Copycat Olive Garden Soup Zuppa Toscana Dessert For Two

If you’ve never been delighted by a creamy soup with chunks of sausage, bacon and potatoes, then you aren’t living the way the rest of us are living. The rest of us are hitting Olive Garden and going hard on the endless soup, salad and breadstick meal combo with multiple servings of their Zuppa Toscana. This soup should really be in your arsenal because it contains so few ingredients, and is so easy to pull together. It is the only soup you need for winter. A homemade recipe is in order, because we cannot always get a table at the restaurant. My recipe for Zuppa Toscana is slightly smaller batch; it makes 4 bowls of soup. You can always double this recipe (or even triple it!). While I only eat a small amount of meat occasionally, I hardly ever combine more than one meat in a recipe. It feels weird enough eating one animal, but two? (Except for this Beef Bourguignon where the bacon coats the beef! Oh, and this Coq au Vin, too). Maybe I have a thing for bacon? But, a friend insisted that the copycat Olive Garden recipes for Zuppa Toscana soup on Pinterest were amazing. So, I tried a few. I can’t deny that I moaned upon first bite!

What is Zuppa Toscana?

What’s not to love? It’s a creamy potato soup bolstered by sausage. It’s like a bowl of twice baked potatoes with spicy sausage mixed in. The broth is cream-based, but actually feels light because it’s cut with chicken broth. In short, this soup is the only soup you need for winter. Don’t forget the kale, because if something has kale, it’s healthy and justifies the bacon, right? I didn’t think I was going to stir in the crisp bacon at the end, but I’m so glad I did!

Olive Garden Potato Soup Ingredients

Bacon. Two slices of thick-cut bacon, chopped. I prefer a thick-slice black pepper crusted bacon. Onion. One small onion, finely diced is about 1 cup. Red Pepper Flakes. It’s entirely optional to add a pinch of red pepper flakes and bring some heat to this Zuppa Toscana. Sausage. We need half a pound of bulk Italian sausage. This can be from 2 links with the casing remove or from the bulk section. It’s your choice to use regular Italian or spicy Italian sausage. Chicken Broth. Just two cups of chicken broth or chicken stock to make the base of the soup. Potatoes. One large Russet potato, scrubbed clean and sliced in half to slice into half-moon shapes (see photo). You can leave the skin on the potato or remove it, your choice. Kale. One cup of tightly packed fresh kale, stems removed. Heavy Cream. You can use half a cup of heavy cream OR half and half for this recipe–both are delicious. Salt and Pepper.

Sausage Soup Olive Garden Recipe Tips and Variations

Vegan - I’ve heard from some friends on instagram that the soup is still good without bacon. I’ve also heard that the Trader Joe’s tofu sausage works well here. Someone even told me that coconut cream is good instead of regular cream of half and half here. This soup gives you so many options!

I love that it makes just two big bowls of soup, because leftover soup for days is one of my pet peeves. Even though I do love leftover soup for breakfast (I know, I’m weird), there are times when I don’t want lots of leftovers. I made this in a small 2-quart Le Creuset Dutch Oven, but a regular saucepan would work, since it’s not a huge batch of soup. If I haven’t given you enough reasons, let me reiterate: potatoes, bacon, kale, and sausage. All in one bowl, got it?

How to make Zuppa Toscana

What to serve with Olive Garden Sausage Soup with Potatoes

This soup is great with salad and breadsticks on the side! Try my nectarine salad or my beetroot and feta salad.

Storing Leftover Zuppa Toscana

Can Zuppa Toscana Olive Garden Soup be frozen?

Yes, this hearty soup freezes very well! To freeze, ladle into freezer-safe containers. Cover and freeze for up to 3 months. To defrost, place in fridge overnight. Then, dump the container into a saucepan and heat over medium heat until steaming.