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Two bowls of Zuppa Toscana soup with sausage, kale, bacon, potatoes and a creamy chicken broth. Bread sticks on the side.
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5 from 35 votes

Zuppa Toscana Recipe

This Zuppa Toscana recipe is a copycat recipe from Olive Garden that we think actually better than the original! It has a creamy both base and is loaded with sausage and potatoes.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time4 hours
Total Time4 hours 20 minutes
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: Copycat Recipe, Soup
Servings: 8
Calories: 463kcal
Author: Emily Walker

Equipment

  • Crock Pot (Slow Cooker)

Ingredients

  • 1 pound Johnsonville mild Italian ground sausage
  • ½ pound bacon (cooked and crumbled)
  • 3 medium potatoes (scrubbed then sliced or diced)
  • 4 cups kale (washed and chopped)
  • 5 ¼ cups chicken broth (42 ounces)
  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • red pepper flakes (to taste)
  • salt and pepper (to taste)

Instructions

  • Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat. Form the sausage into little balls. Brown the sausage in the frying pan, stirring frequently. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels to drain off some of the grease.
    Cooked sausage pieces in a skillet.
  • Put everything except for the potatoes together in a large slow cooker. If you prefer your kale more crisp-tender, wait to add the kale with the potatoes.
    Crockpot with kale, bacon pieces and sausage pieces.
  • Cook on high for 3-4 hours.
    Crockpot with chicken broth, cream, kale, bacon and sausage pieces.
  • Add potatoes during the last 40-60 minutes of cooking.
    Adding potatoes to a crockpot with kale, sausage, bacon and creamy chicken broth. Wooden spoon resting the crockpot.
  • Stir well and serve in individual bowls.
    Ladle coming out of a crockpot with a serving of Zuppa Toscana soup.

Video

Notes

  • Instead of breaking off small pieces of sausage and rolling them in your hands, simply cut the sausage using a knife in a crisscross pattern. The sausage will roll up into balls as you cook and stir it in the skillet. Break it up into more bite-size pieces with your spatula or spoon if needed. 
  • You can really use any kind of potato you want in this recipe. Russet potatoes work great, but you can also use a waxy potato like Yukon gold or red potato. You can leave the skins on, or you can peel them. Totally up to you. 
  • Prepackaged, pre-rinsed kale will make your life easier. You can also get kale from the produce department. Just make sure you rinse it really well.

Nutrition

Calories: 463kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 84mg | Sodium: 1192mg | Potassium: 892mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 3571IU | Vitamin C: 61mg | Calcium: 158mg | Iron: 4mg