Italian Sausage Soup Recipe (Copycat Zuppa Toscana) (2024)

And Italian sausage and vegetable soup recipe is often referred to as zuppa toscana because it’s a popular soup at Olive Garden. This copycat zuppa toscana soup is better than the original. Instructions included for making this spicy Italian soup recipe in the Instant Pot, crockpot and stovetop.

What Is Zuppa Toscana?

Zuppa Toscana is one of the most well known soups at the Olive Garden chain restaurant in the United States. It translates as Tuscan soup. In Italy it would be called “Minestra di Pane” meaning “Bread Soup”.

TRY THIS: If you love a hearty soup recipe, try this White Chicken Chili Recipe.

What To Serve With Italian Soup?

We love to eat Italian sausage soup as a meal on it’s own. You can serve it as an appetizer, side dish or main course. Everyone in the whole family loves it. But if you don’t want to eat it alone, serve with one of these:

• Bread: Serve with a nice soft roll or a crusty bread. Try these Lion House Rolls or this Garlic French Bread.
• Salad: Make any salad with complimentary tastes. Try a delicious kale caesar or a simple Italian salad.
• Pasta: Serve this with a light or creamy pasta dish.
• Meat: A simple cut of your favorite type of meat pairs well with this spicy soup.

Ingredients

For a full printable Italian sausage soup ingredients list and instructions for this are in the recipe card below.

• 1 lb ground hot Italian sausage (mild or spicy pork sausage)
• 32 oz chicken broth or vegetable broth
• ½ medium onion, chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, minced (2 tablespoons)
• 5 medium potatoes, peeled and diced into bite-size pieces
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt (I used Montreal steak seasoning)
• 1 ½ cups heavy cream
• 4 cups chopped kale
• 5 strips of cooked bacon, diced into bits
• (optional) ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes : Add this when you saute garlic.

Optional Garnish:

• fresh Parmesan cheese, shredded
• fresh herbs (parsley or thyme)
• extra bacon bits

Substitute for Italian seasoning:

• ½ teaspoon dried basil
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon dried parsley
• ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme

Substitute for seasoned salt:

• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
• ⅛ teaspoon paprika

Instant Pot Instructions

Full step-by-step instructions for making your spicy Instant Pot Italian sausage and vegetable soup are in the recipe card below. You can print or save to Pinterest for later.

Prep: Cut up your vegetables and measure your ingredients. Set the Instant Pot to the sauté function.

Sauté: Place the sausage into the instant pot and stir until browned, about 3 minutes. Place a fine mesh strainer over a bowl. Pour sausage into the strainer to drain the grease. Return the meat to the pot. Do not put grease down the drain. Add onion and garlic and saute for another 2 minutes until fragrant. Turn the saute function off.

Pressure Cook: Add the potatoes, Italian seasoning, onion powder, seasoned salt, and chicken broth. Secure the lid and lock in place. Set pressure valve to sealed. Pressure cook on high pressure for 5 minutes. When timer goes off carefully turn pressure valve to open and do a quick release to release the pressure. Once fully released, remove lid. Test potatoes with a fork to make sure they’re tender. If they’re still hard, reseal and cook on high pressure for 5 more minutes.

Finish Soup: Set Instant Pot to sauté setting. Stir in the chopped kale. Stir occasionally. Allow to wilt for about 2-3 minutes. Turn off saute setting. Slowly stir in heavy cream. Add bacon bits. Stir for about 1 minute.

Serve: Serve to individual bowls. Sprinkle with more bacon bits and fresh parsley, if desired.

Stovetop Instructions

Make Italian vegetable soup on the stovetop easily. It is a hearty soup that doesn’t take long to make, even on the stove.

Prep: Cut up your vegetables and measure your ingredients. Heat dutch oven or large pot over medium heat.

Sauté: Place the sausage into the dutch oven and stir until browned, about 3-4 minutes. Place a fine mesh strainer over a bowl. Pour sausage into the strainer to drain the grease into the bowl. Return the meat to the pot. Do not put grease down the drain. Add onion and garlic and saute for another 5 minutes until onion is translucent.

Cook: Add the potatoes, Italian seasoning, onion powder, seasoned salt, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer. Cover for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Finish Soup: Stir in the chopped kale. Allow to wilt for about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally. Turn off heat. Slowly stir in heavy cream. Add bacon bits. Stir for about 1-2 minutes.

Slow Cooker Instructions

Make crockpot zuppa toscana easily. Start it before work and finish when you get home.

Prep: Cut up your vegetables and measure your ingredients. Heat a large skillet over medium heat.

Sauté: Place the sausage into the skillet and stir until browned, breaking it into pieces. Place a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl. Pour sausage into the strainer to drain the grease into the bowl. Return the meat to the skillet. Do not put grease down the drain. Add onion and garlic and saute for another 5 minutes until onion is translucent.

Slow Cook: Add the sausage mixture, potatoes, chicken stock (or vegetable stock), Italian seasoning, onion powder and seasoned salt. Stir and cover. Set to low heat for 5-8 hours or high heat for 3-4 hours

Finish: Remove the lid. Add kale, bacon and heavy cream. Cook on high heat for 30 minutes or until the kale is wilted and soft.

TRY THIS: Make a delicious Italian Lasagna to eat with your zuppa toscana.

Storing

Store leftover soup in a gallon-size Ziploc bag or an airtight container with a lid in the refrigerator. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Freeze soup leftovers in a gallon-sized Ziplock bag in individual servings. Allow it to cool completely then lay flat in the freezer to freeze for up to 3 months. This is the most space saving way to freeze soup.

Reheating

Defrost copycat zuppa toscana in the refrigerator. Reheat soup slowly over low heat in a pot on the stove. Enjoy your delicious soup!

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