This is the Zuppa Toscana soup recipe I’ve made hundreds of times. Italian sausage, potatoes, and greens in a creamy broth, with the bacon kept crisp on top where it belongs.
It’s one pot and 30 minutes on the stove, and you decide how thick or brothy you want it. Crock Pot directions are below, too.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Christine raved, “Great soup! Family loved it. I used half-and-half because my heavy cream had gone bad. Will be making this again.”
My Zuppa Toscana Soup Breaks One Olive Garden Rule
The rule is kale. Olive Garden uses it, and so does nearly every recipe out there. I prefer red Swiss chard. You’ll see kale in my photos, because tradition!
My boys were toddlers the first time we had it. We met family at Olive Garden; I ordered the soup and thought, I can certainly do better than this. So I did.
My husband and I are big soup lovers, and we raised our boys to love it too. This one and my Italian Wedding Soup were the two they asked for often. They’d gobble it down, all winter long. As a mom, I felt so good about that!
A few decades of pots later, here’s what I do differently:
- Swiss chard, not kale. It’s milder, so I can toss in big handfuls, chopped small. It keeps its color and holds up in the pot.
- Bacon goes on top, not in the pot. It stays crisp instead of going soft and rubbery.
- Mild sausage. I’m a spice wimp. Use hot if you’re braver than me.
- Better ingredients. I buy sausage with no nitrates or preservatives; I use my own chicken broth when I have it
- You pick the broth level. I usually add an extra quart to stretch it, plus we like it more brothy. Start with 4 cups if you like it thicker.
Want it just like the restaurant? Use kale. I won’t tell.
What is Zuppa Toscana Soup?
Zuppa Toscana soup is a creamy Italian-American soup made with Italian sausage, potatoes, leafy greens, and bacon, simmered in chicken broth and finished with cream. You’ll also see it called Tuscan soup.
In Italy, Tuscan soup is different. The classic is minestra di pane, a bread soup with cannellini beans, potatoes, and kale. Thrifty cooks made it so yesterday’s bread didn’t go to waste. No sausage, no bacon, no cream.
In America, it’s the most popular of the Olive Garden soups, the one most of us met somewhere between the salad and the third basket of breadsticks. Kale and potatoes are about all the two have in common.
My homemade version is a copycat of the American kind, and it tastes better, if I do say so myself. What I can’t give you is the bottomless breadsticks. Sorry!
Is Zuppa Toscana Soup Healthy?
It’s a creamy sausage and bacon soup, so I won’t call it health food. One serving runs about 497 calories.
But a homemade version is real food, with a big handful of greens in every pot. And it’s easy to adjust:
- Gluten-free: Naturally, as long as your sausage and broth are. Check the labels.
- Dairy-free: Swap the heavy cream for coconut cream. I’ve made it this way for a girlfriend who can’t have dairy. Use olive oil in place of butter, and skip the Parmesan on top.
- Low carb or keto: Not as written. That’s the potatoes. Swap in cauliflower florets or diced rutabaga. Rutabaga is my pick. It tastes surprisingly like potato, and nobody can tell the difference.
- Lighter: Use half and half in place of heavy cream, or try chicken Italian sausage.
Zuppa Toscana Soup Recipe Ingredients
- Italian sausage: Mild or hot. Bulk sausage is easiest. If you buy links, squeeze the meat out of the casings.
- Bacon: You’ll need about 7-8 strips thick-cut bacon. Cook until crisp, then save for the top.
- Onion and garlic: Yellow or white onion. Fresh garlic, minced.
- Olive oil or butter: Only if the pot looks dry after the sausage and bacon.
- Potatoes: Large Russet potatoes are best as they soften and thicken the broth a little. Yukon Golds hold their shape. Dice them small and even so they cook at the same speed. Peel them or don’t.
- Chicken broth: Homemade or store-bought. You can stretch it by adding 1-2 cups of water. Chicken stock works too. Salt varies a lot by brand, so taste before you season.
