Flavorful Zuppa Toscana Soup tastes even better than the Olive Garden original! Italian sausage is simmered with spinach, bacon and fragrant herbs in a creamy broth. Don’t forget the freshly grated parmesan on top!
Bake up a batch of Copycat Olive Garden Breadsticks to make soup night even better. Serve with our favorite olive garden salad recipe for a night in.
Table of Contents
Why this Recipe is Best
Looking for the perfect copycat Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Soup recipe? We’ve got you covered.
- This soup is made from scratch with fresh ingredients for amazing flavor.
- Every bite is loaded with zesty Italian sausage and smoky bacon.
- Heavy cream makes every bite rich, thick and hearty.
- Zuppa Toscana is ready in about 40 minutes with only 10 minutes of active prep time!
If you want a low carb version check out our keto zuppa toscana soup.
Ingredient Notes
Sweet Italian sausage. Using this makes the Zuppa Toscana soup taste most similar to the Olive Garden original. You can swap it for a spicier sausage if you want some kick to your soup.
Parmesan cheese. Buy fresh blocks of parmesan and shred it yourself for best results. Do not use the parmesan that comes in a shaker.
Easy Instructions
STEP 1. Brown the meat
Cook sausage and diced bacon in a medium sauce pan or Dutch oven over medium heat until browned. Drain all but one tablespoon of the grease.
STEP 2. Saute onion and garlic
Cook the onion and garlic in the remaining grease until softened and fragrant. Add the browned sausage and bacon back to the pot, along with beef broth and potatoes.
STEP 3. Simmer
Simmer the soup on low heat for 15 minutes. When the potatoes are fully cooked, add the spinach, cream and all but 1/4 cup of the parmesan cheese.
Heat for about 5 minutes until spinach is wilted and the cream is warmed.
STEP 4. Serve
Ladle into bowls and garnish each serving with a handful of parmesan. Enjoy!
Tips and Tricks
- Storing. Transfer leftovers to an airtight container. Store in the fridge and enjoy within 3 days.
- Kale option. Swap the spinach for kale or your other favorite leafy greens in Zuppa Toscana.
- Make ahead option: If you’re making this ahead of time, wait to add the spinach until you reheat the soup. This keeps the spinach from getting mushy.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, this Zuppa Toscana Soup is freezer friendly! It should keep well frozen for about 1 month.
We love this soup with a crusty loaf of bread for dipping. Garlic Bread is always a good idea!
A salad of mixed greens with Italian dressing would also be a great complement to Zuppa Toscana.
You sure can! Thaw and drain the spinach, then squeeze out excess water over the sink.
You can, but you won’t get the same results. Heavy cream is what makes this Zuppa Toscana so. . . well, creamy!
More Dinner Recipes
Zuppa Tuscana Soup
Ingredients
- 1 pound Sweet Italian Sausage removed from the casings
- 5 slices Bacon diced
- ½ White Onion diced
- 3 cloves Garlic peeled
- 32 ounces Beef Broth
- 2 White Potatoes diced (no peeling necessary)
- ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 3 cups Spinach fresh
- 1 ½ cups Heavy Cream
- 1 cup Parmesan Cheese shredded and divided
Instructions
- Brown sausage and diced bacon in a French oven over medium high heat until fully cooked. Drain all but one tablespoon of oil. Sauté onion and garlic in remaining oil for about 2-3 minutes. Add back the sausage and bacon. Add beef broth, potatoes, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium high heat.
- Reduce to low and cover. Simmer for about 15-20 minutes, until potatoes are fully cooked.
- Add fresh spinach, cream and 3/4 cup parmesan cheese. Heat over medium until warm (about 5 minutes). Serve with a sprinkle of extra parmesan on top. ENJOY.
Notes
Nutrition
Now you can make delicious Zuppa Toscana in your own kitchen–just like Olive Garden’s. Skip the restaurant and enjoy a warming, hearty bowl of homemade soup tonight!
Hi Jen
How would you add frozen spinach to this soup?
I love this soup! It is so easy to make and super flavorful. Yummy!
This zuppa toscana looks SO COMFORTING! I have been craving a soup like this for a long time and I just got a bunch of fresh spinach from the farmers market! I think it’s meant to be!
This the best soup in the world!
Tasted great, mom would make this but she never wrote down the recipe so this was a great guide for me to get close to hers. I used hot Italian sausages and added carrots to it. I hand-shredded the kale and put it in my bowl then added the soup, I find putting it in the pot makes it mushy if there’s leftovers. Also made some macaroni for it since my brother isn’t a big fan of kale which tasted pretty good too.
Great idea to add the kale to the individual bowls. Thanks for the tip!
The recipe was really good. I used Johnsonville Italian sausage and better than bullion beef broth, thus omitted the salt. If it needed salt, always good to suggest to add it gently to the end to taste.
Glad to hear you enjoyed the soup recipe!! Thanks for your tips!
I tweaked this recipe foe chicken and it came out delicious. I used rotisserie chicken (without the skin) and chicken broth instead of beef and WOW.
Thank you for posting this!
Zuppa toscana is my husband’s favorite! I need to make this for him soon!
Father’s Day is coming up, hint hint 🙂
This looks so perfect!
I think I’m the only person who hasnt had the real deal but no worries, I can just make yours now 🙂 pinned
AAAAAAH THAT IS MY FAVORITE SOUP FROM OLIVE GARDEN!! I can make it at home now?!? Aimee I could kiss you! Except that would be weird to do through my computer (and in general) so instead THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!
You crack me up 🙂
I do believe you have nearly recreated the entire Olive Garden menu! That and Panera 🙂 I’m not complaining though! I could definitely make a meal of the apps – why do they think we need a meal? Their breadsticks are so.good.
I use kale in place of the spinach…….wonderful soup recipe!
This soup is just absolutely fantastic! I am in love!
I don’t care that it’s 95 degrees here today, I would love a bowl of this soup!
Yeah, I pretty much eat soup all year long, it’s quick and easy for the win!
One of my all time favorites — this looks fabulous!!
I’m a fan of the zuppa toscana for sure! Just had it on my blog several months ago. Always a favorite in our house. Your version looks terrific.
Hope you have a wonderful Wednesday!
Thanks Melanie!!
Oh my sister and my mom love getting this! I’ll definitely have to try this one! Gorgeous photo!
Thank you, I hope they enjoy the recipe!
There’s nothing better than a bowl of soup for lunch. This soup looks amazing! It’s nice to be able to recreate the good food you taste at a restaurant.
I agree completely 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!!
I HAVE A 15 BEAN SOUP WITH SMOKED TURKEY AND HAM HOCK RECIPE THAT SAYS–HEY SOUP–I WIN–GREENS, STEWED TOMATOES, VEGGIE STOCK, ONIONS, CARROTS AND SOME OTHER THINGS