Copycat Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Soup {Crock Pot Friendly}

Hearing my husband say “THITH IS MY FAVORITE THOUP EVER” (with his mouth full of soup, clearly), was pretty satisfying. (And entertaining.) We don’t always share the same taste in food so although I knew I loved this soup, (as I was eating it right off the stove, oops)… I wasn’t sure if he would appreciate the deliciousness of it the way I did. BUT, he did.

Can I just say, I miss the living heck out of Olive Garden. I could probably cry about it. It’s just that the good ol’ OG and my screechy, energetic toddler don’t really go hand in hand. It’s a tragedy. Luckily, Olive Garden copycat recipes have been holding me over and this Zuppa Toscana Soup is going to be my best friend all Fall and Winter long, no doubt about it.

You can also make it in the slow cooker, (instructions on how are below), but I’m never patient enough for that, no way jose. When I want this soup, I want it now. Wa-bam, get in my bowl.

If you’re not a fan of hot sausage, you can use regular ground sausage instead and omit the red pepper flakes, I promise that it’ll be just as delish!

Perfect recipe pairing: Homemade Ciabatta Bread! 😉

Print Recipe

Copycat Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Soup

Yield: 6 servings

Total Time: 1 hour 10 min

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 60 min

Bits of crumbled sausage, kale, potatoes, and diced onions in a rich, savory broth topped with a pinch of red pepper flakes. Exactly like the restaurant version!

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground Hot Italian sausage
• 1 medium russet potato, peeled and diced
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• 32 oz. chicken broth (equal to 4 cups)
• 1/2 bunch kale, de-stemmed and roughly chopped
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 Tablespoons flour
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Pinch of red pepper flakes, optional

Directions:

Brown the sausage in a large pot over medium heat.

Grain any excess grease. Add the garlic, onions & potatoes, and stir to combine.

Pour in the chicken stock, and cover the pot. Reduce heat to medium-low and let it simmer for about an hour, or until the potatoes are soft.

Whisk together the heavy cream and flour until well combined. (It may be lumpy but the lumps disappear once mixed into the soup!)

Pour the flour mixture into the soup and increase heat to medium high, uncovered, for about 15 minutes or until the soup has thickened slightly.

Stir in the kale, season according to your taste (a pinch of pepper flakes are delicious in there), and serve!

Slow Cooker Instructions

Follow same steps as above, however instead of simmering the soup for an hour, cover and cook on LOW for 5-6 hours or on HIGH for 3-4.

Once the flour mixture is added, heat on HIGH for another 30 minutes. Stir in the kale and serve!

Recipe Source: TheChunkyChef 🙂

All images and text ©Stephanie Melchione for The Cozy Cook