot.
Katy says
Hi, what kind of potatoes did you use? I wasn’t sure whether to use red potatoes, Yukon, or russet!
Emily says
I use russets
Johanna says
Sometimes I use cannelloni beans instead of, or even with the cut up potatoes. Would use less potatoes if I do that. And I do like a bit of diced toms and parsley in it too. .Wonder what the calorie count would be with this Fab soupI sprinkle with parmesan when I serve it. Also, Trader Joes has wonderful breadsticks, if you don’t want to do it from scratch.
Kristina says
Thank you for posting this. I followed this recipe to the ounce and it was a total success.
Nell says
I love this soup! I order it for lunch all the time with a Peach Bellini tea or the frozen Peach Bellini.
KaeCee says
Hi! I am wondering if anyone has tried using coconut/almond/soy milk in place of whipping cream. Did you notice a difference? Thank you!
Emily says
We haven’t, has anyone else?
Donnetta says
Do you have the calories and fat for this recipe? Thanks.
Erica says
We don’t. You could probably check it on the Olive Garden website or check a calorie counter online… hope this helps!
Alison says
This recipe is so easy, and tastes even better than Olive Garden’s version! A great fall and winter recipe!
Angela says
This is sooo good! Way better than Olive Garden in my opinion. I know I’ll be making this all season long. Thanks for sharing!
Beth Sachs says
Such a hearty and filling soup and perfect for those cold winter days coming soon!
Shelley says
Oh my goodness … even better than the original?!? Sign me up! And thanks for the great tip on adding a bit more heat to the soup, by being more generous with the red pepper flakes – my guys both like their food spicy, so that’s a super helpful suggestion!
Jacque Hastert says
I can’t wait to give this a try at home. I always order this when we go out to eat no matter the time of year. Thanks for sharing!