Zuppa Toscana – Olive Garden Copycat Recipe
It’s soup day in the Great Lakes Kitchen, and today we’re making an all-time favorite: Olive Garden’s signature soup known as Zuppa Toscana. Savory and rich, with a light cream broth, this flavorful soup features Italian sausage, bacon, potatoes, and kale.
If you’re a fan of this soup at Olive Garden, you’ll love it even more when you make it at home. It’s somewhat simple to make, but will taste like you spent all day over the stove!
Zuppa Toscana – Olive Garden Copycat Recipe
5
servings10
minutes45
minutes55
minutesIngredients
1 pound ground Italian sausage (mild or hot)
4 strips bacon, cut into half-inch pieces
5 large Russet potatoes (or 4 medium-sized potatoes), peeled, quartered length-wise, and sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups kale, roughly chopped (about half of one bunch)
1 quart chicken stock
3/4 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1.5 cups water (optional)
Directions
- Brown the sausage in medium-sized stock pot over medium heat. Break apart into small crumbles with a wooden spoon as it cooks.
- Drain and discard sausage grease. Set cooked sausage aside.
- Cook bacon pieces in the same pot, until just about crispy.
- Remove bacon from pot and set aside, but leave bacon grease in pot.
- Saute the onion in the bacon grease. Cook until onions are translucent but not brown (onions may turn brownish in color from the bacon grease, which is fine, but don’t allow the onions themselves to begin browning).
- Add in the garlic and cook another minute.
- Add the flour and stir thoroughly. Cook another minute.
- Pour in the chicken stock and sliced potatoes. Bring everything to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes.
- Stir in the sausage, bacon, and kale, and then add in the heavy cream. Then stir in the salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes.
- If you prefer a more brothy soup (that will be closer to Olive Garden’s), add about one and a half cups water.
- Simmer everything for 10 more minutes.
- Serve.
