Zuppa Toscana

The classic rustic Italian soup, Zuppa Toscana is a favorite for many! This hearty Italian fare has sliced russet potatoes, sweet and spicy Italian sausage, white wine, kale, and more. Make this for yourself, for your family, or impress your friends with this Zuppa Toscana as the soup course to your dinner!

Zuppa Toscana

Zuppa Toscana is a classic, rustic, and hearty Italian soup. Many people enjoy going to the Olive Garden restaurant and ordering this soup. In another post, my Three Bean Pasta é Fagioli with Beef, I mention that my father loves going there and ordering their endless soup and salad. My mother enjoys it, too. My wife loved it so much she set out to make her own. As with many restaurant items, we were able to make our own that tasted so much better!

My father was amazing when it comes to cooking soups. So he’s very picky when it comes to his soups and stews. He’s definitely a soup “connoisseur.” He absolutely loves my wife’s soups and stews! She has now taken the reins! This is the best Zuppa Toscana you’ll ever make!

Ingredients for Zuppa Toscana

One nice thing about this Zuppa Toscana is you can find all these ingredients in just about any supermarket. There’s no exotic or specialty items.

Cooking Instructions

What Substitutions Can I Use?

Here are some substitutions and variations that you can use that won’t diminish the taste:

Sausage: we usually use both mild and spicy Italian sausage when making this. We have also used turkey Italian sausage, mild and spicy, as well, with great results.

Chicken Stock: vegetable stock would be amazing with this.

Kale: we didn’t have kale one time, so we used spinach. It doesn’t hold up as well, but it worked.

Bacon Bits: my wife originally put bacon bits in it. It gave the soup a little smoked flavor.

Here are some other great soup recipes to try!

Rustic Potato Leek Soup

Beef Barley Soup

Guinness Beef Stew

Three Bean Pasta é Fagioli with Beef

Print

Zuppa Toscana

Course Soup

Cuisine American, Italian

Keyword olive garden, Soup, zuppa toscana

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings 8

Ingredients

• 2 pounds Mild or Spicy Italian Sausage (I use both mild and spicy)
• 2 medium Vidalia Onions, sliced thin
• 1 clove Garlic, minced
• 1 cup White Wine
• 3 quarts Chicken Stock
• 6 cups Milk (I use 2%)
• 2 pounds Russet Potatoes, sliced
• 1/2 pound Kale, chopped
• 1 cup Half and Half
• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. In a large stock pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, cook the sausage, about 8-10 minutes. Use a wooden spoon to break it apart. Once the sausage is cooked, remove the sausage to a plate and drain the grease.

   Note: If you can't find bulk sausage, you can use links, but be sure to remove the meat from the casing before cooking it.

2. Add the onions to the pot and season with salt. Cook until the onions are translucent, about 5-8 minutes. Be careful to not let the onions turn brown.

3. Add the garlic and saute about 2 minutes, stirring often to prevent the garlic from burning.

4. Next, add the white wine and deglaze the bottom, using the wooden spoon to scrape up the bits stuck to the bottom.

5. Return the sausage.

6. Add the chicken stock, milk, and potatoes. Increase the heat to high and bring it to a boil, then reduce to simmer. Allow the soup to simmer for 20-30 minutes.

7. Add the kale about 10 minutes into the simmering in the previous step.

8. Stir in the half and half. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

9. Garnish with fresh cracked black pepper or crushed red pepper flakes.