Hearty & Comforting Zuppa Toscana Olive Garden Copycat Recipe

Is there anything better than hot soup on a cold winter day? Maybe it not being a cold winter day. Weather changes aside, I say nothing. And nothing beats the chills with a down-home-comfort-food vibe like Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscana soup. Which, of course, I’ve taken the liberty of creating a copycat for you that’s quick, easy to follow, and OMG so good!

It’s a great source of fiber, protein, calcium and vitamin D when you can’t get it from going outside! Is it any wonder it makes us feel so great? Oh, and did I mention you can freeze it?

 

Serves	Prep Time	Cook Time	Total Time
6	20 min	45 min	1 h 05 min

 

Ingredients

• 1 lb. Hot Italian sausage, casings removed
• 1 large onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 6 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 4 large russet potatoes
• 1 bunch curly kale
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 4 slices cooked bacon
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• Kosher salt (to taste)
• Black pepper (to taste)

 

Directions

1. Wash and prep your veggies and removing casing from sausage. Mince garlic, halve, peel, and dice onions into ¼ in pieces, dice potatoes into ½ in pieces, remove kale leaves from stem and roughly chop.
2. In a large pot over medium heat, cook sausage, breaking up into crumbles until browned and no longer pink, 5 to 7 minutes.
3. While sausage cooks, cook bacon in a separate pan. Transfer sausage and bacon to a paper towel covered plate to drain.
4. Wipe out pot used for sausage and add onion. Let cook until soft, 5 minutes, then add garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Add chicken broth and potatoes and cook until potatoes are tender, 23 to 25 minutes.
6. Stir in kale and let cook until leaves are tender and bright green, 3 minutes. Once tender, stir in heavy cream, sausage, and bacon and simmer 5 minutes more.
7. Season with pepper, garnish with parmesan, and serve.

 

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories	646
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 36.8g	47%
Saturated Fat 14.8g	74%
Cholesterol 111mg	37%
Sodium 1161mg	50%
Total Carbohydrate 46g	17%
Dietary Fiber 7.4g	26%
Total Sugars 4.5g
Protein 33.3g
Vitamin D 8mcg	39%
Calcium 256mg	20%
Iron 3mg	18%
Potassium 1472mg	31%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice.

 

 

Notes

• Serve with Italian bread and salad, just like at Olive Garden!
• This soup freezes well for up to 2 months and does well in the fridge for up to 5 days (but expect some separation as it cools!)