Zuppa Toscana

Zuppa Toscana is a creamy soup with tender potatoes, spicy Italian sausage, crispy bacon, and bright kale. It is easy to make and packed with rich, savory flavor.

Zuppa Toscana

Zuppa Toscana is a flavorful, creamy soup that is super easy to make. It's one of my favorite soups to use for meal prep because the ingredients are so simple, and you can even change them up for variety (or for special diet requirements. More on that in a minute, though).

You may have heard of this soup from Olive Garden. This version is just as good, and in my opinion, even better.

It is so easy to make with just a few simple ingredients, including sausage, bacon, onion, garlic, and potatoes. Plus, you can make it one pot!

Is Zuppa Toscana Healthy?

It depends on your diet, but yes it can be. A large serving is less than 500 calories is more than hearty enough for a meal.

To increase nutrients, I will often opt to use sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes. Sweet potatoes are packed with nutrients, and when boiled, as in a soup, they do not take on the same super-sweet quality as a baked sweet potato.

You can also make this recipe dairy free by using full fat coconut milk (the canned stuff) instead of cream.

You can even easily adapt your soup to be keto. Use diced radishes or cauliflower florets instead of potatoes.

How to Make Zuppa Toscana Thicker

Zuppa Toscana is a rich soup, but not necessarily a thick soup.

If you're a thick-soup person, you can thicken it with a cornstarch slurry. Add 2 tablespoons cornstarch to a small bowl with 2 tablespoons water, and stir to combine. Then pour the cornstarch mixture into the soup and stir to combine.

Heat and stir for about 10-20 minutes to allow the cornstarch to incorporate and cook through, while thickening the soup.

What to Serve with Zuppa Toscana

I love soups as meals, and this Zuppa Toscana has the 3 main meal qualifiers in it already: 1. Sausage for protein, 2. Potatoes for starch, 3. Kale for vegetables.

A meal in a bowl!

On the side, serve a fresh green salad and a piece of warm crusty bread. You can also serve it up with your favorite cold or toasted sandwich.

How to Make Zuppa Toscana

In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, add Italian sausage, bacon, onion, and garlic. Cook until sausage is cooked through and no longer pink. Drain excess grease and return to pot.

Add chicken broth and diced potatoes. Bring to a boil, and cook for 15-20 minutes, until potatoes are tender.

Reduce heat. Add cream. The reheat to steaming, but not boiling. Stir in kale, and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm with freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese.

More Warm Soup Recipes You'll Love

• Copycat Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup - creamy soup with juicy chicken, soft gnocchi dumplings, and spinach.
• Split Pea Soup - creamy and delicious, and packed with bacon and ham.
• Homemade Vegetable Soup - tons of veggies in a zesty tomato broth.
• Butternut Squash Bisque - creamy and sweet with just a little pop of spicy.
• Southwest Bean Chowder - this soup gets its creaminess from pureed white beans with lots of southwestern flavors.