Zuppa Toscana

Zuppa Toscana is a creamy, filling, and flavorful soup with Italian sausage, potatoes, and kale. Just like The Olive Garden's, but made from scratch! The post Zuppa Toscana appeared first on Budget Bytes.

Apr 12, 2025 - 15:03

Zuppa Toscana is probably one of the richest, most hearty soups out there and is definitely one of my favorites. This creamy soup with tender potatoes and flavorful Italian sausage is modeled after the famous Zuppa Toscana from The Olive Garden restaurant, but I threw in my own personal twist. I’ve added an extra budget-friendly ingredient and lightened it up just a touch so I can slurp up a giant bowl without feeling too full.

Overhead view of a bowl of homemade zuppa toscana.

“I love this recipe. We make it so often, it is literally taped to the cabinet next to the stove! Works perfect every time. I occasionally swap cannellini beans for the great northern if I cannot find them. Other than that, it’s so perfect!” Pam

Easy Recipe for Zuppa Toscana

If you’ve never been to Olive Garden or had Zuppa Toscana soup anywhere else, I’d describe it as a creamy potato soup loaded with flavorful Italian sausage, kale, and bacon. The original version uses heavy cream, bacon, and a whole pound of sausage, but I decided to try to lighten it up a bit. I used half and half instead of heavy cream, subbed half the sausage for white beans, used smoked paprika for smokiness instead of bacon, and then loaded up on potatoes and kale. The result? Still totally creamy and chock full of flavor, plus a hefty dose of vegetables. Whenever I make this soup, I know I’m going to eat nothing but this for the next four days straight (it has kale, so it’s okay, right?).

Anytime you add dairy to a homemade soup like this one, there’s a chance it can separate or curdle. To avoid this, I’ve always simmered my soups (and never let it come to a boil!), but I want everyone to enjoy their Zuppa Toscana as intended, so I’ve updated the recipe to include the following information:

Use room temperature half and half, as cold dairy is more likely to curdle than room temperature dairy
Temper the half and half with some of the hot broth before adding it to the soup

These tips (room temperature half and half, tempering the dairy before adding to the pot, and only letting the soup simmer once it’s added) will go a long way in keeping your soup silky-smooth and creamy—not curdled or grainy.

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Zuppa Toscana

Zuppa Toscana is a creamy, filling, and flavorful soup with Italian sausage, potatoes, and kale. Just like The Olive Garden's, but made from scratch!

Course Main Course, Soup

Cuisine Italian

Total Cost $7.51 recipe / $0.94 serving

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Total Time 45

Servings (1.5 cups each)

Calories 300kcal

Author Beth Moncel

Equipment

Dutch Oven
Liquid Measuring Cup
Chef’s Knife

Ingredients

1/2 lb. Italian Sausage, hot or mild* $2.23
1 yellow onion $0.70
2 cloves garlic $0.08
1 15 oz. can Great Northern beans** $0.94
1/2 tsp smoked paprika $0.05
3 cups chicken broth*** $0.39
1 cup water $0.00
1 lb. red potatoes $2.55
1/2 lb. kale, chopped with stems removed $1.50
2 cups half and half, room temperature**** $1.49
1 pinch red pepper flakes, optional $0.02
freshly cracked black pepper, optional $0.05

Instructions

Add the sausage to a large soup pot and sauté over medium heat, breaking it up into small pieces as it cooks. The sausage should contain enough fat to keep it from sticking, if not add a touch of olive oil. It’s okay if a small amount browns on the bottom of the pot.
While the sausage is cooking, dice the onion and mince the garlic. Add the onion and garlic to the pot and sauté until the onions are softened. The moisture from the onions should help dissolve any browned bits of sausage off the bottom of the pot.
Drain and rinse the can of beans. Add the beans, smoked paprika, chicken broth, and one cup water. Place a lid on the pot and let it come up to a simmer over medium heat.
While the pot is heating, cut each potato into quarters lengthwise, then slice across into thin, 1/8-inch thick slices. Add the potatoes to the pot along with the pre-chopped kale. The kale will fill the pot when it’s first added, but the heat from the liquid will wilt it within a few minutes. Stir it occasionally to help the wilting process.
Let the pot simmer over medium heat for about 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
Remove some of the hot broth from the pot, transfer it to a separate bowl, and whisk in the room temperature half and half. Now, pour the tempered half and half mixture back into the soup pot with the potatoes and kale. Bring everything to a gentle simmer (don't let it boil!).
Season with red pepper flakes and freshly cracked black pepper if desired.

See how we calculate recipe costs here.