- Swiss chard or kale: I use red Swiss chard. Chopped kale is the classic. Either way, cut out the tough center stem and chop the leaves small. Curly kale or even bagged kale will work.
- Heavy cream: Goes in at the very end. Add more if you like it creamier.
- Kosher salt and black pepper: Start light and taste at the end.
- To finish: Parmesan cheese, grated or shaved, and chopped Italian parsley.
Get the full recipe in the recipe card below.
How to Make Zuppa Toscana Soup
Step 1: Brown Sausage
Heat a soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the Italian sausage and crumble it as it cooks, 5 to 6 minutes. I use mild, because I’m a spice wimp. Remove it from the pot after browning onto a paper towel-lined plate.
Step 2: Crisp Bacon
Chop the bacon into bite-size pieces and cook in the same pot until crisp. Lift it out with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Or use slices of bacon, cook until crisp and then break apart for serving.
Step 3: Cook Onion and Garlic
Leave the drippings in the pot. If there’s a lot, blot some out with a paper towel. If the pot looks dry, add a tablespoon of olive oil or butter. Cook the onion until soft and lightly browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic for the last minute.
Step 4: Simmer Potatoes
Pour in 4 cups of chicken broth. Add the potatoes, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, and the pepper. Cover and simmer until the potatoes are tender when poked with a knife or fork, 10 to 15 minutes.
We like it brothy, so I usually add an extra quart of broth here. Taste and season again if you do.
Step 5: Add Sausage, Greens, and Cream
Turn the heat to low. Stir the sausage back in, then the chopped kale or chard and the cream. Warm it through at a low simmer. Don’t let it boil, or the cream can curdle.
If you’re freezing some, scoop that portion out before adding the greens and cream.
Step 6: Taste and Serve
Add more salt and pepper if it needs it. Ladle into bowls and top with the crisp bacon, Parmesan, and parsley.
Soup recipes like Zuppa Toscana are perfect any time of the year, but I especially love them on a chilly fall or winter day, when a heavy meal is too much.
A soup will nourish my family and it doesn’t hurt that it comes together in one pot (YAY!) in 30 minutes or less! Double yippee-skippy!
Crockpot Zuppa Toscana
Yes, this works in the slow cooker. The cook time is longer than the stovetop version, but it’s hands-off. You’ll still brown the meat on the stovetop first, since that’s where the flavor comes from.
- Brown the sausage. Heat a large skillet or pot over medium-high heat. Cook the sausage, crumbling it as you go, until browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Scoop it out.
- Crisp the bacon. Cook it in the same skillet until crisp. Set it aside for serving.
- Cook the onion and garlic. Sauté the onion until soft, 4 to 7 minutes. Add 4 to 5 minced garlic cloves for the last minute.
- Fill the slow cooker. Add the potatoes, sausage, and onion mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Pour in 4 cups of chicken broth. If the potatoes aren’t covered, add 1 cup water or broth at a time, up to 2 cups.
- Cook. Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours, or on high for 3 to 4 hours. Cook time varies by slow cooker, so check that the potatoes are tender.
- Add the cream and greens. Stir in the cream and the chard or kale. Cover and cook on high for 30 minutes more.
- Serve. Top each bowl with the crisp bacon, Parmesan, and parsley.
What to Serve with Zuppa Toscana Soup
This is a full meal in a bowl, so it doesn’t need much. Bread for dunking and something crisp on the side.
- Rosemary Focaccia: My first pick. It soaks up the broth. Plus it’s fun to make.
- Rustic Italian Bread: A good crusty bread, slathered with butter.
- Garlic Bread: For when you miss the breadsticks.
- A crisp green salad: Something light to balance the cream. Try my Steakhouse Wedge Salad.
Need more ideas? Here are my best bread recipes for soup.
Toscana Soup Recipe Tips
A few things I’ve learned from making this Tuscan soup all these years.
- Dice the potatoes small and even. Mixed sizes mean some turn to mush while others are still hard in the middle.
- Never boil the cream. Once it goes in, keep the pot at a low simmer or it can curdle.
