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Why You’ll Love My Recipe
A perennial favorite at Olive Garden, this hearty one-pot soup is perfect to make at home! Not only is it filling, but it’s loaded with delicious vegetables and perfect for cooler weather.
Why not serve this soup with a side of Cheese Bread or Classic Homemade Garlic Bread? If you’re feeling a little more adventurous, you could even make some Homemade Bread Bowls to serve it in.
Karlynn’s Recipe Notes
- Skill Level: This soup is very easy to make.
- Total Time: This soup takes just 55 minutes to make.
- Variations: Try substituting chopped kale for the spinach, adding a can of drained cannellini beans or kidney beans for some protein. You could even toss in some pasta. Try different types of Italian sausage, like spicy or sweet, to change up the flavour profile a bit. Adjust the seasonings to your own personal taste.
- Tools Needed: For this recipe, you’ll need a Dutch Oven or large pot with a lid, a cutting board, a knife, and a small bowl. You may also need a cheese grater depending on whether your Parmesan is grated already.
What You’ll Need for Ingredients
Italian Sausage: Using mild or medium Italian sausage will help to keep this soup kid-friendly but you can always add more kick with an extra sprinkling of crushed red pepper flakes. Karlynn’s Tip: If you only have regular ground sausage on hand, add a sprinkling of Italian seasoning.
Chicken Broth: For this recipe, you can either make your own broth from scratch or use store-bought stock! Go with whatever you have on hand; the bacon and sausage will impart a great flavor no matter what you choose.
Heavy Cream: Though pouring a whole cup of heavy cream into this soup might feel intimidating, it adds an unbeatable richness and a silky texture to the final dish. You can substitute lower-fat alternatives, such as regular or low-fat cream. Taste as you go and adjust the seasoning accordingly.
Spinach: This recipe calls for 4 to 5 cups of fresh, chopped spinach with the tough stems removed. You could always use frozen chopped spinach. Just make sure to defrost the frozen spinach ahead of time and drain the excess water to avoid diluting the taste of your soup.
How To Make Zuppa Toscana
This is a quick overview of the recipe. The full list of ingredients & complete step-by-step instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Remove the casings from your sausage and cook in a pot or Dutch oven on medium-high heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until no longer pink. Drain the fat and set the sausage aside.
- Add bacon to your pot and cook over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove the bacon and set aside, but leave 2-3 tablespoons of drippings in the pot. Add the diced onions and garlic to the pot and saute 5-6 minutes.
- Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the sliced potatoes and continue to simmer until fork-tender, about 14-16 minutes.
- Reduce heat to medium and add chopped spinach, cooked sausage, and heavy cream. Add the cooked bacon, but reserve 2-3 tablespoons for toppings. Season to taste.
- Serve with freshly grated Parmesan, bacon crumbles, and a sprinkling of crushed red pepper flakes (as desired).
Karlynn’s Tips and Tricks for Making Zuppa Toscana
Prep Tips: The easiest way to quickly remove sausage from its casing is to run a sharp, thin knife down the side of each sausage, one after another. Once you’ve made your cut, peel the casing off each sausage by hand and discard them. Use a spoon to break the sausage into smaller pieces as it cooks, so you don’t end up with one big clump.
Fantastic Flavor: Don’t throw out your Parmesan rinds after you’ve grated the last of your cheese. Store them in a bag in your freezer instead. They may be too dry and hard to eat on their own, but drop a rind or two into your next soup and let it steep to get an amazing punch of umami flavour. Remove the rind when you’re ready to serve.
Storage Instructions
Refrigerator: After allowing your leftovers to cool completely, you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freezer: Allow your soup to cool completely and store it in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. try storing the soup in smaller containers for individual servings that you can take out and reheat quickly.
More Delicious Soup Recipes
Looking for another delicious, protein-loaded meal in a bowl?
Try some hearty Italian Sausage Soup on a cold winter day.
Make a pot of Classic Homemade Minestrone Soup for a nostalgic meal.
Or make some of this Italian Turkey Macaroni Soup for something a bit lighter.
There we go. A perfect soup recipe for a cold day. Try out this zuppa toscana and let me know how it goes in the comments below!
Happy Cooking!
Karlynn
Zuppa Toscana
Ingredients
- 1 pound Italian sausage, mild or medium
- 6 slices bacon, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or more to taste
- 1 cup onion, diced small
- 5 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 9-10 cups chicken broth
- 4 medium potatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 4-5 cups fresh spinach chopped, tough stems removed
- ½ cup fresh grated Parmesan, for topping
Instructions
- Remove the sausage from the casings. In a dutch oven on medium high heat cook the sausage until crumbly and no longer pink for about 10-15 minutes. Drain any fat and set aside in a separate bowl
- Add the bacon to the dutch oven and cook over medium high heat until crisp, remove the bacon but leave 2-3 tablespoons of bacon drippings in the pan. Add in the diced onions and garlic to the bacon drippings and saute until soft, about 5-6 minutes.
- Add the chicken broth and bring it to a boil over high heat. Add in the sliced potatoes and continue to simmer until the potatoes are fork tender about 14-16 minutes.
- Reduce to medium heat and add in the chopped spinach, cooked sausage and the heavy cream. Add in the cooked bacon but reserve 2-3 tablespoons for toppings.
- Bring to a light simmer and until the spinach has wilted and is tender.
- Serve in bowls topped with the reserved bacon bits and grated Parmesan.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Randy says
When do you put in the red pepper flakes?
Shirley says
This soup looks delicious. I have a question: Your photos make the potatoes look like they are diced rather than sliced, is that right? I think diced might make them hold together better than sliced.