Zuppa Toscana

Recipe from Cooking Classy which states, “This Olive Garden copycat recipe is one of the tastiest, most comforting soups on a chilly day! It’s packed with slices of tender russet potatoes, salty Italian sausage and bacon, fresh kale and a rich and creamy broth. Everyone will want more!”

View Print Layout
Print Recipe
Close Print

Zuppa Toscana

  • Total time: 1 Hour
  • Servings: 6 Servings

Ingredients

  • 2 tsp Olive Oil
  • 1 lb Italian Sausage (casings removed if necessary)
  • 4 oz Bacon (about 4 slices), diced into small pieces
  • 1 Cup Chopped Yellow Onion (about 1 small onion)
  • 3 (14.5 oz) Cans Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
  • 2 Cups Water
  • 1 1/2 lbs Russet Potatoes, scrubbed and rinsed then sliced into halves, halves diced into 1/6-inch slices
  • 1 1/2 tsp Granulated Sugar
  • 1/2 tsp Fennel Seeds, crushed (optional)
  • Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
  • 2 Cups Half and Half (or 1 Cup Milk and 1 Cup Cream)
  • 1 1/2 Cups Packed Chopped Kale
  • Finely Shredded Romano Cheese, for serving (optional)

Directions

  • 1)

    Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Crumble sausage into 1-inch pieces and add to dutch oven.

  • 2)

    Cook sausage, stirring occasionally until cooked through. Drain sausage onto a plate or baking dish lined with paper towels, set sausage aside.

  • 3)

    Add diced bacon to dutch oven, return to heat and sauté 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add diced onions and sauté mixture until bacon is cooked through and onions are translucent, about 3-5 minutes longer.

  • 4)

    Add chicken broth, water, sliced potatoes, sugar, fennel seeds, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring soup just to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low and stir in cooked sausage.

  • 5)

    Cover dutch oven and simmer, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are nearly tender, about 10-15 minutes.

  • 6)

    Add in kale then simmer until potatoes are soft and kale is tender, about 5-10 minutes longer.

  • 7)

    Stir in half and half and warm through. Use a spoon or ladle to remove excess fat from top of soup if desired. Serve warm topped with Romano cheese.

Notes

Source: https://www.cookingclassy.com/zuppa-toscana-soup-olive-garden-copycat-recipe/ (recommended by Julie Stephens)