- Salt at the end. The broth, sausage, and bacon all bring salt. Taste first.
- Keep the bacon out of the pot. Top each bowl instead, so it stays crisp. The soup still gets all that flavor, since the bacon crisped in the pot.
Zuppa Toscana Soup Variations and Substitutions
- Make it spicy: Use hot Italian sausage, or add a pinch of red pepper flakes with the garlic.
- Swap the greens: Baby spinach works. Stir it in at the very end, since it wilts in seconds. Traditional is kale, my preference is Swiss Chard.
- Add beans: A can of cannellini beans, drained. That’s what the Tuscan original uses.
- Add pesto: Irene, a reader, stirs in ¼ cup with the cream; I need to try that.
- Add herbs: John adds a pinch of oregano and crushed fennel.
- Add Parmesan to the pot: Christine stirs in ¼ cup near the end.
Looking for gluten-free, low-carb, or lighter swaps? Those are up in the “Is zuppa Toscana soup healthy?” section.
How to Store Zuppa Toscana Soup
Let the soup cool, then store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 to 5 days.
Keep the bacon in its own container, so it stays crisp for the next bowl.
To reheat, warm it on the stovetop over medium heat until hot. Don’t let it boil, or the cream can curdle. The potatoes soak up broth as it sits, so add a splash of broth or cream if it has thickened.
Can You Freeze Zuppa Toscana Soup?
Yes! It freezes well for up to 3 months, and the recipe doubles beautifully.
For the best texture, freeze it before the greens and cream go in.
- Cool the soup completely.
- Pour it into a freezer container or gallon freezer bag, pressing out the air and freezing flat. Or freeze single portions in Souper Cubes.
- Thaw overnight in the fridge.
- Reheat on the stovetop until simmering, then stir in the chard or kale and the cream.
If the cream and greens are already in, freeze it anyway. The cream may separate a little when you reheat it. Just stir well, it won’t hurt you.
Common Questions for Tuscan Soup
Zuppa Toscana is Italian for Tuscan soup. Zuppa means soup, and Toscana means from Tuscany. Here in the States, it almost always means the creamy sausage, potato, and kale soup from Olive Garden.
The name, no. The soup in your bowl, pretty much yes. In Tuscany, the traditional version is minestra di pane, a bread soup with cannellini beans, potatoes, and kale. No sausage, no bacon, no cream. Olive Garden borrowed the name and built a very different soup around it.
Yes. Kale is the traditional choice and what Olive Garden uses, so it will taste closer to the restaurant. It’s sturdier and a little more bitter than chard. Cut out the stems, chop it small, and let it simmer until tender. I use Swiss chard because it’s milder and wilts fast.
Start with less broth. Four cups gives you a thicker soup, and you can always add more. Russet potatoes help too, since they break down a little as they cook. For even more body, mash a few potato pieces against the side of the pot and stir.
More Italian and Copycat Soups
If this one’s a keeper, here’s what to make next:
- Italian Wedding Soup: On repeat at our house all winter.
- Homemade Minestrone Soup: Another Italian favorite.
- Panera Broccoli Cheese Soup: Another copycat I’m picky about.
- Panera 10 Vegetable Soup: For a lighter night.
- Creamy Ham and Potato Soup: If the potatoes are your favorite part.
Or browse all 41 of my best soup recipes.
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Don’t forget to give it a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating and leave a comment below the recipe!
I first shared this soup back in January 2019. It got new photos in 2024, and in October 2026 I added variations, slow cooker directions, serving ideas, and answers to the questions you ask me most. Same recipe, more help.
Ingredients
- 1 pound Italian Sausage bulk, mild or hot (if links, remove casings)
- 8 strips bacon cooked crisp and chopped (I use thick-cut bacon) Save some to use as garnish.
