Olive Garden Toscana Soup is a delicious copycat recipe for a beloved, hearty soup with potatoes, Italian sausage and kale, in a seasoned broth!
I’m sitting in my office at home looking out the window at freshly fallen snow in our backyard. We had a crazy snowstorm yesterday (it gets crazy in Portland when we have significant snow). Today another 3-5 inches of snow is expected. Whoa!
This is a great day for Olive Garden Toscana Soup! My husband and I have both been fighting pesky head colds for several days now, and we decided a big pot of soup was what we needed.
This way we can have soup made for 1) the snowstorm, and 2) leftovers (so I don’t have to cook much while sick). It was a really good idea (we occasionally have good ideas!).
Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page
Where I Found The Recipe For Olive Garden Toscana Soup
Once my hubby and I settled on what KIND of soup it was easy: A big pot of Toscana Soup, a copycat version of the popular soup found at Olive Garden restaurants nationwide. It is also known as Zuppa Toscana.
I dug out my trusty cookbook called “Top Secret Restaurant Recipes”, by author Todd Wilbur, and got busy in the kitchen. Honestly, I can’t count how many times I’ve made this recipe over the years.
We find this soup wonderfully tasty, filling, and it’s ridiculously easy to make. The blended flavors of Italian sausage, potatoes and kale are enhanced by a light, creamy broth.
Olive Garden Toscana Soup is a seriously good soup to cozy up with on a cold, snowy day, or any time you want a great bowl of soup!
How To Make Olive Garden Toscana Soup
Place four Italian sausage links into a large skillet. Pan-sear the sausage links on medium heat until they are browned, and cooked through.
Cooking the sausage links will take between 10 and 15 minutes to cook the sausages all the way through.
Once they are finished cooking, transfer the sausages out of the skillet, and let them cool for about 10 minutes before attempting to slice them..
Use a sharp knife to slice the cooked Italian sausage links into thin rounds. Set the sausage slices aside to rest while you add other ingredients to the soup.
Time To Slice Those Potatoes!
Slice the cleaned, unpeeled potatoes into thin slices, and then cut them into quarters. The potato slices will cook more evenly if they are all cut about the same size.
Add Potatoes And Kale To The Toscana Soup
Add the sliced potatoes (make them “walk the plank”) to the Toscana soup base that is simmering in a large soup pot.
Next into the soup pot goes the kale. Yes… this recipe calls for lots of fresh chopped kale (the HEALTHY veggie)! Stir to incorporate the potatoes and kale into the soup.
The kale will wilt and reduce in volume as it heats in the hot broth. Now your big ol’ pot of Olive Garden Toscana Soup is almost ready to eat! Are you getting excited? I know I am!
Final Step, Then It’s Time To EAT!
Add the cooked and sliced Italian sausage to the soup, and stir, to combine. Continue to heat the soup, until it is very hot, and then get ready to serve it!
Ladle the hot Toscana Soup into individual serving bowls. Serve Olive Garden Toscana Soup with some crusty Italian bread on the side, and enjoy!
Hope you will give this Olive Garden Toscana Soup a try and will discover (if you haven’t already), how delicious it really is!
It’s pretty easy to make a big pot of this soup to enjoy! Sure hope you like it! If you enjoy the soups at The Olive Garden, be sure to check out my recipe for Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup! It is fantastic, and is one of my all-time favorites!
Thanks for stopping by today. Please come back soon for more family-friendly recipes. Take care, and have a great day.
Looking For More SOUP Recipes?
You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have lots of delicious soups for you to enjoy, including:
- Grandma’s Southern-Style Chicken n’ Dumplings
- Chicken Noodle Soup
- Chili’s Chicken Enchilada Soup (copycat recipe)
- Butternut Squash Soup with Bacon
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↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓
Olive Garden Toscana Soup is a delicious copycat recipe for a beloved, hearty soup with potatoes, Italian sausage and kale, in a seasoned broth!
- 4 Italian sausage links (mild or hot flavors are okay-I typically use mild)
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 3/4 cup milk (for an even creamier version, use heavy whipping cream, then omit the butter)
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 3 cups chopped kale
- 3 small russet potatoes- unpeeled (or 1 1/2 large potatoes-unpeeled)
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Grill or sauté the sausages till done (approx. 15 minutes). Remove from heat and let cool. Once sausage has cooled, slice the sausages at an angle into slices about 1/2 inch thick.
In a large saucepan, combine the chicken stock and the milk/butter (or heavy cream) over medium heat. Add the grilled Italian sausage slices and kale to the soup. Slice the unpeeled potatoes into 1/4 inch slices, and then quarter each slice. Add the quartered potato slices to the soup.
Add the spices (salt, pepper, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes) to taste. Let the soup simmer on low, uncovered for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Serve, and enjoy!
Recipe adapted from the cookbook: "Top Secret Restaurant Recipes", by Todd Wilbur, (published 1977).
Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!
