Zuppa Toscana is a hearty, creamy soup. It’s filled with Italian sausage, red potatoes, and kale. Make it paleo by substituting the heavy cream for coconut cream and the bouillon cubes for regular broth.
When Zach was in grad school, Olive Garden was a fancy night out for us. And we usually did lunch, so we could get the soup, salad, and bread sticks at…whatever price it was. (They changed it a lot.) The Zuppa Toscana was our favorite.
And then Zach figured out how to make it himself. Needless to say, we’ve found very little reason to go to Olive Garden since then.
Copycat Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana
- 8 cups water
- 6 bouillon cubes
- 6-8 red potatoes, cubed
- 1 pound hot Italian sausage (we use turkey)
- 1 pint heavy cream
- 1 bunch of kale
Step 01: In a stock pot, bring water and bouillon cubes to a boil. Add potatoes.
Step 02: Cut the sausage into chunks. We actually remove the casings and crush the sausage, because we don’t care much for the casings. If using pork sausage, you may consider frying it so you can drain the grease before adding it to the soup. Add it to the stock pot. (If already cooked, add it closer to the end of the cooking.)
Step 03: Bring soup to a boil and then reduce heat. Simmer for 40 minutes or until potatoes are tender and sausage is cooked through.
Step 04: Pour in the heavy cream. Remove the stalks from the kale and add it, as well. (Note: the kale and cream do not get cooked. They are added once the cooking is done.)
And you’re done!
It’s actually a relatively simple soup to make. Zach calls it the “easy version” because you can change the flavor however you want by using different herbs and/or using sweet Italian sausage instead of hot. You can also add bacon, onion, garlic, etc.
We like just the basic soup, though.
As the note at the top says, our recipe is not paleo. However, you can easily make it paleo with two simple subtitutions:
- use coconut cream instead of heavy cream
- use chicken/vegetable broth instead of bouillon
Easy!
What’s your favorite hearty soup?
Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana Copycat
Print ThisIngredients
- 8 cups water
- 6 bouillon cubes
- 6-8 red potatoes, cubed
- 1 pound hot Italian sausage (we use turkey)
- 1 pint heavy cream
- 1 bunch of kale
Instructions
Step 01: In a stock pot, bring water and bouillon cubes to a boil. Add potatoes.
Step 02: Cut the sausage into chunks. We actually remove the casings and crush the sausage, because we don’t care much for the casings. If using pork sausage, you may consider frying it so you can drain the grease before adding it to the soup. Add it to the stock pot. (If already cooked, add it closer to the end of the cooking.)
Step 03: Bring soup to a boil and then reduce heat. Simmer for 40 minutes or until potatoes are tender and sausage is cooked through.
Step 04: Pour in the heavy cream. Remove the stalks from the kale and add it, as well. (Note: the kale and cream do not get cooked. They are added once the cooking is done.)
11 comments
Looks delicious! We use to go to Olive Garden a lot, and my daughter would always get this soup. It was really good but I always ordered the minestrone soup. Will have to give this a try and maybe with the coconut cream. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Chelsea, looks like a nice and hearty easy soup! A quick question: you don’t actually cook the kale in this version? I can’t remember if PG uses kale or spinach? I think spinach would work here too, right?
Thanks, Mila! I don’t cook the kale, no. It gets added at the end once the cooking is over. I’m actually not sure why we do it that way…my husband did it once, we liked it, and it stuck. 😛 You’re free to cook the kale if you prefer. If memory serves, Olive Garden definitely used kale, but you can also use spinach. However, spinach wouldn’t be quite the same as kale and I would be more inclined to cook the spinach so it wilts just a little (personal preference, you’re free to do it however you like).
Yum yum yum! I love this soup and I Love spicy Italian turkey sausage so basically ill be making this very soon ☺️
I’m not going to lie, I had no idea what I was reading when I read the title, but the recipe looks AMAZING!! Thanks for sharing! I found this on the ARtcademy Linky!
I’ve had Zuppa Toscana. Thanks for the tip on making it paleo too! My favorite hearty soup is clam chowder, by far. I love seafood. Thanks for sharing with Turn it Up Tuesday.
Hey Chelsey, Your soup looks amazing! We make soup all the time. Soups are my youngest’s favorite meal! Thanks for sharing at the party @DearCreatives Hope to see you again soon!! Shared…
Thanks, Theresa! Soup is one of our favorites, as well. It’s such an easy meal and often relatively quick. And so easy to customize. Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
Love this soup! Thanks for the recipe and for sharing on Show Me Saturday linky party!
You are one of my features this week!
Thanks so much, Ashley! 😀
II had no idea how easy this soup was and it looks fabulous!