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Title
A perennial favorite at Olive Garden, this hearty one-pot soup is perfect to make at home! Not only is it super filling, but it’s full of delicious, nourishing vegetables—perfect for cooler weather when you want something healthy but still packed with flavor!
For something a little different, why not serve your Zuppa Toscana with a side of Cheese Bread? Or if you’re feeling a little more adventurous, you could make Homemade Bread Bowls to serve it in for a little extra pizzazz!
Karlynn’s Recipe Notes
- Skill Level: This one-pot soup is easy to make and clean up after!
- Total Time: You can have this soup ready in just 55 minutes!
- Variations: The great thing about soups is that they’re easily customized! Add extra heartiness to this soup by substituting chopped kale for the spinach, adding a can of drained cannellini beans, or even tossing in some pasta! If you’re looking for a little more spice than the average Italian sausage has, you can substitute it for chorizo.
- Tools For This Recipe: You can always make this soup in your favorite pot on the stove, but for the best heat retention for one-pot and slow-cooked meals, consider investing in a dutch oven! Mine gets plenty of use when soup season rolls around.
What You’ll Need for Ingredients
Italian Sausage: I usually use mild or medium Italian sausage to keep this soup kid-friendly! Anyone at the table looking for more kick can always add an extra sprinkling of crushed red pepper flakes to their bowl. Karlynn’s Tip: If you only have regular ground sausage on hand, add a sprinkling of Italian seasoning and an extra sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes!
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: Fat equals flavor! 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 absolutely substitute lower-fat alternatives, such as regular or low-fat cream, but make sure to taste it and adjust with additional seasoning as necessary!
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 instead, though, since it’s cheaper than fresh and more convenient than having a huge bagful of greens in the fridge! 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, but leave 2-3 tablespoons of drippings in the pot. Add the diced onions and garlic to the pot and saute 5-6 minutes until soft.
- Add the chicken broth and bring it to a boil over high heat. Add the sliced potatoes and continue to simmer until fork-tender, about 14-16 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the chopped spinach, cooked sausage, and heavy cream. Add the cooked bacon, but reserve 2-3 tablespoons for toppings. Season to taste and serve with freshly grated Parmesan and a sprinkling of crushed red pepper flakes (as desired).
Karlynn’s Tips and Tricks for the Perfect 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, being careful not to mash your sausages into one big lump.
- Fantastic Flavor: Don’t throw out your Parmesan rinds after you’ve grated the last of your cheese! Though they’re too dry and hard to eat on their own, drop a rind or two into your next soup and let it steep to get an amazing added umami punch! When you’re ready to serve, you can discard the rind like a bay leaf. I keep mine in a bag in the freezer to boost my soups whenever I like!
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. Remember that the cream may separate, and the potatoes might be mushy after freezing. If you’re batch cooking this ahead of time to keep as a freezer staple, consider leaving the cream and potatoes out before freezing! You can absolutely add them while you’re reheating the soup on the stove, just cut the potatoes into a smaller dice to make sure they cook up quickly.
More Delicious Soup Recipes
- Looking for another delicious, protein-loaded meal in a bowl? Give my Italian Sausage Soup a try!
- There’s nothing like a bowl of Classic Homemade Minestrone Soup on a cold day!
- Cut some calories by using lean ground turkey instead of ground beef in this Italian Turkey Macaroni Soup! I promise, you’ll still find it a hearty and satisfying bowl!
As soon as the weather gets colder, I can’t resist making big pots of delicious soup to enjoy with my family! I love recipes like this because everything can go into one pot, and I can make enough to save some for a night when I’m too busy or tired to cook.
Try out this zuppa toscana and let me know how it goes in the comments below!
Happy Cooking!
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.