A delicious combination of Italian ground sausage, cream, healthy kale, potatoes, bacon, and pungent aromatics makes this Creamy Italian Sausage Soup taste incredibly scrumptious.
Creamy Italian Sausage Soup
Whether you’re new to cooking or a seasoned pro, I’ll guide you through each simple step so you can create a delicious dish perfect for dinner anytime.
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We love to serve our favorite soup with crusty bread, crackers, potato pancakes (we really do love these with anything!) or plain Caesar Salad.
If you like me, are a fan of Italian-style recipes you'll appreciate this Tuscan Soup as well as other Olive Garden Copycat recipes such as our favorite Pasta Fagioli Soup, and Chicken Alfredo Pasta Bake.
Ingredients
- Fresh kale - trimmed and stems removed. No need to cut the kale, just break it apart into smaller pieces (about 1 inch) right before adding it to the soup. Or make a kale chiffonade or cut it into ribbons. I prefer getting kale fresh and whole. For a quicker version, you can find store-bought packages with precut kale. But they often mix in some of the stems too.
- By the way, there are many varieties of kale. I used curly kale which is the most common and works great in this Zuppa Toscana. Lacinato kale is also a great variety of kale and is good for cooking and enjoying raw in salads. It has thinner leaves so it's easier to eat than other kale sorts, which are tougher.
- Sausage - I used Italian Spicy Sausage, without MSG and other nasty stuff. Or use ground sausage. Remove the casing crumble the sausage into the pan and cook until browned. For kid-friendly use mild sausage, lean ground beef, or chicken or turkey sausage. Italian sausage is what adds great flavor to this dish but you can get similar flavor by using ground meat and adding Italian spices and a pinch of chili, red pepper flakes, or cayenne pepper to the mix.
- Potatoes - we like starchy potatoes such as Idaho or Russet potatoes. For this Italian soup, I diced the potatoes into medium-thick cubes. You can also slice them (but not very thin.) Just make sure these are all in uniform sizes and shapes to ensure even cooking.
- Garlic - I like to use plenty.
- Broth - as usual, use low-sodium or no-salt broth whenever possible. This is healthier and you can control the amount of salt added to the soup. Lots of salt and spices come from the sausage already.
- Heavy cream - or half and half, or evaporated milk for a thinner version. For vegan or dairy-free Zuppa Toscana, use a can of coconut milk or cream which makes a perfect substitute and it won't curdle or separate when reheating.
For the full list of ingredients, please scroll down to where you'll find the recipe card.
✅ Craving more soup? You'll love this Loaded Potato Soup, Chicken Gnocchi Soup and Pasta Fazool recipes.
Instructions
In a dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat add chopped bacon and cook until desired crispiness.
Transfer to a side plate and remove the excess fat with a slotted spoon.
Leave a couple of tablespoons in the pot and cook your sausage/ground meat breaking it apart until browned. Set aside. If needed, add some olive oil. Set aside.
In the same pot, over medium heat, add butter and cook onions until softened and golden.
Stir in minced or pressed garlic and saute for another 30 seconds until fragrant.
Stir in chicken broth, water, salt, pepper. Take it to a boil and reduce the heat to medium.
Add potatoes and cook the soup until potatoes are fork tender. About 10-12 minutes.
Return the sausage, and add kale. You can now also stir in earlier cooked bacon or leave it for garnish.
Take it to a gentle boil and simmer for another 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to low.
Taste for seasoning.
Stir in cream and bring it to a light boil again. Simmer for 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Serve this delicious creamy soup with freshly grated parmesan cheese and more bacon crumbles.
✅ For a vegetarian option use a vegetarian/vegan sausage (look for nonmsg and other additives, there are many great options out there).
If some of your family members are meat lovers, you can cook some non-veg sausage and serve it as an addition to the soup or on the side. More work, but try the soup first and see if you need it at all. I’m sure they gonna love the veg option as well.
Tips
- Remove the stems from the kale. To strip the kale, grab onto the stem and pull the leaves off. Chop the leaves into bite-size pieces or just use your fingers to tear them into smaller pieces.
- You’ll need a Dutch oven, medium-sized or large.
- If you want to make it more kid-friendly, you can use a mild sausage and it will still have an incredible flavor.