Video

Notes

*You can use hot, mild, or sweet Italian sausage for this soup. Buy loose-ground Italian sausage rather than sausage in casings.

**You can use any type of white bean you want. If you don’t like beans, you can leave them out and add more sausage or potatoes.

***I use Better Than Bouillon brand soup base to make my broth.

****If you’re not from the U.S., “half and half” is like a lighter version of light cream. Be sure to use room temperature half and half. If you don’t have half and half, you can substitute with an equal mix of room temperature whole milk and heavy cream.

Nutrition

How to Make Zuppa Toscana Step-by-Step Photos

Gather all of your ingredients.

Ground Italian sausage in a soup pot with diced onions.

Brown the sausage: Add 1/2 lb. Italian sausage to a large soup pot and sauté over medium heat, breaking it into chunks as it cooks. I didn’t use any extra oil because sausage tends to be pretty fatty. It’s okay if a little sticks to the bottom of the pot because it will dissolve in the next steps. While the sausage browns, dice one yellow onion and mince two cloves of garlic. Add the onion and garlic to the pot and continue to sauté until the onions are soft.

Great northern beans, smoked paprika and chicken broth added to a soup pot with sauteed ground sausage and onions.

Simmer: Drain and rinse one 15oz. can of Great Northern beans, then add them to the pot with 1/2 tsp of smoked paprika, 3 cups of chicken broth, and 1 cup water. The smoked paprika will give that smoky hint that the bacon would have supplied. Sneaky, right? Put a lid on the pot and let it come to a simmer over medium heat.

A hand slicing potatoes on a wooden cutting board.

Prep the potatoes: While the pot is heating up, wash and slice one pound of red potatoes into 1/8-inch thick slices. Slicing them thinly helps them cook faster, plus makes a great texture in the soup.

Sliced potatoes and kale added to a pot of zuppa toscana.

Add the veggies: Add the potatoes to the pot along with 1/2 lb. of chopped kale. The heat from the liquid will begin to wilt the kale. Give it a stir occasionally to help it come into contact with the hot soup and wilt. After a few minutes, it will have wilted down into the soup nicely. Let the soup simmer over medium heat for about 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.

A ladle removing some broth from a pot of zuppa toscana.

Now, remove some of the hot broth and add it to a separate jug or bowl.

A jug of hot broth, with half and half being poured into it to temper.

Temper the half and half: Pour 2 cups room-temperature half and half into the reserved broth, stirring gently to combine. This helps temper the dairy so it blends smoothly into the hot soup without curdling.

A tempered half and half and chicken broth mixture being poured into a pot of zuppa toscana.

Simmer: Pour the tempered half and half into the pot and bring it up to a gentle simmer. DO NOT let it come to a boil at any point now!

Seasonings added to a pot of zuppa toscana.

Season to taste: I like my soup spicy (and had used mild Italian sausage), so I seasoned it with a pinch of red pepper flakes. A little freshly cracked black pepper is also nice. Depending on what type of broth you use, you may need to add a little salt (I did not add any).

Serve, and enjoy!

Overhead view of a bowl of zuppa toscana with a spoon taking some.

Absolutely deserving of all the internet hype. SO. GOOD.

The sausage in this copycat Zuppa Toscana recipe is responsible for adding a lot of flavor to this soup, so if you plan to skip the sausage to make this recipe vegetarian, you’ll need to ramp up the seasoning. I suggest adding a tablespoon or so of Italian seasoning blend to make up for the spices that are found in the Italian sausage. You may also want to add an extra can of beans to bulk up the soup a bit. Be sure to use a vegetarian broth, too!

Serving suggestions

This is truly a meal in a bowl with the starchy potatoes, protein-filled Italian sausage and beans, and veggilicious kale, but if you want something on the side, I’ve got you covered. Garlic bread would probably be my first pick, or you can do something simple like no-knead bread or soda bread. Or maybe you want to go a little lighter and add a simple side salad to really make you feel like you’re at The Olive Garden!

Storage & Reheating

If you’re lucky enough to have leftovers, you can store them in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. I like to portion it out into individual airtight containers to make reheating easier. To reheat, you can either use the microwave or the stovetop, stirring occasionally until fully heated through. Some readers have also successfully frozen this soup and said it thaws and reheats well! I’d freeze it for up to 3 months. If you do decide to freeze it, just keep in mind that dairy-based soups can sometimes separate after thawing, and potatoes can become a bit mushy.

Our Zuppa Toscana recipe was originally published 1/31/15. It was retested, reworked, and republished to be better than ever 4/12/25.

The post Zuppa Toscana appeared first on Budget Bytes.