- 1 – 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter, if needed after cooking bacon and sausage
- 4 – 5 cloves garlic minced (about 1 tablespoon)
- 1 medium onion chopped, yellow or white
- 3 – 5 medium russet potatoes washed and diced (skins on or off, your preference) or 4-5 Yukon gold potatoes
- 4 cups chicken broth may also use 4 cups broth and 1-2 cups water, or additional broth up to 8 cups
- 1 – 3 teaspoons kosher salt start with 1 and taste
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 – 4 cups kale or Swiss chard stems removed and discarded, leaves torn into bite-size pieces, we prefer Swiss chard
- ½ – 1 cup heavy cream use more for creamier soup (up to 1 ½ cups), may also substitute with half and half
- Garnish with parmesan fresh grated or shaved
- Garnish with Italian parsley fresh, chopped
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, over medium heat, brown the Italian sausage and crumble until cooked through about 5-6 minutes. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate.1 pound Italian Sausage
- Chop bacon into bite-size pieces and saute until crispy. Remove from pot with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel-lined plate.8 strips bacon
- Leave the bacon grease in the pot (unless there is a lot, in which case mop some up with a paper towel). Over medium heat, add butter and olive oil (if needed) and saute the onions until browning and translucen about 4-7 minutes, during the last minute toss in the garlic and saute until fragrant, one minute.1 – 2 tablespoons olive oil , 1 medium onion , 4 – 5 cloves garlic
- Add chicken broth (water if using), potatoes, salt, and pepper, and simmer, covered until the potatoes are tender about 10-15 minutes.3 – 5 medium russet potatoes , 4 cups chicken broth, 1 – 3 teaspoons kosher salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper
- Once tender, return the sausage to the pot, and add kale and heavy cream. Stir and return to a low simmer (try not to boil, as it could curdle your cream). I personally like to add my bacon towards the end, but if you don’t mind soft bacon, toss it in now!2 – 4 cups kale or Swiss chard, ½ – 1 cup heavy cream
- Add bacon (if not already added), heat through (do not boil), taste, and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
- Garnish with shaved parmesan cheese, a little Italian parsley.Serve with a crisp salad, and a good loaf of Italian bread slathered with butter and enjoy!Garnish with parmesan, Garnish with Italian parsley
Notes
- Greens: I use Swiss chard. Kale is traditional. But either works great.
- Gluten-free: Naturally, as long as your sausage and broth are. Check the labels.
- Dairy-free: Use coconut cream for the cream, olive oil for the butter, and skip the Parmesan.
- Low carb: Swap the potatoes for diced rutabaga or cauliflower florets.
- Lighter: Use half-and-half for the cream, or chicken Italian sausage.
- Fridge: Store in an airtight container for 4 to 5 days.
- Freezer: Up to 3 months. For the best texture, freeze before adding the greens and cream.
- Reheat: Thaw overnight if frozen. Warm on the stove over medium heat. Add a splash of broth or cream if it has thickened.
- Double it: This recipe doubles beautifully.
Nutrition
Deedra Sherron
Omgoodness.. I made this soup tonight and it was SO good!! I’ve made it before using other recipes but this one is the best.
I did replace the kale with baby spinach but that was the only change.
Thanks Deedra! So glad you liked it.
Kimberly
So good, this is my new favorite go to recipe for this soup!
So glad you liked it Kimberly!
Christine W
Great soup! Family loved it. I added 1.5 tbsp of sugar (didn’t make it sweet at all, just smoothed out the extra savory soup), and 1/4 cup shaker can parm to the pot toward the end of the cook. I used half n half because my heavy cream had gone bad. Will be making this again.
So glad you loved it Christine! And I love your twist and making it yours!
John
This recipe is fine as it is, however, I lean to very little bacon. I also like half and half for the cream. Also a pinch of oregano and crushed fennel.
Love your twists, John and how you made it yours!!!
Irene M Gebe-Norris
How I’ve made mine for years. I do switch out the potatoes for cauliflower to lower the carbs and throw in a 1/4 c, of pesto with the cream.
I love your twists Irene!! I should also add that you can use diced rutabaga as well to lower the carbs and they taste surprisingly a lot like potatoes! Love the pesto added too!