- You can add chopped sundried tomatoes to the soup which will add tons of flavor.
- Not a fan of kale? It can easily be subbed with chard, spinach, or left out completely. However, I prefer kale as it doesn’t lose its texture like spinach, especially once reheated.
- The Tuscany soup is not thin nor it’s too thick. And depending on your personal preference, keep some extra broth or clean water to add to the soup in the end if needed.
- Pro cooking hack - a great tip for prepping things like onion and garlic. Want to save 5-10 minutes of your time, every time when making a meal? I found that it is easier to chop up a bunch of onion upfront (garlic is actually not that bad as a prep because garlic press does the job really well) at the same time while making a recipe and simply freeze these. Do this once a month and you don’t have to work that hard each time when cooking! It’s good for time-saving and no leftovers will be forgotten in the back of the fridge. Use frozen chopped onions in most dishes like soups, stews, and sauces. I usually don’t even thaw these and use them straight up in the recipe.
- Slice the veggies like a pro - a good handheld slicer, mandolin, or food processor will cut your veggie prep time in half. Less chopping and more time to enjoy dinner.
Freezing and Storing Instructions
- To store. Once the soup is cooked, let it cool completely before transferring it into airtight containers and refrigerating for up to 3 days.
- You can freeze zuppa toscana. However like with many creamy-based soups or sauces, it is not the best option. The soup will separate once reheated and taste slightly watery. The consistency will not be as creamy and thick once freshly made.
📖Recipe
Creamy Italian Sausage Soup Tuscany Style
Ingredients
- 1 pound spicy Italian ground sausage, casing removed, use mild for kid-friendly
- 4 tablespoons unsalted or salted butter
- ½ white onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 5 cups chicken/meat or vegetable broth
- 3 cups water
- 4-5 potatoes cut into ½-inch pieces
- 2 teaspoons salt or to taste
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 handful of cooked crispy Bacon, optional
- 4 cups chopped kale
- Olive oil for cooking
Instructions
- In a dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat add chopped bacon and cook until desired crispiness. Transfer to a side plate and remove the excess fat with a slotted spoon.
- Leave a couple of tablespoons in the pot and cook your sausage/ground meat breaking it apart until browned. Set aside. If needed, add some olive oil. Set aside.
- In the same pot, over medium heat, add butter and cook onions until softened and golden. Stir in minced or pressed garlic and saute for another 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Stir in chicken broth, water, salt, pepper. Take it to a boil and reduce the heat to medium.
- Add potatoes and cook the soup until potatoes are fork tender. About 10-12 minutes.
- Return the sausage, and add kale. Take it to gentle boil and simmer for another 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to low.
- Taste for seasoning.
- Stir in cream and bring it to a light boil again. Simmer for 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat.
- Serve this delicious creamy soup with freshly grated parmesan cheese and bacon crumbles.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can freeze zuppa toscana. However, like with many creamy-based soups or sauces, it is not the best option.
The soup will separate once reheated and taste slightly watery. The consistency will not be as creamy and thick once freshly made.
This Zuppa Toscana soup is best served and enjoyed on the same day of making or within 24 hours.
If you need to refrigerate leftovers, do it in a properly sealed airtight container for up to 3 days. To reheat the soup add to the pot and simmer on low heat. Take it to a gentle boil and enjoy.
Not a fan of kale? It can easily subbed with chard, or spinach or left out completely.
However, I prefer kale as it doesn’t lose its texture like spinach, especially once reheated.
Rita
Creamy and loaded italian sausage soup Tuscany Style!
Cindy
Do you cook the sausage twice? Once before the bacon and again afterwards?
Rita
Cindy, no just once. Sorry for the confusion, I've written more clear instructions now, thank you!
Betty
Vegan mayo has canola oil which due to the processing of it, isn't healthy at all. I am a cancer survivor and have been told NOT to use anything with canola oil. Extra Virgin Olive oil is the best.
Rita
this recipe is not using mayo...
Terry Strange-Kemen
Worked at Olive Garden. This is hands down the best copy cat recipe.
Rita
thank you!
Darby
I am making this now, added mushrooms cooked with the onions tho instead of bacon (trying to cut down on meat)
Rita
hope you loved it!